AN OVERVIEW OF TUNGSTEN CARBIDE

ABSTRACT

Tungsten carbide (chemical formula: WC) is a chemical compound (specifically, a carbide) containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. In its most basic form, tungsten carbide is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes for use in industrial machinery, cutting tools, abrasives, armor-piercing rounds, other tools and instruments, and jewelry. Tungsten carbide is approximately two times stiffer than steel, with a Young’s modulus of approximately 530–700 GPa (77,000 to 102,000 ksi) and is double the density of steel—nearly midway between that of lead and gold. It is comparable with corundum (α-Al₂O₃) in hardness and can only be polished and finished with abrasives of superior hardness such as cubic boron nitride and diamond powder, wheels, and compounds.

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