Application areas of tungsten

Steel Industry

Tungsten has high hardness and a density close to that of gold, thus improving the strength, hardness, and wear resistance of steel. It is an important alloying element used in the production of various steel products. Common tungsten-containing steels include high-speed steel and tungsten-cobalt magnets with high magnetization and coercivity, mainly used in the manufacture of various wear-resistant tools and circuit breakers.

Hard Alloy Industry

Tungsten carbides have high wear resistance and are difficult to melt, with a hardness approaching that of diamond, making them suitable for use in hard alloys. Currently, tungsten carbide-based hard alloys are the largest consumer of tungsten. These hard alloys are powder metallurgy products made by sintering micron-sized tungsten carbide powder with metal binders (such as cobalt, nickel, and molybdenum) in a vacuum furnace or hydrogen reduction furnace. Tungsten carbide-based cemented carbides can be broadly classified into four categories: tungsten carbide-cobalt, tungsten carbide-titanium carbide-cobalt, tungsten carbide-titanium carbide-tantalum (niobium) carbide-cobalt, and steel-bonded cemented carbides. These tungsten carbide-based cemented carbides are mainly used in the manufacture of cutting tools, mining tools, and wire drawing dies.

Wear-resistant alloys

Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals and is also very hard, making it suitable for producing high-temperature-strength and wear-resistant alloys. For example, alloys of tungsten with chromium, cobalt, and carbon are commonly used to manufacture high-strength and wear-resistant parts such as valves for aero-engines and turbine impellers. Alloys of tungsten with other refractory metals (such as tantalum, niobium, molybdenum, and rhenium) are often used to manufacture high-temperature-strength parts such as nozzles and engines for aero-rocket engines.

Electronics

Tungsten has high plasticity, low evaporation rate, high melting point, and strong electron emission capability, making tungsten and its alloys widely used in the electronics and power supply industries. For instance, tungsten filaments, with their high luminous efficiency and long service life, are used to manufacture filaments for incandescent lamps and tungsten iodine lamps. Tungsten wire can be used to manufacture the directly heated cathode and grid of electronic oscillator tubes, as well as the indirectly heated cathode heaters in various electronic instruments. The properties of tungsten also make it a suitable welding material for TIG and other similar electrode materials.