Tungsten Electrode Application

Tungsten electrode widely used in welding industry. In plasma arc, cutting and non-consumable welding and other welding manufacturers usually use thorium tungsten electrode, but because thorium tungsten electrode has a radioactivity having some impact on the environment and human health. The radioactivity of thorium tungsten electrodes is about 13.22 x1015Bq / kg. With further research and innovative technology, manufacturers developed different rare earth tungsten electrodes which have different properties to the place of high-performance thorium tungsten electrode, and the cerium tungsten electrode and lanthanum tungsten electrode used more widely. To produce cerium tungsten electrode by doped with 2% ~ 4% cerium oxides, and cerium tungsten electrodes commonly used in DC, because it is not only easy arcing and has low electrode burning rate, but also the welding current density is greater than thorium tungsten electrode. However, using in AC welding, the burning rate will be higher than thorium tungsten electrode and the allowable range welding current is less than the thorium tungsten electrode.

Tungsten electrode can also be used in the field of electric light source. Rare earth tungsten electrode has a low work function, high melting point and low vapor pressure, so it is often used as discharge electrode material in lamp. Tungsten electrode has corrosion resistance, high temperature performance and other excellent performance which can reduce the load temperature, reduce the electrodes burning rate and corrosion, thereby extending lamp life. Thorium has low soluble degree in tungsten, so thorium tungsten electrode used in lamp not only can maintain the low work function, but also can generate stable electrode arc. In order to expand the tungsten electrode range of application in electric light source fields, the researchers through the liquid - solid method to produce low-power metal halide lamp electrodes and to assemble into a 70W metal halide lamp, compared to the application performance of different rare earth tungsten electrodes in the lamps found splash performance dysprosium tungsten electrode and dysprosium yttrium electrode has good splash-proof performance and corrosion resistance performance which has the similar performance with thorium tungsten electrode.

Tungsten electrode is also used in the plasma generator. Arc plasma with high temperature heat source, energy concentration and high efficiency heating and other good performance, are widely used in cutting, thermal spray field, welding, melting, new materials synthesis, ultra-fine powders manufacturing and other field. The cathode in the plasma generator should withstand the heat radiation and high-energy ion bombardment and erosion, and tungsten electrode has high strength, corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance and other properties, it is considered the best cathode material in the plasma generator.

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