Preparation, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Tungsten Alloy

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystalline Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 6605

Special Issue Editors

State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Interests: tungsten alloys; powder metallurgy; sintering densification; solid phase sintering; liquid phase sintering; grain nucleation; grain growth; microstructure and mechanical properties
Institute of Materials, China Academy of Engineering physics, Mianyang 621054, China
Interests: ODS steel, refractory metal material design and preparation, powder metallurgy technology, binder injection metal 3D printing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tungsten alloy materials composed of pure tungsten, alloying elements, and additional phases exhibit excellent room temperature and high temperature mechanical properties, high electrical conductivity,  high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion coefficient, and so on, which play a critical role in the fields of the aerospace, defense and military, nuclear energy, microelectronics information, and medical industries. With the rapid development of cutting-edge science and technology, there is a greater demand for high-performance tungsten alloy materials. Because of the complex service environment, there are greater challenges to material performance and component structure, which require material (component) preparation methods and performance to develop in the direction of ultra-fined microstructure, ultra-high performance, and three-dimensional complex shapes. At present, tungsten alloy materials prepared using traditional methods have obvious shortcomings in terms of preparation technology and performance, such as single composition, variety and shape, coarse and heterogeneous structure, low density, and poor strength and toughness, which become key obstacles in the application of cutting-edge technology. Therefore, making breakthroughs in material design and preparation technology and developing a high-strength and multi-functional tungsten alloy material system and preparation technology under extreme service environments is key to realizing their application in the cutting-edge technology field.

Based on the above research hotspots, Crystals invites scholars in related fields to submit to a Special Issue on “Tungsten Alloy Preparation, Microstructure, and Properties”. This Special Issue aims to introduce the design, preparation, performance characterization, and application of new tungsten alloys.

Dr. Yong Han
Dr. Pei He
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • tungsten alloys
  • composition design 
  • advanced preparation method
  • microstructure and performance characterization
  • applications

