In the hardening process – the first of the two steps in hardening steel – the steel is brought to its utmost hardness by heating the material to a temperature in excess of 800°C to bring it into the so-called ‘austenite zone’, and keeping it at this temperature for a certain amount of time. All carbon in the material and a part of the alloying elements will dissolve into the austenite structure.

Tungsten in steeluses

Steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, comes in many varieties. Mixed with other metals, it takes on different properties. Tungsten was one of the first metals used to improve steel. It adds strength to steel over a wide temperature range.

Cutting tools, such as drill bits, produce great heat from friction. Tungsten, added to steel in amounts varying from 2 to 18 percent (along with small amounts of molybdenum and vanadium), maintains the metal's strength at high temperatures. Called high-speed steel, it goes into making drill bits, milling bits, saw blades and other tools.

Tungsten in steelprice

Papiewski, John. "What Is Tungsten Steel?" sciencing.com, https://www.sciencing.com/tungsten-steel-7504113/. 24 April 2017.

Papiewski, John. (2017, April 24). What Is Tungsten Steel?. sciencing.com. Retrieved from https://www.sciencing.com/tungsten-steel-7504113/

Tungsten in steelproperties

The hard structure we created through the above treatment is brittle and can therefore break quite easily. Tempering the steel will make it tough and therefore stronger. Tempering follows immediately after quenching and entails heating the steel to a low temperature (150-350 °C) for a certain amount of time. The tempering temperature determines the final hardness of the material: higher tempering temperatures result in higher steel toughness; lower tempering temperatures mean higher hardness.

Tungsten steelcomposition

Tungsten, like iron, is a basic chemical element. It stands up to heat better than any other metal, having the highest melting point, 6192 degrees F (3695 C), and the highest tensile strength at temperatures over 3000 F (1650 C). It also expands less than any other pure metal from heat and has high resistance to corrosion.

Smit Heat Treatment is your go-to expert for heat treatments for any kind of metal you can think of. Thanks to our extensive know-how of materials and processes, we know exactly what kind of result requires what kind of treatment. Hardening steel, for example, entails highly specialised heat treatments aimed at bolstering the material’s strength and making it more hardwearing.

Tungsten in steelvssteel

After the heating phase, the workpiece is cooled rapidly in the so-called ‘quenching’ of steel. This is generally done by soaking the material in a bath of water or polymer, or by cooling the workpiece with forced air or a water mist (fog quench). Quenching captures the carbon atoms in a certain structure (the ‘martensitic structure’). Hardening steel requires a carbon content of at least 0.3%, and the more carbon there is in the steel, the harder the workpiece will be after the heat treatment. The same goes for the percentage of alloying elements.

Metals that have been mixed to obtain materials with new properties are called alloys. Mixing steel with small amounts of other metals, such as vanadium, cobalt and tungsten, contributes strength, hardness and corrosion resistance.

Papiewski, John. What Is Tungsten Steel? last modified March 24, 2022. https://www.sciencing.com/tungsten-steel-7504113/

Steel is a naturally strong material, but it can be made even stronger and more wear-resistant after application of a special heat treatment, the so-called hardening of steel. This hardening process comprises two steps: hardening, followed by tempering.