Ferro Tungsten

(FeW) Atomic Numbers 26,74

Ferro Tungsten is an alloy, which is formed by combining iron and tungsten with a tungsten content range in two grades (A and B) and the content ranges are 75%-82% and 70%-75% respectively. Ferro Tungsten is a remarkably robust alloy because of its high melting point, tungsten has the second highest melting point after carbon. By combining iron with tungsten, the tendencies towards brittleness are overcome from the raw state of tungsten, and Ferro Tungsten is often a major component of popular super alloys.

Properties of Ferro Tungsten

Ferro Tungsten as an additive to the production process of ferrous metals will impart several desirable properties upon the new alloy. One of the primary benefits of adding Ferro Tungsten to an alloy is to increase the alloy’s melting point, making it suitable for aerospace applications as well as welding applications. Additionally, by adding Ferro Tungsten to an alloy, one can take advantage of tungsten’s unique electrical capabilities as a conductor. For example, tungsten is used in field emission guns like electron microscopes and in IC chips, as well as metallic films that can replace conventional copper wiring.

Production of Ferro Tungsten

A large portion of the global Ferro Tungsten supply is manufactured in China, Bolivia, Portugal and Russia. Tungsten is found in these minerals: wolframite, scheelite, ferberite and hübnerite. The most basic definition of the Ferro Tungsten production process would be that the minerals are mined and converted to tungsten oxide and then heated with hydrogen or carbon to produce a powdered form that is mixed with iron. Ferro Tungsten is usually supplied in particles between 5mm and 100mm and in steel drums of 100kgs each.

Uses of Ferro Tungsten

A good example of Ferro Tungsten usage is in high-speed steel, which may contain as much as 18% pure tungsten. These super alloys that employ Ferro Tungsten are used in the production of turbine blades and other wear-resistant coatings and parts. Other applications requiring the high density of Ferro Tungsten alloys are heat sinks, counter weights, ballast keels, commercial aircraft tail ballast, and NASCAR and Formula 1 car ballast. In armaments, Ferro Tungsten is used in kinetic energy penetrators as an alternative to depleted uranium, but is also used in projectiles and grenades to create super-sonic shrapnel. Ferro Tungsten is also used in the manufacture of game darts for the popular bar game (the Ferro Tungsten creates darts yielding smaller diameters, thus tighter groupings during play). Ferro Tungsten is also found in fishing lures (as the Ferro Tungsten alloy beads sink rapidly).

Ferro Tungsten Market

The Ferro Tungsten market trend dropped downward for the first three months of 2009, and in China the Ferro Tungsten market was declared stagnated. However, with a promotion in major infrastructure projects around the world, the tungsten market could see a reversal, considering that the tungsten market is so volatile and with just a few key players controlling the market share. If infrastructure development needs turn towards tungsten, then prices could turn very bullish, especially considering the level of recent output cuts across the industry.

Standard material is available with a specification of:

• W 74-80%
• C 0.25% max
• Si 1% max
• Mn 0.5% max

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