Tungsten Niobium Alloy

Tungsten niobium alloy, also known as niobium tungsten alloy, is a two-phase alloy composed of two transition metals or refractory metals, similar to tungsten-molybdenum (WMo) alloys. It is widely used in aerospace, aviation, maritime, military, and defense fields due to its excellent mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties. Note: Tungsten (W) has an atomic number of 74, and niobium (Nb) has an atomic number of 41.

Tungsten niobium alloy combines the advantages of tungsten and niobium, featuring a high melting point, high strength, great hardness, heat resistance, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. Notably, the alloy’s specific properties vary with the tungsten-niobium ratio: a higher tungsten content shifts the properties toward those of tungsten, while a higher niobium content leans toward niobium’s characteristics. Studies show that at room temperature, the Nb-10W-2.5Zr alloy has a tensile strength of 514.5 MPa, yield strength of 411.6 MPa, and elongation of 31%; the Nb-10W-1Zr-0.1C alloy has a tensile strength of 572.3 MPa, yield strength of 449.8 MPa, and elongation of 23.5%.

Tungsten Properties: Melting point 3,410°C, boiling point 5,900°C, density 19.25 g/cm³, high hardness, good corrosion resistance, strong oxidation resistance, low evaporation rate, and small thermal.

Niobium Properties: Melting point 2,468°C, boiling point 4,742°C, density 8.57 g/cm³, high ductility, strong oxidation resistance, and paramagnetic properties.

The production of tungsten niobium alloy involves: first, mixing, pressing, and sintering niobium, tungsten, and other elemental powders to form a pre-alloyed strip; then using vacuum electron beam melting or vacuum arc melting to prepare an ingot blank; and finally processing the ingot through cutting, extrusion, forging, rolling, and drawing to produce the final product.

Tungsten niobium alloy is used as counterweights for automobiles, ships, and sports equipment, as well as in medical shielding walls, shielding cans, collimators, nuclear reactor plasma materials, and heat-resistant components for rocket engines.

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