MadSci Network: Engineering
Query:

Re: Is titanium or tungsten carbide stronger?

Date: Mon Nov 22 07:58:12 1999
Posted By: Peter Blau, Staff, Metals and Ceramics, Oak Ridge National Lab
Area of science: Engineering
ID: 942562530.Eg
Message:

There are a number of characteristics of a material that can be measured 
to assess its strength.  One such measure is the tensile yield strength.  
That is the force required to pull the material apart under controlled 
conditions.  A small piece of material is fashioned into a round or 
rectangular cross-sectioned rod and clamped in a machine that is capable 
of applying a high force to pull on the rod.  As the force is increased, 
the rod will eventually start to stretch, and may eventually break.  
Conventionally, the point at which the specimen stretches 0.2% of its 
original length is called the yield strength, and point at which it breaks 
entirely is called the ultimate tensile strength.  The units of yield and 
ultimate strength are force per unit area of the initial cross-section
(stress), expressed in (pounds-force/square inch) or (newtons/square 
meter, Pascals). Considering such measures, tungsten carbide is much 
stronger than titanium - perhaps more than five times stonger. 

The exact value of the strength depends on the method by which the 
material is produced (such as by casting, rolling in a mill, pressing from 
powders and heating, etc.)  Therefore it is not possible to state exactly 
how many times stronger tungsten carbide is than titanium without knowing 
exactly how both materials were originially made.


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