Niobium carbide (NbC) has attracted recently some attention as a substitute for tungsten carbide in machining. In the present work it was shown that the metallurgical and mechanical aspects favoring long tool lifes of NbC.
Niobium is today largely available. NbC displayed lower dry sliding friction over WC grades. The softer Ni- and NiMo-bonded NbC1.0-grades have a higer abrasive wear resistance (ASTM G65), even with lower toughnesses, than the tougher WC-Co grades and harder NbC-Co grades.