Slip in tungsten monocarbide: I. Some experimental observations

Tungsten carbide crystal is trigonal rather than hexagonal as is often assumed. The dependence of the room temperature hardness on the geometry of indentation is discussed in terms of its orientation in the crystal systems, and the temperature dependence of hardness is discussed on the assumption that slip in the basal plane has a very high Peierls stress. Unexpected dominance of a + c dislocations in the deformation process is discussed.