Tungsten Alloy Facts

What is alloy?

An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal (heat treatment) history. Alloys usually have different properties from those of the component elements.
Alloy constituents are usually measured by mass. Alloys are usually classified as substitution or interstitial alloys, depending on the atomic arrangement that forms the alloy. They can be further classified as homogeneous, consisting of a single phase, heterogeneous, consisting of two or more phases, or intermetallic, where there is no distinct boundary between phases.

What is tungsten alloy?

tungsten alloyTungsten alloy ,also named tungsten alloy have very high melting point and have a density twice that of steel and are more than 50% heavier than lead. Tungsten content in conventional heavy alloys varies from 90 to 98 weight percent and is the reason for their high density (between 16.5 and 18.75 g/cc). Nickel, iron and copper serve as a binder matrix, which holds the brittle tungsten grains together and which makes tungsten alloys ductile and easy to machine. Nickel-iron is the most popular additive, in a ratio of 7Ni:3Fe or 8Ni:2Fe (weight ratio). The conventional processing route for tungsten alloy includes mixing the desired amount of elemental powders, followed by cold pressing and liquid phase sintering to almost full density.
Tungsten alloy facts are generally refractory metal, which have two-phase composites consisting of W-Ni-Fe or W-Ni-Cu or even W-Ni-Cu-Fe. Co, Mo, Cr, and other elements are added in some tungsten alloy. It could be made as various shapes, such as rod, cube, block, brick, ring, etc.
Usually, Tungsten alloy facts could be manufactured as the parts of military defense, extrusion die, some counterweights, such as yacht counterweights, vehicle counterweights, airplane counterweights, helicopter counterweights, boat counterweights, tank counterweights, etc.
Tungsten alloys facts of 93W-4.9Ni-2.lFe and 95W-4Ni-lFe represent common compositions. The addition of cobalt to a W-Ni-Fe alloy is a common approach for slight enhancement of both strength and ductility. The presence of cobalt within the alloy provides solid-solution strengthening of the binder and slightly enhanced tungsten-matrix interfacial strength. Cobalt additions of 5 to 15% of the nominal binder weight fraction are most common.

Tungsten Alloy Facts of Tungsten Alloy Grade Application Guide

Grades Application
HA170 HA170 is the most ductile and readily machinable grade in the tungsten alloy family.  Common application areas include counterbalancing and inertial damping weights for the aviation and aerospace industries, crankshaft and chassis weights for auto racing, bucking bars for rivet setting.
HA175 HA175 is commonly used to produce chatter-resistant boring bars, grinding quills, and tool shanks as well as radiation shielding components.
HA180 HA180 is often applied where size is a factor in the placement of balance or ballast weights.  Other applications include radiation shields and collimators of x-ray or gamma ray beams.
HA185 The densest of the Ni-Fe binder alloys, HA185 is the preferred grade for radiation shielding in the medical imaging industry.
HA170C Employing copper as a substitute for iron in the binder phase, HA170C is nonmagnetic and ideal for radiation shielding where the shield is in close proximity to a magnetic field.
HA180C HA180C is a denser version of HA170C that offers somewhat greater shielding efficiency in situations where large shields in a nonmagnetic alloy are needed.

Tungsten alloy facts features
1, Suitable for highly complex geometric shapes
2, most parts require little or no secondary machining process
3, High level of surface finish as processed, of 32 rms or better
4, tight tolerances of up to forms complex metal shapes without the need for machining.

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