Thursday, September 6, 2012

Tungsten

The metal has the highest melting point of all metals, and at temperatures over 1650 oC also has the highest tensile strength. Pure tungsten is ductile, and tungsten wires, even of a very small diameter, have a very high tensile strength.




Tungsten is highly resistant to corrosion...

Tungsten is one of the five major refractory metals (metals with very high resistance to heat and wear). The other refactory metals are molybdenum, tantalum, rhenium and niobium.





Uses:
Tungsten and its alloys are widely used for filaments in older style (not energy saving) electric bulbs and electronic tubes...

High speed steel (which can cut material at higher speeds than carbon steel), contains up to 18% tungsten.

Source.

4 comments:

  1. The kids over in the welding program have found out I have a major stash of tungsten electrodes for our TIG welder. Whomever was the studio tech ten years ago bought dozens of boxes of all types. I'll get a visit about every other day asking if they can "borrow' a "red" (the thoriated type).

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    1. That's super awesome. If I am ever to abandon the family and become a roaming nomad it won't be to drink and gamble, but to do metalwork with crazy rare and difficult to work substances. Maybe I can just get a gig in your neck of the woods for a summer and KEEP the family. Hmmm...

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  2. I also hear Tungsten is also awesome for weighting chess pieces.

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