Photo micrographs

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Carbides - the hardness and wear resistance of carbides depends on the metal attached to the carbon.V,Mo,and W are the hardest and Fe is the softest.When we talk about fracture mechanics ,fractures tend to go from carbide to carbide especially with large carbides.Large carbides also tend to have very little cohesion with the matrix so they can tear out as the blade is used. Smaller , more evenly distributed carbides thus have many advantages.