Tungsten-Cobalt Alloy
Tungsten-cobalt alloy is a hard, dense alloy composed of tungsten and cobalt. Developed in the early 1950s, tungsten-cobalt alloy has been in continuous use ever since, though there have been several minor modifications and advancements in its production. This alloy is often found in aerospace and defense applications, due to its high strength and durability.
Tungsten-cobalt alloy is an extremely hard and dense materials that is resistant to wear and tear and tolerates high temperatures. Its high melting point makes it an ideal material for heavily loaded parts that require extreme strength and heat resistance. Its hardness makes it difficult to process, but it can be machined and welded with the proper tools. Historically, it was primarily used for aircraft applications and is still used in a range of aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial applications.
Benefits of tungsten-cobalt alloy include its low coefficient of thermal expansion and high heat conduction. Because of its low CTE, it is more resistant to thermal drift and maintains its shape and dimensions under extreme temperature changes. The combination of hardness and low expansion makes tungsten-cobalt alloy well-suited for turbine blade and seal components that are used in jet engines, machine tools and medical implants.
In addition to its high strength and heat resistance, tungsten-cobalt alloy has excellent corrosion resistance, making it ideal for parts that need to withstand harsh chemical environments. This alloy exhibits good machinability, with a low propensity for chipping and cracking, even when machining complex parts. The alloy is also not prone to galling and is resistant to weld fatigue cracking.
Due to their high cost and difficulty to process, tungsten-cobalt alloy components are often used only in applications where they offer substantial advantages over traditional materials. They are primarily used in aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial applications, where the cost and complexity of the parts is offset by its strength and heat resistance. The alloy’s improved wear resistance also makes it a viable option for high-wear applications, such as bearings and valve components.
Overall, tungsten-cobalt alloy offers many advantages over traditional materials, such as its high strength, heat resistance and corrosion resistance. Its low CTE makes it well-suited for applications exposed to extreme temperature changes, such as jet engines, and its excellent machinability makes it suitable for complex parts. Its high cost and the difficulty of processing make it a less popular option for many applications, but it is a viable option for parts that require significant wear resistance and heat resistance.
