Tungsten vs Tungsten carbide
- Differences of tungsten vs tungsten carbide in hardness and wear resistance：
Tungsten carbide is an alloy material composed of tungsten and carbon elements, with higher hardness and wear resistance than pure tungsten. It can not only be used to manufacture high-speed cutting tools and abrasives, but also in the production of heat-resistant parts and high-temperature melting equipment and other industries.
Due to the single nature of its composition, pure tungsten is not as hard and wear-resistant as tungsten carbide, but it shows good corrosion resistance in high-temperature and high-strength environments, and can also be used to make high-temperature resistant ceramics, vacuum furnace parts, etc.
- Differences of tungsten vs tungsten carbide in toughness In terms of toughness：
Pure tungsten has more advantages than tungsten carbide. Because pure tungsten is a single substance, it is relatively more tough and suitable for the manufacture of gas discharge tubes, electronic tubes and high-temperature parts. Tungsten carbide is relatively brittle due to its extremely high hardness. Therefore, pure tungsten has more advantages in applications that need to withstand hammering, impact and other forces.
- Differences of tungsten vs tungsten carbide in application fields：
Because tungsten carbide has extremely high hardness and wear resistance, it can be used in complex processing environments, such as manufacturing high-speed cutting tools in automobile engines, milling cutters on machine tools, planers and other industrial equipment. Cutting tools produced from tungsten carbide rods can be used to process cast iron, nonferrous metals, nonmetals, heat-resistant alloys, titanium alloys and stainless steel. Tungsten carbide can also be used to prepare abrasives, grinding tools and other materials, and is used in the processing of high-hardness materials such as gems, glass and ceramics. In addition, tungsten carbide can be used to extend molds, wear-resistant parts, stamping molds and drill bits.
In contrast, pure tungsten is more used in high-temperature, high-strength and corrosion-resistant fields, such as crucibles, furnace tubes, heating elements, vacuum furnace parts, etc. At the same time, pure tungsten is also widely used in optoelectronic devices, electron tubes, discharge tubes and other aspects.
Conclusion：
In terms of hardness, wear resistance and toughness, tungsten carbide and pure tungsten have their own advantages. In different application fields, they play an important role. In practical applications, we need to choose suitable materials according to different material properties and needs.