Industrial Applications

Due to the hardness of tungsten carbide, its creation was a breakthrough for the mining industry. Since it is much harder and denser than steel, tungsten carbide, when used on drills, is able to drill through more rock and have a longer lifetime than steel drills. Tungsten carbide is also used as a machine cutter to cut through steel and other metals.

 

Military Uses

Because tungsten carbide is so hard and dense, the military uses it to make armor-piercing ammunition. It was first used during World War II by German fighters vs. Soviet tanks. Tungsten carbide is also used as artillery ammunition. Smaller caliber weapons, such as machine guns and handguns, also can use tungsten carbide. The use of this ammunition leads to more destruction as few forms of armor are able to stop the bullet.

 

History

Tungsten carbide was first used in the 1920s when a German light-bulb company sought ways to make cheaper wiring for the light bulbs. Since tungsten carbide has a high melting point, this compound worked perfectly for light bulbs because the temperatures inside them get very hot. The production of tungsten carbide was perfected by the 1930s and other elements were also added in order to make the compound useful for other applications.

 

 

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