The name "tungsten alloy disc" intuitively reflects its shape and material. Simply put, it is a disc made primarily of tungsten, combined with other metal elements such as nickel and iron through specific processes. In the field of materials science, this combination is not arbitrary but is deliberately designed to meet the demands of various complex application scenarios.
Tungsten, as a metal, boasts numerous remarkable properties. With a melting point as high as 3,410°C, tungsten alloy discs exhibit exceptional high-temperature resistance, maintaining stable physical and chemical properties in extreme heat. Its density, at 19.35 g/cm3, provides unique application value due to its high density. Additionally, tungsten features high hardness, good electrical and thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance, making it an excellent base material.
However, pure tungsten metal has certain limitations, such as insufficient toughness and difficult processing. To address these issues, other metal elements are added to create tungsten alloy discs. Common additives include nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu), which play vital roles in enhancing alloy performance when combined with tungsten. For instance, nickel improves the toughness and ductility of tungsten alloys, making the originally brittle tungsten easier to process and reducing sintering temperatures, thereby increasing production efficiency and cutting costs. The addition of iron enhances alloy strength and is relatively cost-effective, balancing performance and expense. Copper improves the alloy’s electrical and thermal conductivity while boosting corrosion resistance. The proportions of these elements influence the performance of tungsten alloy discs to varying degrees.
I. Outstanding Performance of Tungsten Alloy Discs
One of the standout features of tungsten alloy discs is their high specific gravity. With a density typically ranging from 16.5 to 18.75 g/cm3, they outperform many common metals. For example, iron has a density of about 7.87 g/cm3, and aluminum about 2.7 g/cm3, making the density of tungsten alloy discs more than double that of iron and six times that of aluminum. This high specific gravity makes tungsten alloy discs a "weight-bearing" material in numerous fields.
Thanks to their high melting point and excellent heat resistance, tungsten alloy discs demonstrate good stability in high-temperature environments. With a melting point of around 3,400°C, they retain their original physical form and mechanical properties when many other metals have melted or deformed.
Tungsten alloy discs also possess high strength and hardness, showcasing remarkable resilience against various external forces. Their tensile strength typically ranges from 900 to 1,100 MPa, with a hardness of 25 to 35 HRC. This high strength and hardness make them highly effective in resisting wear and impact.
Additionally, tungsten alloy discs offer good electrical and thermal conductivity, earning them the role of "energy transfer specialists" in electronic devices and heat dissipation systems. In electronic equipment, conductivity is a critical performance metric, and the excellent conductivity of tungsten alloy discs supports their widespread use in manufacturing electronic components.
II. The Journey of Creating Tungsten Alloy Discs
The powder metallurgy method is a common technique for producing tungsten alloy discs, with each step significantly impacting the final product’s performance.
The process begins with mixing the powders. High-purity tungsten powder is selected as the base material, combined with metal powders like nickel, iron, or copper. The particle size and distribution of these powders are crucial for achieving uniform mixing and green compact density. Excessive fine powder can reduce flowability, hindering uniform mixing, while excessive coarse powder may lead to uneven density. Thus, powders must be screened and tested based on product performance requirements.
Next is the pressing step, where the mixed powder is placed into a specific mold and subjected to pressure to form a preliminary shape. Common pressing methods include die pressing and isostatic pressing.
The final stage is sintering, a critical step in powder metallurgy, which can be divided into liquid-phase sintering and high-temperature sintering. During liquid-phase sintering, the binder metal melts into a liquid phase at high temperatures, facilitating the rearrangement and densification of tungsten particles, thereby enhancing the disc’s density and strength. Parameters such as temperature control, heating rate, and holding time during sintering significantly affect product performance. For instance, an overly rapid heating rate may cause internal stress concentrations and cracking, while insufficient holding time can result in incomplete sintering, preventing the product from achieving the desired density and performance.
III. Wide Applications of Tungsten Alloy Discs
In the aerospace and aviation sectors, tungsten alloy discs, with their excellent mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties, are an ideal choice for numerous critical components, playing a vital role in aircraft and rockets. In aircraft manufacturing, counterweights are essential for flight stability. During flight, maintaining balance ensures safety and comfort. Due to their high specific gravity, tungsten alloy discs are widely used as counterweights in aircraft wings, tail sections, and fuselages, effectively adjusting the center of gravity and helping maintain stable postures during high-speed flight, takeoff, landing, and complex maneuvers.
With the rapid advancement of technology, the electronic and semiconductor industries are evolving rapidly, placing increasingly high demands on material performance. Tungsten alloy discs, with their good conductivity, thermal conductivity, high melting point, and high strength, have found broad applications in this field, serving as a key material driving electronic technology progress. In electronic devices, heat dissipation is a critical issue. As the integration of electronic devices increases, chips and other components generate significant heat during operation. If this heat is not effectively dissipated, it can lead to performance degradation and reduced lifespan. The excellent thermal conductivity of tungsten alloy discs makes them an ideal material for heat dissipation in electronic equipment.
In semiconductor manufacturing, tungsten alloy discs also have important applications. The production of chips requires high-precision equipment and materials to ensure performance and quality. Due to their high melting point and good corrosion resistance, tungsten alloy discs are widely used in critical components of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, such as sputtering targets. In the physical vapor deposition process of chip manufacturing, sputtering targets are key materials for depositing metal films onto wafers. As sputtering targets, tungsten alloy discs can operate stably under high-temperature, high-vacuum, and intense ion bombardment conditions, uniformly depositing tungsten and other metals onto the wafer surface to form metal films for circuit connections and functionality.
Medical equipment, which affects human health and life, demands high standards for material safety, reliability, and functionality. Tungsten alloy, with its unique performance advantages, plays a significant role in this field, supporting advancements in medical technology and patient treatment. Its high density and excellent radiation shielding properties make tungsten alloy a preferred material for shielding components in radiation therapy equipment.
In the sports industry, tungsten alloy discs leverage their high specific gravity and strength to play a unique role in sports equipment manufacturing, providing athletes with superior gear to achieve outstanding results. In golf, the performance of golf club heads significantly impacts ball-striking effectiveness. Due to their high specific gravity, tungsten alloy discs are widely used in golf club head designs. Placing tungsten alloy in specific positions on the club head effectively adjusts the center of gravity distribution, enhancing stability and accuracy during shots.
