Differences between Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide

In modern industry, tungsten carbide products have become a popular tool material. And tungsten is not only used for the bulb. In this article, we will talk about the differences between tungsten and tungsten carbide. This article is going to illustrate as follows:

1. What is tungsten?

2. What is tungsten carbide?

3. Differences between tungsten and tungsten carbide.

What is tungsten?

Tungsten was first found in 1779, and it was known as “heavy stone” in Swedish. Tungsten has the highest melting points, the lowest expansion coefficient, and the lowest vapor pressure among metals. Tungsten also has good elasticity and conductivity.

What is tungsten carbide?

Tungsten carbide is an alloy of tungsten and carbon. Tungsten carbide is known as the second hardest material in the world, after diamond. Besides hardness, tungsten carbide also has good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, shock resistance, and durability. 

Differences between tungsten and tungsten carbide

We are going to talk about the differences between tungsten and tungsten carbide in the following aspects:

1. Elastic modulus

Tungsten has a large elastic modulus of 400GPa. However, tungsten carbide has a larger one of around 690GPa. Most of the time, materials stiffness is related to the elastic modulus. The higher modulus of elasticity of tungsten carbide shows higher stiffness and higher resistance to deformation.

2. Shear modulus

Shear modulus is the ratio of shear stress to shear strain, which is also referred to as the modulus of rigidity. Generally speaking, most steels have a shear modulus around 80GPa, tungsten has twice, and tungsten carbide three times.

3. Tensile yield strength

Although tungsten and tungsten carbide has good hardness and toughness, they don’t have high tensile yield strength. Generally, the tensile yield strength of tungsten is around 350MPa, and that of tungsten carbide is around 140MPa.

4. Thermal conductivity

Thermal conductivity is an important measure when the material is used in a high-temperature environment. Tungsten has higher thermal conductivity than tungsten carbide. Tungsten has inherent temperature stability, so it is suitable for some thermal applications, such as filaments, tubes, and heating coils.

5. Hardness 

Tungsten has a hardness of 66, while tungsten carbide has a hardness of 90. Tungsten carbide consists of tungsten and carbon, so it not only has the good properties of tungsten, but it also has the hardness and chemical stability of carbon.

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