Materials
Tungsten Carbide
TUNG-sten KAR-bide
Also Known As Carbide
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Tungsten carbide is a dense, extremely hard compound of equal parts tungsten and carbon, first synthesized as a powder by Henri Moissan in 1893. Industrial production of the cemented form, sintered with a cobalt binder, did not begin until roughly 1913 to 1918, after which it became the standard material for cutting tools that must outlast high-speed steel.
Facts
Primary UseSintered cutting tools that resist abrasion and hold up under heat better than high-speed steel, and armor-piercing ammunition where depleted uranium is unavailable or politically unacceptable. 1 Origin YearYear the powder form was first synthesized by Henri Moissan; the cemented industrial form followed roughly 1913 to 1918. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Tungsten carbide's extreme hardness makes it the standard cutting-tool and tool-bit material for CNC machining of metal, far outlasting high-speed steel tooling.
In Field
Sources
1. Tungsten Carbide (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction sectionQuote, Introduction section
Tungsten carbide powder was first synthesized by Henri Moissan in 1893, and the industrial production of the cemented form started 20 to 25 years later (between 1913 and 1918).
1. Tungsten Carbide (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationCutting tools for machining sectionQuote, Cutting tools for machining section
Sintered tungsten carbide-cobalt cutting tools are very abrasion resistant and can also withstand higher temperatures than standard high-speed steel (HSS) tools.
1. Tungsten Carbide (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationNomenclature sectionQuote, Nomenclature section
Colloquially among workers in various industries (such as machining), tungsten carbide is often simply called carbide.
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