What Is Tungston Copper Used For?
Tungsten copper is a copper and tungsten alloy that is used to conduct heat and electricity. Tungsten copper consists of 10 to 50 percent of its weight in copper and the remaining portion is made out of tungsten. The lower the copper content, the higher its density and hardness is.
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About Tungsten Copper
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Tungsten copper is an alloy that is made by pressing tungsten or tungsten carbide, sintering the pressed tungsten at a high temperature, and then infiltrating it with copper. Sintering is a metallurgic process by which a metallic powder is made into a coherent mass by heating without melting. The physical properties of both tungsten and copper make them not mutually soluble, meaning that one cannot be combined with the other, similar to the way oil and water will not mix. The alloy is made by dispersing the particles of one metal into a matrix or crystallized pattern of another. This makes tungsten copper's "micro-structure" or molecular shape that of a metal matrix composite and not of a true alloy.
Tungesten Copper Powder
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Tungsten copper powder is used in injection molds for mold pressing parts as well as extrusion pressing. It is also used as a die lubricant in molds. The alloy is machined in a factory setting to make highly complex and intricate components such as microprocessors. It is also used to make parts of microwave communication systems and other electronic technologies.
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Main Uses
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Tungsten copper is used when a product or part needs to have a high heat resistance, low thermal expansion and high electrical or thermal conductivity. Tungsten copper is used to make engines and electrical devices. It is also used in the fields of aviation and spaceflight. Electrodes, refractory parts, heat sinks, rocket parts and electrical contacts are all made out of tungsten copper. The alloy is also made into sheet metal, tubing and plate metal. It is used to make contacts for both high and low voltage electrical devices, and for high speed steel devices and switches.
TIG Welding Electrodes
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An electrode is a device that conducts electricity when it makes contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit. Tungsten electrodes are used in arc welding with tungsten inert gas (TIG) or in plasma welding. The electrode can withstand high temperatures without melting. The alloy is used because it is resistant to erosion that can be caused by constant contact with the electrical arc that is used in tungsten welders. Tungsten electrodes are made out of a powder that is sintered and then shaped by a machine.
Semiconductors
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A tungsten copper alloy that consists of 75 percent tungsten is used for substrates, chip carriers, flanges and frames of power in semiconducting devices. This type of alloy is used because its thermal expansion rate matches that of silicon, ceramics and gallium arsenide, all of which are used to make circuits for semiconductors.
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References
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