Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing – The Ultimate FAQ Guide
What type of material do you love the most when it comes to hardfacing?
Do you have a specific type of compound that you patronize? Or are you looking for different new materials that you can use for hardfacing?
If you’ve been following on hardfacing, then you probably know what Tungsten Carbide is. This post will be focusing solely about Tungsten Carbide hardfacing,
We will talk about the benefits and advantages that you get from it; what it is, as well as the machines and the equipment you can use for it.
Overview of What Tungsten Carbide Is
In the simplest words, Tungsten Carbide is a compound made up of Carbon and Tungsten.
It has equal parts of both and is a fine powder that is used in many different applications. Tungsten Carbide is known because of its hardness and the finish that it can give workpieces.
What is Tungsten Carbide Welding?
It is a welding process that deposits tungsten carbide particles to a surface. In this process, a Tungsten electrode is used to heat up the workpiece, binding and fusing them together.
You can use Tungsten Carbide welding without braze alloy – and it’ll still be possible.
What is Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing?
It’s the process that utilizes Tungsten Carbide as its main agent deposited to the workpiece’s surface.
Since welding is one of the main processes of hardfacing, you can use it for hardfacing.
How is Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing Done?
The process of Tungsten Carbide hardfacing will depend on the material you’ll use. You can choose from electrodes, rods, open arc wires, MIG wires, and Chromium Carbide powders.
The most common would be welding it.
- Through its powder form, you’ll feed the powder feeder of the machine.
- Then, you will melt and deposit to the layer or the surface of the workpiece
Tungsten Carbide vs. Silicon Carbide
Coming from two different compounds, they have a ton of differences with each other.
Tungsten Carbide is known to have the best and the highest abrasion resistance level. Because of the hardness and toughness of it, you can use it to strengthen parts and equipment.
Moreover, in high temperature situations, Tungsten Carbide is the best option. Its properties make it resistant to extreme temperatures.
Silicon Carbide, on the other hand, is best for extreme resistance to thermal shock. It’s perfect for applications wherein the component will be exposed to hazardous chemical resistance.
You can apply Silicon Carbide in a wide variety of activities, including:
- Car Clutches and Brakes
- Impact-Resistant Breast Plates
- Oil and Gas Tubing and Piping
- And the Like
What are the Common Uses of Tungsten Carbide?
You can use Tungsten Carbide in a lot of different ways.
However, the most common ones you can do include industrial machinery, milling and construction equipment, cutting tools, armor-piercing bullets, and many more.
Where Can Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing be Best Applied to?
Tungsten Carbide hardfaced materials are always effective in the following industries:
- Mining and Milling Products and Equipment
- Oil & Gas Industry Parts and Components
- Construction Industry Parts and Equipment
- Manufacturing Industry
- Aviation Parts and Components
- Surgical Tools and Machines
- And Others
The chemical stability of Tungsten Carbide makes it the better option for these industries.
Which is Better: Titanium or Tungsten?
Both compounds are hard in terms of nature and are precious.
If hardness is in question, Tungsten is considered as the better option. It’s more durable, and also more scratch resistant.
Titanium is lighter and a lot brittle. This translates to it being less resistant to wear than Tungsten.
What are Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing Equipment?
These are the equipment of machineries you can use to perform the hardfacing process.
You can think of them being advanced and heavier-duty welding equipment.
Pros of Using Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing Machines
Siding with Tungsten Carbide hardfacing machines can give you these benefits:
- Decreased Energy Consumption
- Increased Profitability, Efficiency, and Productivity
- Reduced Inventory of Spare Parts (Because They Come as One Whole)
- Decreased Downtime of Machineries and Equipment
- Promotes the Longevity of the Parts
- And Many More!
How is Tungsten Carbide Made?
The general steps in forming or making Tungsten Carbide include:
- Synthesis of the Tungsten from the Source
- Carburize
- Milling and Blending
- Drying and Pelletizing
- Shaping
- Removing of Wax and Sintering
The process of combining Tungsten and Carbon involves extremely high temperatures.
But, there are multiple processes you can do to be able to do so.
Pulverized Tungsten is the material that you need to make Tungsten Carbide. To be able to heat them, you would need somewhere around 2,552 to 3,700 degrees Celsius.
Another is by pulverizing both Carbon and Tungsten, transferring them to a crucible. Using electricity, the two (2) metals are heated and welded together – and thus, Tungsten Carbide.
What are the Chemical Compositions of Tungsten Carbide?
The chemical composition of Tungsten Carbide includes Tungsten (W) and Carbon (C) atoms.
What is the Hardness of Tungsten Carbide?
If taken on the Mohs scale, Tungsten Carbide is known to be extremely hard.
It ranks around 9 to 9.5 on the Mohs scale. In the Vickers measurement, it has a number of about 2,600.
How Do You Melt Tungsten Carbide?
The most common and widespread method of melting Tungsten Carbide is through welding. Since it mostly appears in powder form,
What is a Tungsten Feeder?
A Tungsten Feeder is a part of the equipment used for Tungsten Welding and Hardfacing.
It’s where you put the Tungsten Carbide to be used by the machine to proceed with the project.
Who Can You Trust With Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing?
There are different companies that offer Tungsten Carbide Hardfacing.
However, if you’re looking for the best and the most reliable company, work with us here at Halden.
We have the best and the most maintained equipment that you can buy.
You’ll never have problems using it for your Tungsten Carbide hardfacing procedure. Contact us and let us send you the estimate for everything you need!
