Effect of Transition Layer on Properties of Tungsten-Tantalum (W-Ta) Laminated Composite

Abstract

Tungsten has many attractive properties, but its brittleness limits its application. Our team has found that the brittleness of tungsten can be greatly improved by combining the brittle tungsten with tantalum. Furthermore, we found that if a suitable transition layer is added between tungsten and tantalum, the properties of the composite will be further improved. In this paper, we studied the effect of different transition layers on the properties of W-Ta laminated composite to explore a suitable transition layer, which can effectively improve the toughness of the composite and solve the problem of tungsten application. We have prepared four kinds of W-Ta laminated composites with Ni, Ti, Nb, and Mo as transition layers. Ta-W laminated composites were prepared by stacking layers with Ta, transition layer, W alternately and sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The tensile and three-point bending tests were carried to compare the mechanical properties. The tensile fracture morphology and three-point bending crack distribution were observed by SEM. In addition, the diffusion of elements in the transition layer and the influence of element diffusion on the tungsten structure were also studied to clarify the toughening mechanism. The results show that Nb is a satisfying transition layer, which not only improves the strength of W-Ta laminated composite, but also improves the toughness. The tensile test of W/Nb/Ta laminated composite shows a typical plastic fracture mode with an elongation of 13%. Three-point bending test also shows high strength and good toughness. In addition, Voigt model was used to predict the elastic modulus of W-Ta laminated composites and compared with the experimental results.

Effect of Transition Metal Layer on Bending and Interfacial Properties of W/TiN/Ta-Laminated Composite

“…However, present studies show that W/TiN/Ta-laminated composite plasticity will decrease, and interfacial cracking propensity will be increased due to the non-coherent interface between TiN and W [ 11 ]. Ti, V, Ni, and Ta were often used to toughen W in laminates or powder metallurgy materials [ 7 , 18 , 19 ].…”

Effect of Interface on the Deep Drawability of Ti/Al Multilayered Composites

“…Laminated structure configuration (such as thickness or layer numbers) is the key factor to optimize the mechanical properties of laminated composites. Previous studies have shown that the deformation and fracture behaviors of the laminated composites may be affected by the laminated structure parameters [1,2]. Du et al [3] found that the elasticplastic deformation stage introduced between the soft and hard layers of Ti/Al laminated composites became more obvious with the decrease of the thickness of the Al layer.…”

Fabrication of Ultra-Fine-Grained W-TiC Alloys by a Simple Ball-Milling and Hydrogen Reduction Method

“…Tungsten and its alloys have been used for many engineering applications such as in the aerospace, automotive, nuclear energy, materials processing, and defense industries. They are also considered attractive materials for high-temperature applications such as heating elements, rocket nozzles, heat shields, and combustion chambers [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. This is due to the superior properties of tungsten such as high melting point (3420 °C), high thermal conductivity, high tensile strength, and high hardness [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

“…They are also considered attractive materials for high-temperature applications such as heating elements, rocket nozzles, heat shields, and combustion chambers [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. This is due to the superior properties of tungsten such as high melting point (3420 °C), high thermal conductivity, high tensile strength, and high hardness [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. In addition, due to its excellent radiation shielding properties, tungsten is also considered a promising plasma-facing material for future nuclear fusion reactors [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”