Effect of Rare Earth Metals (Y, La) and Refractory Metals (Mo, Ta, Re) to Improve the Mechanical Properties of W–Ni–Fe Alloy—A Review

Abstract

Tungsten heavy alloys are two-phase metal matrix composites that include W–Ni–Fe and W–Ni–Cu. The significant feature of these alloys is their ability to acquire both strength and ductility. In order to improve the mechanical properties of the basic alloy and to limit or avoid the need for post-processing techniques, other elements are doped with the alloy and performance studies are carried out. This work focuses on the developments through the years in improving the performance of the classical tungsten heavy alloy of W–Ni–Fe through doping of other elements. The influence of the percentage addition of rare earth elements of yttrium, lanthanum, and their oxides and refractory metals such as rhenium, tantalum, and molybdenum on the mechanical properties of the heavy alloy is critically analyzed. Based on the microstructural and property evaluation, the effects of adding the elements at various proportions are discussed. The addition of molybdenum and rhenium to the heavy alloy gives good strength and ductility. The oxides of yttrium, when added in a small quantity, help to reduce the tungsten’s grain size and obtain good tensile and compressive strengths at high temperatures.

Transition Metal Catalysts for the Glycerol Reduction: Recent Advances

“…Tantalum is a refractory metal (Ta powder average market price: 324.14 $/kg) [96] used for different purposes in alloys with many other metals. [97] It is oxophilic and frequently present as Ta(V) in the coordination compounds. Due to the oxide film on its surface, tantalum is known to be very corrosion resistant, but it is attacked by HF.…”

Mechanical testing and characterization of tin–zinc–antimony–lanthanum lead-free solders produced using mechanical alloying and furnace melting techniques

“…However, lead-based solders are toxic and have been slowly phased out (Dompierre et al , 2010). Some studies indicate that eutectic Sn–Zn solder alloys may be a better alternative to conventional lead-free solders (Natarajan et al , 2021). The addition of antimony (Sb) to Sn–Zn modifies the microstructure of the solder alloy, and microalloying enhances the mechanical properties of the solders (Su et al , 2021).…”

Effect of Hot Isostatic Pressing Process Parameters on Properties and Fracture Behavior of Tungsten Alloy Powders and Sintered Bars

“…Tungsten heavy alloy is an alloy material composed of tungsten as the base material (with a tungsten content of 85%~99%) and a small amount of metal binders, such as nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), and chromium (Cr) [ 1 ]. The density of tungsten heavy alloy can reach 19.3 g/cm 3 [ 2 ]. Tungsten alloy is a prominent metal among the refractory metals due to its high melting point, high density, excellent high temperature strength, good thermal conductivity, and low coefficient of thermal expansion [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”