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 5725 KiB  
Article
Properties of Potassium Doped and Tantalum Containing Tungsten after Heavy Ion Irradiation
by Juan Du, Chuan Wu, Tianyu Zhao, Pan Wen, Pinghuai Wang, Jun Tang, Xiang Liu and Jiming Chen
Crystals 2023, 13(6), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13060951 - 14 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1100
Abstract
Tungsten potassium (WK) alloy has been reported as one of the ideal plasma-facing materials (PFMs). Tantalum alloying is a good method to improve the mechanical properties of tungsten. The effect of tantalum contents on the irradiation resistance of WK alloy has not yet [...] Read more.
Tungsten potassium (WK) alloy has been reported as one of the ideal plasma-facing materials (PFMs). Tantalum alloying is a good method to improve the mechanical properties of tungsten. The effect of tantalum contents on the irradiation resistance of WK alloy has not yet been reported. In this study, WK (containing 82 ppm potassium) alloy with 1 wt. % Ta and 3 wt. % Ta, specifically WK-1Ta and WK-3Ta, were fabricated with sparking plasma sintering and irradiated with 7.5 MeV W2+ ion. The relative densities of WK-1Ta and WK-3Ta are 97.2% and 96.4%, respectively. The average grain sizes of WK-1Ta and WK-3Ta are 2.08 μm and 1.51 μm, respectively. The Vickers hardness of WK-3Ta is nearly 20% higher than that of WK-1Ta, both before and after irradiation. Irradiation hardening was confirmed by nano indentation test results. After irradiation, the number of dislocation loops formed in WK-1Ta and WK-3Ta are very similar, and the dislocation loop density of WK-3Ta is only slightly higher than that of WK-1Ta. This phenomenon is consistent with nano hardness analysis results. Compared to the reported nano hardness results of WK alloys, both WK-1Ta and WK-3Ta had higher hardness than the WK alloys before irradiation. Compared to the irradiation hardening results for the reported WK alloys, the existence of Ta may have positive influence on resistance to irradiation hardening. Full article
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12 pages, 5558 KiB  
Article
The Microstructural and Hardness Changes of Tungsten Fiber after Au2+ Irradiation
by Juan Du, Jialin Li, Chuan Wu, Qihang Zhang, Pan Wen, Jun Tang, Tianyu Zhao, Pinghuai Wang, Xiang Liu and Jiming Chen
Crystals 2023, 13(6), 920; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13060920 - 7 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1094
Abstract
Tungsten fiber-reinforced tungsten composite (Wf/W) material is considered a plasma-facing material (PFM) with good application prospects. Commercial tungsten wire (fiber) prepared through forging and drawing processes has excellent mechanical properties, as well as a very high recrystallization temperature due to the [...] Read more.
Tungsten fiber-reinforced tungsten composite (Wf/W) material is considered a plasma-facing material (PFM) with good application prospects. Commercial tungsten wire (fiber) prepared through forging and drawing processes has excellent mechanical properties, as well as a very high recrystallization temperature due to the unique texture of it grain structure. Commercial tungsten fiber is the most proper reinforcement for Wf/W. The change in the properties of tungsten fiber because of neutron irradiation makes it inevitable for Wf/W to be used as PFMs. However, there is very little research on the change in the properties of tungsten fiber caused by neutron irradiation. In this work, we used heavy ion irradiation to simulate the displacement damage generated by neutron irradiation to explore the alteration of the properties of a commercial tungsten fiber caused by neutron irradiation. The investigated subject was tungsten fiber with a diameter of 300 μm. The irradiation source was 7.5 MeV Au2+, which generated a maximum displacement damage of 60 dpa at a depth of 400 nm, and the irradiation influenced depth was 1000 nm. Because of the irradiation, significant lattice distortion occurred within the tungsten fiber, resulting in the transition from (110) texture to (100) texture at the fiber’s cross-section. The results of the Schmidt factor and Taylor factor analysis indicate a decrease in the plasticity of the tungsten fiber after irradiation, but it did not completely lose its plasticity. The results of the nanoindentation test confirmed the radiation hardening. After irradiation, the hardness of the tungsten fiber increased by approximately 0.33 GPa, but this increase was relatively small compared to other tungsten-based materials. This indicates that commercial tungsten fiber is a low-cost and highly reliable reinforcement material for Wf/W composite materials. Full article
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10 pages, 3350 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Properties and Thermal Shock Performance of High-Energy-Rate-Forged W-1%TaC Alloy
by Fan Feng, Youyun Lian, Jianbao Wang, Jiupeng Song, Binyou Yan and Xiang Liu
Crystals 2022, 12(8), 1047; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst12081047 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1740
Abstract
Tungsten is a metal with a high melting point and thermal conductivity, but its inherent brittleness limits its application in the industry. Dispersion strengthening and plastic deformation are considered to be an effective means to improve the properties of tungsten alloys. In this [...] Read more.
Tungsten is a metal with a high melting point and thermal conductivity, but its inherent brittleness limits its application in the industry. Dispersion strengthening and plastic deformation are considered to be an effective means to improve the properties of tungsten alloys. In this work, the mechanical properties and thermal shock performance of W-1% TaC alloy prepared by hot pressing followed by high-energy-rate forging (HERFing) and annealing treatment were investigated. The microstructure of the tungsten material was characterized via metallography, scanning electron microscopy and electron backscattering diffraction imaging. The mechanical properties were studied by tensile testing. The thermal shock performance of the HERFed W-TaC was evaluated using an electron beam device. The forged tungsten possessed a disc-shaped grain structure. The forged W-TaC alloy exhibited a good mechanical performance at an elevated temperature, which was different from the response of other tungsten alloys. The HERFing process effectively increased the cracking threshold of W-TaC alloy under electron beam transient thermal load. The lamellar grain structure of the forged tungsten material prevented cracks from propagating deeply into the material. Full article
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12 pages, 6324 KiB  
Article
Powder Extrusion Printing and Sintering Densification Behaviors of Ultrafine 98W-1Ni-1Fe Alloy Powder
by Yong Han, Xiao Wu, Xue Jiang and Yihan Yang
Crystals 2022, 12(6), 875; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst12060875 - 20 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1509
Abstract
Powder extrusion printing (PEP) is an attractive fabrication technique for the automated mass production of engineering components with complicated shape and high-dimensional accuracy. This paper is concerned with PEP and sintering densification of ultrafine 98W-1Ni-1Fe powder. Three kinds of binder systems were designed. [...] Read more.
Powder extrusion printing (PEP) is an attractive fabrication technique for the automated mass production of engineering components with complicated shape and high-dimensional accuracy. This paper is concerned with PEP and sintering densification of ultrafine 98W-1Ni-1Fe powder. Three kinds of binder systems were designed. The influence of binder composition on the rheological behavior of the PEP feedstocks has been investigated. Results showed that all the feedstocks present pseudoplastic flow behavior. Compared with the FS-55 and FS-70 feedstocks, the FS-65 feedstock is more suitable for the PEP of ultrafine 98W-1Ni-1Fe powder due to its better comprehensive rheology and more homogeneous microstructure. The PEPed ultrafine 98W-1Ni-1Fe can be sintered to near full density at 1420 °C, which is much lower than traditional micro-scaled powder. The sintered 98W-1Ni-1Fe shows good mechanical performance due to its fine and uniform microstructure, its tensile strength can reach ~800 MPa, and its grain size is about 15 μm. Full article
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