Engineering Failure Analysis 89 (2018) 37–45

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Engineering Failure Analysis

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engfailanal

Failure analysis of tungsten carbide bearing on screw drill

T
Qian-Cheng Liu, Mei Cui, Qing-Kun He, Zhong-Yu Liu, Yan Liang, Kun Xie,
⁎
Jin-Quan Sun
College of Material Science and Technology, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266510, China

A R T IC LE I N F O ABS TRA CT

Keywords: The tungsten carbide bearing (TC bearing) is the main factor affecting the safety and durability of
TC bearing a screw-drilling tool. The TC bearing transmits torque and is subjected to severe radial shock,
YG8 contact fatigue and corrosion. The failure of TC bearings are analyzed in detail and characterized
Solder by optical microscope (OM) and high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) with
Crack
energy spectrometer (EDS), electronic probe microanalyzer (EPMA), X-ray diffractometer (XRD),
Rockwell hardness tester, and differential thermal and thermo gravimetric analyzer (DTA-TGA).
The results showed that hot cracking of cemented carbide block of YG8 (WC-92%, Co-8%) mainly
results from the diffusion of Co elements entering into the solder and W2C and Co3W3C brittle
phases formation during heating and holding time. The W2C and Co3W3C phases promote in-
itiation and propagation of brittle crack in the cooling stage and during working, resulting in
fracture and detachment of YG8. Based on these results and failure analysis of TC bearings, some
effective measures proposed to optimize the production process.

1. Introduction

Radial TC bearing is an important part of a screw drill and it uses impact and rotation technology to allow drill function. High-
pressure liquid supplies the kinetic energy of screw drilling [1]. The TC bearing must bear the lateral force of rotation and the impact
force of rock (Fig. 1), and there is friction between the outer and the inner sleeve. The typical structure of a TC bearing is generally
composed of YG8 and brazing filler metal as shown in Fig. 2. During preparation, YG8 is adhered to the cylindrical mould, and then
the outer sleeve is covered. Casting tungsten carbide and filler metal are then mixed into gaps of YG8, and finally the brazing process
is carried out.
Due to its characteristics of high hardness and corrosive resistance, YG8 is widely prepared by brazing to provide the abrasive
resistance required for a TC bearing. TC bearings are divided into two parts, the inner and outer shaft sleeve. Increased attention has
been focused on the use of YG8 [2–5]. Upadhyaya [6] reported that the use of W elements offers strength and abrasion resistance
properties, and Co elements offer the ductility and toughness, respectively. The amount of the Co elements results in differences in the
hardness of cemented carbide [7]. Cemented carbide YG8 has a high hardness [8–10], which is brazed on TC bearings by solder
composed of Cu, Zn, Mn and Ni elements. To reduce the hardness gradient between the solder and YG8, casting WC particles are
added into solder. Many studies have reported the brazing technology of YG8 [11–14]. In particular, the effects of two types of Cu-
based solder on the quality of TC bearing have been described [15].
Overall, brazing process parameters seriously affect the quality of YG8 and its adhesive strength. Cracks and ecclasis of YG8 often
occur, resulting in early failure of TC bearing during production or operation. In the present work, a detailed failure analysis of failure

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: nanomaterial@163.com (J.-Q. Sun).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2018.02.024
Received 31 December 2017; Received in revised form 8 January 2018; Accepted 26 February 2018
Available online 28 February 2018
1350-6307/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Q.-C. Liu et al. Engineering Failure Analysis 89 (2018) 37–45

Fig. 1. Work principle of screw drill.

Fig. 2. The internal structure of production processing.

① YG8. ② The bolster plate of die. ③ Steel body of TC bearing. ④ Casting tungsten carbide. ⑤ Brazing filler metal. ⑥ Upper and cover of die.

TC bearing is given and a process optimization scheme is presented.

