What are the characteristics of spherical tungsten powder?

The spherical tungsten powder manufacturer stated that due to the significant improvement in hardness and strength of the alloy by fine-grained cemented carbide, the particle size of tungsten powder used in the production of cemented carbide has been continuously decreasing in the past 20 years. At the same time, due to the significant impact of the morphology of tungsten powder on the performance of tungsten materials, dense and regular spherical tungsten powder not only has good flowability, but also has high packing density and small sintering shrinkage rate, which can obtain tungsten materials with ideal microstructure. This has led to an increasing interest in the study of tungsten powder morphology control. The preparation of spherical tungsten powder has become an important direction of tungsten powder research.
The spherical tungsten powder manufacturer stated that the process of producing spherical tungsten powder by hydrogen reduction of tungsten oxide usually requires a large amount of hydrogen gas, resulting in high production costs. Therefore, research on the preparation of spherical tungsten powder by hydrogen halide reduction is highly valued both domestically and internationally. The main characteristics of tungsten powder prepared by halogenation method are high purity, fine particle size, uniform particle size, spherical particle shape, and high thermal stability. However, the preparation of tungsten powder by hydrogen halide reduction involves highly corrosive hydrogen halide gas during the reaction process, and the working conditions are harsh, which not only pollutes the environment but also corrodes production equipment. Therefore, this method is currently rarely used.
The advantages of plasma spheroidized tungsten powder are high energy concentration, large temperature gradient, and precise control of energy input through process parameters, resulting in a heat utilization rate of up to 75%. After plasma spheroidization, the flowability of tungsten powder is improved, and the stacking density and compaction density of tungsten powder increase.
In the manufacturing industry, spherical tungsten powder has attracted great attention due to its unique properties and has been applied in fields such as porous material preparation, sheet metal industry, thermal spraying, electronic information, military industry, automotive, powder metallurgy, etc. By controlling the process parameters of the equipment, the permeability of spherical tungsten powder porous materials is improved.
In the powder metallurgy process, the compact of spherical tungsten powder shrinks very evenly during the sintering process, which can effectively achieve size control. Spherical tungsten powder and its alloys are used in the military industry to manufacture crankshafts, high-end automotive cylinder barrels, armor piercing shells, and other materials due to their high temperature resistance. Meanwhile, due to the improved flowability of spheroidized tungsten powder, the coatings prepared in the field of thermal spraying have good compactness and better wear resistance. Although tungsten can be used as a high-temperature material, its oxidation resistance is poor, and it will be oxidized to form tungsten trioxide above 1000 degrees Celsius. Therefore, when used at high temperatures, inert gas protection is required. Given the promising industrial prospects of spherical tungsten powder, further research is needed on its preparation process, technology, and practical applications.
In the field of thermal spraying, spherical tungsten powder not only has good flowability, but also the coating is more uniform and dense. Therefore, this product has better wear resistance. In the powder metallurgy process, the compact of spherical tungsten powder shrinks very evenly during the sintering process, which can achieve good size control. Spherical tungsten powder is gradually replacing conventional tungsten powder. Used for high-power pulse microwave tube cathodes, satellite positioning thrusters, rocket nozzle liners, etc. The rocket nozzle liner made of spherical tungsten powder has good fracture resistance and corrosion resistance under thermal stress.