If you’re in the market for a metal that is both strong and durable, you might have come across tungsten. Also known as wolfram, tungsten is a rare metal element with an atomic number of 74. It is renowned for its hardness and strength, but is it really the hardest metal out there? Let’s take a look at tungsten’s properties and compare it to some other metals to find out.
Tungsten Properties
Tungsten has some very impressive properties that make it an ideal choice for many applications. Its high melting point (3422°C) makes it one of the most heat-resistant metals available, making it suitable for use in extremely hot environments, such as furnaces and welding torches. Additionally, tungsten has a tensile strength of more than 600 MPa, which makes it three times stronger than steel. This means that tungsten can be used to make parts and components that must withstand extreme forces without breaking or deforming.
- Tungsten is one of the hardest materials on the planet.
- Tungsten is extremely resistant to wear and tear.
- Tungsten is highly resistant to heat.
- Tungsten has a very high melting point.
- Tungsten is non-toxic and hypoallergenic.
- Tungsten is an excellent conductor of electricity.
Hardness Comparison
When comparing the hardness of different metals, scientists often use the Vickers Hardness Test (VHN). According to this scale, tungsten ranks between 880-1510 VHN, while stainless steel measures between 200-400 VHN. This means that tungsten is significantly harder than stainless steel, although not necessarily harder than all metals. For instance, chromium carbide ranks between 1600-1900 VHN, and titanium carbide ranks between 2200-2500 VHN on the same scale – meaning they are more complex than both stainless steel and tungsten!
Conclusion
To conclude, when compared to other metals on the Vickers Hardness Test scale, tungsten ranks pretty high – making it one of the hardest metals available today. Although there are some materials like chromium carbide and titanium carbide that are even harder than tungsten on this scale, these materials are much less common and, therefore, more difficult to obtain. So if you’re looking for a metal that is strong yet malleable enough to be easily manipulated into shape – then you should definitely consider using tungsten!
Pipingmart is a B2B portal that specializes in metal, industrial and piping items. Additionally, we share the latest information and information about materials, products and various types of grades to assist businesses that are involved in this business.