2. Experimental

For heat treatment, the TC bearing was heated in a furnace at the rate of 10 °C/min until reaching (1150 ± 10)°C, and then held
at that temperature for 60 min, allowing the molten solder to infiltrate into the gaps of tungsten carbide with fine grain size. Finally,
the TC bearing was cooled down to around (800 ± 10)°C in the furnace then cooled to room temperature by air outside of the
furnace.
The YG8 used in these experiments had a chemical composition of 92 wt% WC and 8 wt% Co. The mechanical properties of the
YG8 are shown in Table 1. YG8 samples of dimension 20 mm × 5 mm × 2 mm were cut from a TC bearing, as shown in Fig. 3. After
slicing treatment, the samples were polished using diamond papers (#400 up to #2000) followed by diamond paste with a grain size
of 0.35 μm.
The existing phases of YG8 were determined by X-ray diffraction (Rigaku D/max 2200 X-Ray diffractometer, Japan) using CuKα
radiation (k = 0.1542 nm) with an acceleration voltage of 15 kV. Point and line analysis were performed for YG8 and the solder was
analyzed by EDS (JXA-8230, Japan; acceleration voltage was generally 15 kV). The content and composition of elements in YG8 and
solder were determined by quantitative analysis. In order to verify the binding force of YG8, the Rockwell hardness indentation test
was used with a test load of 588.4 N and a holding time of 15 s, using Rockwell hardometer (HR-150A, the diamond indenter is used
with an angle of 120 degrees). The melting point of the block and nano Ni solder was analyzed by DSC-TGA (SDT Q600 V20.9 Build
20; 220 V voltage is with nitrogen atmosphere, with a temperature range of room temperature to 1200 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C/
min).

Table 1
The mechanical properties of the YG8.

Density Impact energy Hardness Bending strength

14.5–14.9 (g/cm3) 2.5 (J/cm2) 89 (HRA) 1500 (MPa)

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(a) (b)

Fig. 3. Early failure of the TC bearing after 50 h of working. (a) Inner bearing, (b) outer bearing.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Macro analysis

As shown in Fig. 3a, longitudinal and transverse cracks appeared in the YG8s after working 50 h. In addition, some of the YG8
samples showed partial shedding, as shown in Fig. 3b. Comparing Fig. 3a with Fig. 3b, the longitudinal cracks in the YG8s are not
only abundant but also perforated with relatively wide crack.

3.2. Phase analysis

Fig. 4 shows the X-ray patterns of phases present in the structure of YG8 before and after brazing. Compared with YG8 before
brazing, there are two new phases after brazing, Co3W3C and W2C. The W2C phase is formed by decarburization of the WC during
brazing; the W2C phase is unstable at room temperature, and should be avoided [16]. The new phase of Co3W3C (η phase) is brittle
phase, and is due to the dissolution of WC in the matrix of Co [17]. Though use of the high brazing temperature greatly helps to
reduce the viscosity of the solder and promote atom diffusion, the higher brazing temperature results in increased brittleness of the
YG8. The above results illustrate the dependence of the performance of YG8 on the manufacturing process.

3.3. Composition analysis

After treatment, YG8 and the solder have combined, reducing the strength of YG8 at the edge. Fig. 6 illustrates that the hardness
gradient is divided into three main regions, the hardness of the solder, the YG8 and solder mutual diffusion layer, and the layer
diffusion of YG8. The viscosity of WC particles in YG8 decreased due to the loss of Co elements, resulting in decreased hardness.

Fig. 4. XRD patterns of YG8. (a) Before brazing, (b) after brazing.

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Fig. 5. YG8 after brazing. (a) Pseudo-grain boundary of YG8, (b) partial enlarged of pseudo-grain boundary, (c) YG8 erosed by solder.

