Tungsten Physical Properties Facts

Tungsten has unique properties that have made it the only material suitable for many applications. Tungsten has unusually high strength at very high temperatures.
Among metals, tungsten has the:
Highest melting point
Lowest coefficient of thermal expansion
Lowest vapor pressure
Other tungsten properties include:
High tensile strength
High thermal conductivity
High resistance to thermal creep
High electrical conductivity
High resistance to corrosion
High modulus of elasticity

Tungsten Physical Properties Facts

In tungsten's raw form, it is a hard steel-gray metal that is often brittle and hard to work. If made very pure, tungsten retains its hardness (which exceeds that of many steels), and becomes malleable enough that it can be worked easily. It is worked by forging, drawing, extruding or sintering.

Of all metals in pure form, tungsten has the highest melting point (3,422 °C, 6,192 °F), lowest vapor pressure (at temperatures above 1,650 °C, 3,000 °F) and the highest tensile strength. Tungsten has the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion of any pure metal. The low thermal expansion and high melting point and strength of tungsten originate from strong covalent bonds formed between tungsten atoms by the 5d electrons. Alloying small quantities of tungsten with steel greatly increases its toughness.

Tungsten exists in two major crystalline forms. The former has a body-centered cubic structure and is the most stable form. The structure of the β phase is called A15 cubic; it is detestable, but can coexist with the phase at ambient conditions owing to non-equilibrium synthesis or stabilization by impurities. Contrary to the phase which crystallizes in isometric grains, the β form exhibits a columnar habit. The phase has a three times lower electrical resistivity and a much lower superconducting transition temperature TC than the β phase: ca. 0.015 K vs. 1–4 K; mixing the two phases allows obtaining intermediate TC values. The TC value can also be raised by alloying tungsten with another metal (e.g. 7.9 K for W-Tc. Such tungsten alloys are sometimes used in low-temperature superconducting circuits.

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