Ni-WC composites were prepared by vacuum-induction melting (VIM). A ball-on-disc wear test was performed using an SiN ball as a friction pair to study the wear performance of the composites. The effects of WC particle size (average particle size of 68 μm and 23 μm) on the mechanical properties of the composites and the heat-damage behaviour of WC particles during the melting process were investigated. The results indicate that the wear rate of Ni-WC composites with coarse WC particles was lower than that of Ni-WC composites with fine WC particles. The predominant wear mechanism of composites with coarse WC particles was mechanical wear of the WC particles; the predominant wear mechanisms of composites with fine WC particles were oxidation wear and three-body abrasive wear. The coarse WC particles provide better wear resistance than fine WC particles. The WC particles underwent heat erosion and dissolution caused by the Ni-based melt. Increasing the size of the WC particles can significantly reduce the degree of heat damage to the WC particles and improve the hardness of the composites.

中文翻译：

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真空感应熔炼过程中Ni-WC复合材料的磨损性能及WC颗粒的热损伤行为

Ni-WC复合材料通过真空感应熔炼（VIM）制备。使用SiN球作为摩擦副进行球盘磨损试验，以研究复合材料的磨损性能。研究了WC颗粒尺寸（平均颗粒尺寸为68μm和23μm）对复合材料力学性能的影响以及WC颗粒在熔化过程中的热损伤行为。结果表明，含有粗WC颗粒的Ni-WC复合材料的磨损率低于含有细WC颗粒的Ni-WC复合材料。粗WC颗粒复合材料的主要磨损机制是WC颗粒的机械磨损；细WC颗粒复合材料的主要磨损机制是氧化磨损和三体磨粒磨损。粗WC颗粒比细WC颗粒具有更好的耐磨性。 WC颗粒受到镍基熔体引起的热侵蚀和溶解。增加WC颗粒的尺寸可以显着降低WC颗粒的热损伤程度，提高复合材料的硬度。