Main Applications Of Tungsten-copper Alloys

Tungsten-copper alloys combine the advantages of both tungsten and copper. Tungsten has a high melting point (3410℃, copper 1080℃) and high density (19.34 g/cm³, copper 8.89 g/cm³); copper has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. Tungsten-copper alloys (typically ranging from WCu7 to WCu50) have a uniform microstructure, high temperature resistance, high strength, resistance to arc erosion, and high density. They also possess moderate electrical and thermal conductivity, making them widely used in military high-temperature materials, electrical alloys for high-voltage switches, EDM electrodes, and microelectronic materials. As components and parts, they are widely used in aerospace, aviation, electronics, power, metallurgy, machinery, and sporting goods industries.

Military High-Temperature Resistant Materials: Tungsten-copper alloys are used in aerospace for missile and rocket engine nozzles, gas turbine control surfaces, air rudders, and nose cones. The main requirements are high temperature resistance (3000K~5000K) and resistance to high-temperature airflow erosion. This is achieved primarily by utilizing the cooling effect of copper volatilization at high temperatures (copper melting point 1083℃) to lower the surface temperature of the tungsten-copper alloy, ensuring its use under extreme high-temperature conditions.

High-Voltage Switchgear Alloys: Tungsten-copper alloys are widely used in 128kV SF6 circuit breakers (WCu/CuCr), high-voltage vacuum load switches (12kV 40.5KV 1000A), and surge arresters. High-voltage vacuum switches are small, easy to maintain, and have a wide range of applications, capable of operating in humid, flammable, explosive, and corrosive environments.

Electrical Discharge Machining Electrodes: Early electrical discharge machining electrodes used copper or graphite electrodes, which were inexpensive but not resistant to ablation. These have been largely replaced by tungsten-copper electrodes. The advantages of tungsten-copper electrodes include high temperature resistance, high high-temperature strength, resistance to arc erosion, and good electrical and thermal conductivity with rapid heat dissipation. Applications are concentrated in electrical discharge electrodes, resistance welding electrodes, and high-voltage discharge tube electrodes.

In microelectronics materials, tungsten-copper electronic packaging and heat sink materials possess both the low expansion characteristics of tungsten and the high thermal conductivity of copper. Their coefficient of thermal expansion and thermal and electrical conductivity can be altered by adjusting the composition of the tungsten-copper alloy, thus providing a wider range of applications.