Tungsten copper and tungsten silver alloys are a new type of powder metallurgy composite material

        Tungsten can be alloyed through methods such as solid solution strengthening, precipitation strengthening, and dispersion strengthening to improve the high-temperature strength and plasticity of tungsten materials. Through alloying, tungsten has formed various non-ferrous metal alloys that have a significant impact on contemporary human civilization. Adding rhenium (3%~26%) to tungsten can significantly improve ductility (plasticity) and recrystallization temperature. After appropriate high-temperature annealing treatment, the elongation of certain tungsten rhenium alloys can reach 5%, which is much higher than that of pure tungsten or doped tungsten, which is 1-3%.

        Tungsten thorium alloy formed by adding 0.4% to 4.2% thorium oxide (ThO2) to tungsten has high thermionic emission ability and can be used as a hot cathode for electronic tubes, argon arc welding electrodes, etc. However, the radioactivity of ThO2 has not been resolved for a long time. Cerium tungsten (W-CeO2) alloys developed in China, as well as lanthanum tungsten and yttrium tungsten alloys made with La2O3 and Y203 as dispersants (with an oxide content generally below 2.2%), have been widely used as high-temperature electrodes for argon arc welding, plasma welding and cutting, and non consumable arc furnaces instead of W-Th02 alloys.

         Tungsten copper and tungsten silver alloys are a type of powder metallurgy composite material that does not form a new type due to the lack of reaction between constituent elements. Tungsten silver and tungsten copper alloys are not actually alloys, so they are considered fake alloys. Tungsten silver alloy is commonly referred to as silver infiltrated tungsten. This type of alloy contains 20% to 70% copper or silver, which combines the excellent conductivity and thermal conductivity of copper and silver with the high melting point and ablation resistance of tungsten. It is mainly used as rocket nozzles, electrical contacts, and semiconductor support components. The nozzle of a foreign Polaris A-3 missile is made of tungsten tubes infiltrated with 10% to 15% silver, and the rocket nozzle used in the Apollo spacecraft, which weighs hundreds of kilograms, is also made of tungsten.

         Tungsten molybdenum alloys have higher electrical resistivity and superior toughness than pure tungsten, and have been used as hot wires for electronic tubes and glass sealing leads. Tungsten, as an alloying element, is also mentioned as a superalloy in non-ferrous alloys. In the 1940s, in order to meet the demand for high-temperature materials in aviation turbine engines, superalloys were born amidst the roaring artillery fire. Superalloys are composed of three types of special structural alloys: nickel based, cobalt based, and iron based. They can still maintain extremely high strength, creep resistance, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance when operating at high temperatures (500~1050 ℃). In addition, they can be guaranteed not to fracture during their lifespan of several years, which means they have the characteristics of resisting high cycle fatigue and low cycle fatigue. This type of performance is extremely important for the aerospace industry, which is crucial to human life. Currently, there are a total of 35-40 well-known superalloys used, of which a considerable portion is composed of tungsten as one of the main components.