Cross-sectional AEM preparation technique for ceramic-coated WC-Co cutting tools.

The preparation of cross-sectional specimens for AEM studies of materials such as ceramic coated tungsten carbide presents some unique problems. Pieces joined by the use of epoxides often separate at the interface between the WC and ceramic coating during the initial mechanical grinding and subsequent thinning process as a result of the vibration and physical strain placed on the sample. These problems have been overcome through the use of a preparation process which essentially encapsulates the sample within the confines of an epoxy filled quartz tube. This preparation process has allowed for facile AEM cross-sectional analysis of TiN/TiCN coatings on WC-Co substrates, and has revealed two distinct grain morphologies within the TiCN coating.