Applications of Tungsten Heavy Alloy

Tungsten Heavy Alloy products are offered as machinable blanks or as precision machined parts to customer specification and used in many different applications as listed below.

• Counterbalance for      Vibration Dampening

• Aircraft control      surfaces

• Helicopter rotor      Systems

• Engine components

• Auto racing      industry

• Ship ballasts

• Golf club weights

• Ordnance

• Fire arms

• Down hole      logging-Sinker bars

• Boring bars

• Ordnance      application

• Bucking Bars

Tungsten Heavy Alloy Ballast Weight
Tungsten Heavy Alloy is superior to lead in terms of durability, dimensional stability, density and low toxicity. Tungsten Heavy Alloy does not suffer from the radioactivity or high chemical reactivity of depleted uranium.

Aircraft counterbalance weights and inertial masses
Tungsten Heavy Alloy has been the preferred material in the aerospace industry for many years as counterbalance weight for ailerons, rudders, and elevator parts for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Tungsten Heavy Alloy weights are typically machined to precise tolerances and are provided with a protective coating to the customer specification.

Down hole well logging casings and weights
Well logging is widely used in the oil and gas industry for the characterization of wells (formation analysis) and in the positioning of downhole equipment. Tungsten Heavy Alloy is an excellent casing material for down hole logging of oil and gas. Mechanical properties are very significant to the survivability of these rather large components.

Bucking Bars
Tungsten Heavy Alloy bucking bars are denser than steel, resulting in a bucking bar of the same weight but half the size. Bucking bars are used in rivet setting to upset the shank of the rivet. Tungsten Heavy Alloy bucking bars reduce the recoil when reflecting the impact back to the rivet shank.

Racing weights for chassis and skid plates
Tungsten Alloy is used by professional racing teams to fine-tune the chassis in a variety of racing forums. Tungsten Heavy Alloy offers up to 50% more weight in a given volume, with the added advantages of direct attachment via threaded holes and the freedom from deformation.

Boring bars and high stiffness tooling

The combined high density, high elastic (Young’s) modulus, and machinability of Tungsten Heavy Alloy make them ideal materials for chatter free boring bars and grinding quills. High extension rations are possible due to the high stiffness of this material. The high density of Tungsten Heavy Alloy makes for effective inertial damping of cutting induced vibration. Grade HA170 or HA175 Tungsten Heavy alloy are most commonly used.

Sporting goods for firearms and golf clubs
Tungsten Heavy Alloy concentrates maximum weight in the smallest possible space. Use in golf clubs and tennis rackets increases the sweet spot size and adds the stability while reducing shock and vibration for increased power and control. Counterbalance fine tuning and inertial masses to shift through center of gravity.

Ordnance
Tungsten Heavy Alloy has been used in high density fragmenting devices and armor piercing ammunition rounds.

High Energy Radiation Shielding
Applications include Collimators for the Medical Industry, Shielding Blocks, Oil Well Logging Tools and Instrumentation and Nuclear Equipment. Tungsten Heavy Alloy is an excellent material for use in Radiation shielding (high energy photonic). Grades HA180 and HA185 are most popularly used for this application. These alloys are excellent materials for shielding and collimation due to their combination of radiographic density, machinability, strength, and low toxicity. Tungsten Heavy Alloy offers a superior protection level to lead in an equivalent thickness and, unlike lead, resists deformation and can be accurately fastened.

Advantages of Tungsten Heavy Alloy’s Shielding
Use not subject to NRC, EPA, or special OSHA regulations
High radiation absorption (superior to lead)
Low toxicity-safer than lead or depleted uranium: simplified life cycle
Easily machined into complex geometries
Hardness, strength, and ductility make for good durability
Good corrosion resistance

Additional Industrial/Commercial/Medical Applications
Radiography
Nuclear power plant shielding
Nuclear medicine
Clinical point shielding
X-ray collimators and area shielding
Isotope production, transport, and containment
Oncology Isotopic and accelerator based platforms
Homeland Defense-
Personal protection equipment for emergency responders
Large container inspection devices

Selecting the Correct Alloy
Is low magnetic permeability essential?
Is there a specific density requirement?
Are there special mechanical requirements?
What is the size and shape of the component?