According to the chemical composition of YG8 given by EDS, there are Mn, Fe, Ni, and Cu elements in addition to W, C, and Co
elements. The analysis shows that there has been interfacial diffusion of the solder elements into theYG8, leading to strength re-
duction. There are some shallow pits due to the removal of WC particles, as shown in Fig. 5a, b. Fig. 5c shows that the temperature is
high and the holding time is long, resulting in the dissolution of YG8 in the boundary between YG8 and the solder. There are more
kinds of solder elements in the YG8 after brazing (Table 2). These data indicate that there is mutual transfer between YG8 and the
solder. The chemical composition of the solder after brazing is given in Table 3, and shows that the solder contains other components
in addition to the original four components. This finding further verifies the transfer of elements between YG8 and the solder. In
particularity, the content of Co element in the solder is much higher than that in YG8 according to the distribution of the Co
determined by EDS as shown in Fig. 7.
Typically, there are two phases in YG8, the binder phase and the hard phase. The binder phase is also called the soft phase, and it
has good plasticity and toughness like Co phase. Carbides are used for the hard phase, with very high hardness and strength. The
mechanical behaviors of YG8 depend on the combined effects of these two phases [18]. The extrusion of the binder phase is an
important mechanism of YG8 applications [19]. The W element offers strength and abrasion resistance properties, and the Co element
contributes limited ductility and toughness. Nevertheless, there are naked WC grains on the surface after brazing and very deep gaps
that are free of binder [20]. In this way, the deep gaps provide favourable conditions for the loss of Co element. Moreover, after
cracks appear, rock material will be embedded inside the crack, thus affecting the wear-resistant properties of YG8 [21]. When the
solder was heated to the melting temperature, Co element diffused into it because of the fine miscibility between Ni and Co [22].
Therefore, YG8 becomes more brittle because of the loss of the soft phase. Co element was detected in the brazed seam, at a much
higher content than that in YG8. Co element can be infinitely miscible and can undergo uphill diffusion, resulting in the segregation
of the Co element and the reduction of impact toughness of the TC bearing.

3.4. Analysis of crack

To analyze the effect of brazing temperature on mechanical properties, YG8 was heated according to the parameters of the
brazing process. Compared with the hardness of original YG8 (89HRA), the value was reduced to 87HRA by heating treatment. More
importantly, small and capillary cracks were present around the indentation of the original sample and there was obvious brittle

Table 2
Chemical composition of YG8 after brazing (wt%).

Elements W C Fe Mn Ni Cu

Mass (%) 87.81 4.03 0.68 2.65 1.50 3.32

Atom (%) 50.20 35.25 1.28 5.08 2.69 5.50

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Table 3
Chemical composition of solder after brazing (wt%).

Elements Cu Ni Zn Mn Co Fe

Mass (%) 38.9 13.26 10.2 21.08 8.45 8.69

Atom (%) 34.6 13.89 10.21 22.33 9.48 9.49

Fig. 6. The microhardness curve of YG8 after brazing. (a) Cross section, (b) longitudinal, (1) solder area, (2) the diffusion layer, (3) matrix of YG8.

Fig. 7. Line scanning analysis of Co element distribution between YG8 and solder.

Fig. 8. Rockwell hardness indentation. (a) Before brazing, (b) after brazing.

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Fig. 9. Crack patterns of YG8. (a) SEM of crack of YG8 near the side of solder, (b) partial enlarged detail of Crack I in (a), (c) SEM of crack of YG8 without use, (d)
partial enlarged detail of Crack II in (c).

Fig. 10. Line scanning analysis pattern of Crack II.

crack propagation after heating treatment, as shown in Fig. 8. The Rockwell hardness indentation illustrates that brazing temperature
will affect the mechanical properties of YG8, and the material will become more brittle.
According to the imaging of the surface of YG8 as shown in Fig. 9, there are two kinds of cracks. The first kind of crack (Crack I)

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Brazing temperature (1150

Holding time (1h)

Brittle phase (Co3W3C and W2C)

The elements diffusion of the solder
The interface erosion and Co element diffusion of YG8

Hot cracking Cold cracking

The early failure of TC bearing

Fig. 11. Failure mechanism of the TC bearing.

