The mechanical properties of tungsten alloys refer to the mechanical characteristics exhibited by the alloy material under various external loads (such as tension, compression, bending, torsion, impact, alternating stress, etc.) in different environments (such as temperature, medium, humidity). They are the main basis for determining various engineering design parameters and mainly include hardness, brittleness, plasticity, toughness, tensile strength, yield strength, elasticity, ductility, and rigidity.
1. Hardness
Hardness refers to the ability of an alloy material to resist indentation by a hard object. It is an important mechanical property indicator for measuring the hardness of a material and can be measured using methods such as Brinell hardness, Rockwell hardness, Vickers hardness, and microhardness. The hardness of tungsten alloys is generally 24~35 HRC.
2. Brittleness
Brittleness refers to the characteristic of a material to fracture under external force, the opposite of toughness and plasticity, and is related to factors such as material composition, raw material ratio, and microstructure. For tungsten-nickel-iron alloys or tungsten-copper alloys, the brittleness generally increases with increasing tungsten content or decreasing binder metal (e.g., nickel, iron, copper) content.
3. Toughness
This refers to a material’s ability to absorb energy during plastic deformation and fracture. It indicates the material’s resistance to fracture when subjected to forces that cause deformation, and is the opposite of brittleness. In tungsten-based alloys, the binder phase primarily provides toughness; therefore, under certain conditions, a higher binder phase content results in better alloy toughness and a lower probability of brittle fracture.
4. Tensile Strength
This refers to a material’s maximum resistance to fracture under tensile force, typically measured using a universal testing machine. Taking tungsten-nickel-iron alloys as an example, generally, higher tungsten content or lower binder metal content results in greater tensile strength.
5. Yield Strength
This is the yield limit at which a material yields, representing the stress resisting minute plastic deformation. Under small deformation conditions, assuming tungsten particles only undergo elastic deformation, the macroscopic yield strength of a tungsten alloy is determined by the yield strength of the matrix phase. Studies show that as the tungsten content increases, the yield strength of tungsten alloys also increases, but their elongation decreases; as the aspect ratio increases, the yield strength of tungsten alloys increases accordingly, but the rate of increase gradually slows down.
6. Ductility
Ductility refers to a material’s ability to undergo plastic deformation before fracture under stress. It can be expressed by elongation (spreading rate) and tested using the bending method. Generally, the lower the elongation, the worse the ductility of the material; conversely, the higher the elongation, the better the ductility of the material.
7. Stiffness
Stiffness is the property of a material to withstand high stress without undergoing large strain. It can be evaluated by measuring the elastic modulus E of the material. Tungsten alloys are products with a high elastic modulus.
Regardless of the specific mechanical property, they are all affected by factors such as material composition, raw material ratio, microstructure, production process, and post-processing.
Post time: Apr-12-2026