#tungsten bullets

[samaterials-blog]

Know about Tungsten and Usage of Tungsten Bucking Bar

Introduction to tungsten

Tungsten is a rare chemical element which is commonly known as Wolframite. This element was isolated in the 1783 by J.J and F. Elhuyar in Spain after it was identified in 1781. It is silvery white in color and has a metal luster. Since this element cannot found in isolated form, it has to be extracted from its ores. - wolframite and scheelite, among others. Tungsten metal is an inert element which resists corrosions and has the highest melting point. Tungsten metal also has very high tensile strength and has low vapor pressure. Due to its properties, it has many applications and several uses.

Tungsten is often found in its pure form, with which it is really easy to work but when found with certain impurities, it becomes quite brittle and hence fabricating it or using it gets a bit tough.

Various uses of tungsten

Tungsten metal has many uses and the following are some of the main ones:

Tungsten is used a lot to make electric filaments which are then used in electric light bulbs, electrodes etc. This is because this metal has the highest melting point and is the most apt element for this purpose.

Tungsten carbide powder with cobalt or nickel powder is compressed and then it is sintered for making of cemented carbides. Further, these cemented carbides are applied in place of high speed steel for making tips of cutting and drilling tools, etc.

Tungsten is converted into its nickel and copper alloys as these alloys have many better properties due to which they are used as radiation shields. These alloys provide 50% increase in density compared to lead.

Tungsten and its many alloys are used in many military applications. For example, they are used for making shells and armor. They are also used in the aerospace industry to make rocket nozzles among other things.

Tungsten is also used to make tungsten bucking bars, tungsten sheets, tungsten rods, tungsten sinks, etc.

Tungsten bucking bar

A tungsten bucking bar is a tool which is used on the backseat of a metal rivet or either on the work surface and its purpose is to provide a counter for hammering on the opposite side. Tungsten bucking bar is used when applying impact fasteners, handle parts with low recoil impact absorbing space etc.

Since bucking bars are meant to experience considerable amount of stress, they have to be made of a hard and strong material and this is why tungsten is used. Wolfmet tungsten works even better.

Some forms of tungsten bucking bars available in the market:

Tungsten bucking bar weighing 1.6 pounds and 1”x4”x5/8” in dimension. Made of highly polished tungsten with a slight radius on all the corners.

Aircraft tool bucking bar 5-1/8”x1”x1.25” weighing 1.8 lbs. This bucking bar has three faces for riveting.

Some forms of bucking bars not made of tungsten:

Bucking bar made of ductile iron with high polished surfaces.

Bucking bar made of hardened steel.

  By Stanford Advanced Materials   http://www.samaterials.com

Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) Corporation is a global supplier of a series of pure metals, alloys, ceramics and minerals such as oxides, chlorides, sulfides, oxysalts, etc. Our headquarter, located in Irvine, California, USA, was first established in 1994, starting to provide high-quality rare-earth products for research and development (R&D).

[samaterials-blog]

Properties of Tungsten Bullets

Tensile strength and ductility are essential properties in the manufacture of tungsten bullets. Alloys that are used for kinetic energy penetration require tensile strength to overcome tough space armor. High tensile strength ensures that bullets penetrate deeper into armor. Apart from tensile strength, bullets need to be ductile to withstand flexure upon hitting the target.

Ductility ensures that tungsten bullets don’t get fractured upon impact. It also enables the material to be workable under very low temperatures to enhance their strength. Swaging rods made from tungsten alloy have the high tensile strength and ductility required for making bullets or penetrator rods.

Tungsten alloy swaging rods are composite particles that contain high percentages of almost spherical tungsten particles. These spheres are embedded in ductile iron-nickel matrix. This high density material is a product of the composite structure that has many mechanical properties. Such properties include ductility, high strength, outstanding thermal conductivity and moderation.

Tungsten alloy swaging rod undergoes machining and swaging to enhance its tensile strength. Its overall properties make it well suited for civil as well as military applications. These applications include armor piercing, bullet manufacture, depleted uranium penetrators, sniper rifle penetrators, rifle bullets, etc.

Tungsten bullets materials are sourced from only the highest grade materials. The bullets are equipped with Line Protection inserts which minimize line abrasion. D 18 Tungsten is an exclusively dense material containing 5% alloy and 95% tungsten. It is 1.8 times heavier than lead products of the same size. This gives it a compact presentation. Its advantages include a faster sink rate and minimal water resistance. Tungsten is one of the heaviest and hardest materials in the world. It produces a loud distinctive noise in underwater operations. It is considered environmentally friendly as it preserves fish habitats for future generations.

Beginning in the Gulf War when the Green Ammo Program was launched, there have been many negative setbacks to the use of tungsten in military exercise. The Gulf War Syndrome was mainly blamed on the use of heavy metals in warfare including tungsten. Post war veterans exhibited a wide range of nervous disorders and numerous physical symptoms. Some of these symptoms were typical of heavy metal poisoning.

One misjudgment that led to this situation was the relatively little information that was known about tungsten at the time. Someone must have concluded that since little was known about this metal, then it must be non-toxic. Early research had indicated that tungsten was an immuno-suppressant responsible for short term molybdenum deficiency as well as a cancer accelerant.

The likely scenario would have been of a soldier walking into a situation where he is exposed to multiple toxic agents from enemy fire in addition to toxins present in his own ammo. The end result was that some toxins would have exhibited more adverse effects on his health than would be expected.

Experiments were conducted on rats that were exposed to the same composition of metal alloys used in the weaponry. Tungsten bullets contained 91.1% tungsten, 6.9% nickel and 2.9% cobalt. The rats were implanted with these metals in their limbs. The heavy metal implants mimicked shrapnel wounds received in the field. The tungsten caused aggressive metastatic tumors in the rats’ limbs.

By Stanford Advanced Materials

Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) Corporation is a global supplier of a series of pure metals, alloys, ceramics and minerals such as oxides, chlorides, sulfides, oxysalts, etc. Our headquarter, located in Irvine, California, USA, was first established in 1994, starting to provide high-quality rare-earth products for research and development (R&D).