Fig. 12. SEM of nano Ni.

occurs along the length direction of the YG8 and is close to edge of the solder, which is more tortuous and wider. In addition, this
crack is full of solder. Elements of the filler in Crack I are shown in Fig. 9b. The composition of this material was analyzed by EDS, as
shown in Table 4, and is consistent with the composition of the solder. This confirmed that once Crack I formed, it was infiltrated by
molten solder under capillary forces at high temperature [23]. Therefore, it can be reasonably concluded that Crack I occurred during
brazing. The second crack (Crack II) appeared perpendicular to the length direction of the YG8, and is small and straight. There is no
filler in this crack, suggesting the crack was caused by a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between YG8 and the solder
during cooling (Fig. 9c, d) or by impact load during working. Linear analysis of Crack II revealed that there is no element distribution
in the crack, shown in Fig. 10, which indicates that the crack formed during cooling or working. During cooling, the expansion
coefficients of the YG8 and the solder are different, which can cause the YG8 to crack. This formation process for Crack II is called
cold cracking. The width of Crack I is larger than that of Crack II, and the unevenness of Crack I is another distinguishing, shown in

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Fig. 13. The DSC-TGA curve of the solder. (a) Block Ni, (b) nano Ni.

Table 4
Chemical composition of the hot cracking (wt%).

Elements Cu Ni Zn Mn O Cl Co Fe

Mass (%) 3.08 7.31 1.12 35.31 16.34 14.40 10.49 9.68
Atom (%) 1.85 4.74 0.65 24.49 38.92 15.48 6.78 6.61

Fig. 9a. This indicates that crack initiation and growth of Crack I is a slow process that occurs during brazing.

3.5. Failure mechanism

Fig. 11 shows the failure mechanism analysis diagram of TC bearing. Based on this failure mechanism, to achieve brazing integrity
and strength guarantee, the brazing temperature and holding time should be reduced during the brazing process to prevent the
dissolving of YG8s in contact with the solder. Additionally, stress annealing should be used after cooling to room temperature. Under
the condition of not changing the form of material organization, the TC bearing can be annealed to remove the residual stress and
reduce the tendency of deformation cracking. Stress annealing will not completely eliminate the residual stress within the workpiece,
but it is mostly eliminated. In order to eliminate residual stress, the workpiece must be heated to a higher temperature. However,
under higher temperature conditions, other organizational changes may occur that may reduce the performance of materials. Ad-
ditionally, the increased temperature may cause the YG8 to dissolve (Fig. 5c).
Fig. 13 represents the separate DSC-TGA curves of the block and nano Ni solder. In nanomaterials, the melting points can be
significantly reduced. Nano Ni (Fig. 12) was prepared under at 60 °C with high-speed stirring, with hydrazine hydrate as the re-
ductant in alkaline solution. Nano Ni is a uniform spherical particle, and each particle consists of a number of small particles, with
dimensions of approximately 10–20 nm and a melting point of about 600 °C as analyzed by DSC-TGA. Nano Ni has a small size effect
[24,25], which is characterized by a low melting point [26]. As shown in Fig. 13, using nano Ni to replace block Ni can further reduce
the brazing temperature to 900 °C. Nano Ni can be mixed with Cu, Zn, and Mn, and the brazing elements are evenly distributed,
without agglomeration. The lack of agglomeration could confer better liquidity and allow the solder to more easily fill between the
YG8. Increasing production efficiency of nano Ni, and reducing its cost will improve the application of nano Ni solder.

4. Conclusion

The brazing temperature of this progress is too high and the holding time is too long, causing seriously restriction of the life of TC
bearing due to YG8 damage as follows.

(1) The high temperature of the brazing temperature resulted in diffusion loss of Co element and the erosion of solder to YG8,
resulting in hot cracking. At the same time, WC decomposition produces brittle phase. The YG8 will create cold cracking during
cooling or working.
(2) The mutual transfer of Co element and solder between YG8 and solder during brazing reduced TC bearing impact resistance. The
brittle phase breaks under the impact load, which causes cracks to expand and connect with each other, resulting in the dete-
rioration of YG8.
(3) The results suggest that optimizing brazing temperature or the use of Ni nanoparticles will improve the TC bearing quality.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledged the sample provided of Dezhou United Petroleum Technology Corp. The support of the

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testing help provided by Mr. Cheng Gui-Hua, Mr. Tang Jian-Ping, Mr. Yu Guang-Hai and Mr. Yue Lin is sincerely appreciated. The
financial support provided by the State Key Laboratory of Mining Disaster Prevention and Control Co-founded by Shandong Province
and The Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. MDPC2013KF15) is also gratefully acknowledged.

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