What Does
Tungsten Mean?
Tungsten refers to a naturally occurring metal element with the chemical symbol W and an atomic number of 74. Tungsten has a hard steel-gray color and the highest melting point of any naturally occurring metal. It also has good corrosion resistance.
Corrosionpedia Explains Tungsten
Tungsten is used to generate parts for a wide range of applications, such as:
- Filaments in incandescent light bulbs
- Arc-welding electrodes
- As an alloy in higher strength steels
- Steel machining tools
- Microchips
Tungsten is classified as a refractory metal. Some important properties that must be considered prior to use for any metal or construction application include:
| Tensile strength at room temp., psi |
100,000 – 500,000 |
| Tensile strength at 500ºC, psi |
75,000 – 200,000 |
| Tensile strength at 1000ºC, psi |
50,000 – 75,000 |
| Poisson’s ratio |
0.284 |
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| Hardness (mineral) |
7.5 |
| Hardness (Vickers) |
3430 |
| Hardness (Brinell) |
2570 |