TUNGSTEN IN USA, OCTOBER 2011

 

TUNGSTEN IN USA, OCTOBER 2011

    Total U.S. net production of intermediate tungsten products, including metal powder and tungsten carbide powder, was 4% lower during January through October 2011 than net production during the same period in 2010. Total U.S. reported consumption of ferrotungsten, tungsten metal powder, tungsten carbide powder, tungsten scrap, and other tungsten materials during January through October 2011 was 13% higher than consumption during the same period in 2010. These materials were used to make alloys, cemented carbides, mill products, and other products, such as catalysts and pigments.

    Data for U.S. imports and exports of tungsten for January through September 2011 and full year 2010 totals by material are published in this issue.

Prices

    Selected prices from Metal Bulletin for October 2011 are listed below. U.S. ammonium paratungstate prices in dollars per 

 

metric ton unit were converted from short-ton-unit prices and rounded to the nearest dollar. Prices for tungsten ore concentrates represent combined prices for wolframite and scheelite concentrates with a minimum tungsten trioxide (WO₃) content of 65%. Concentrate prices in dollars per short ton unit were converted from metric-ton-unit prices and rounded to the nearest dollar.

Ammonium paratungstate, U.S. free market:

    Low—$463/metric ton unit WO₃ ($420/short ton unit WO₃)

    High—$491/metric ton unit WO₃ ($445/short ton unit WO₃)

Concentrates:

    Low—$140/metric ton unit WO₃ ($127/short ton unit WO₃)

    High—$160/metric ton unit WO₃ ($145/short ton unit WO₃)

Hanns CEO/Chinatungten.com

Uses of Tungsten

As a most important refaractory metals, tungsten is found naturally on the earth. It is also called wolfram and has the chemical symbol of W. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as a metal in 1783. It is sought after due to having the highest melting point of all non-alloyed substances on earth. Here are some of the most common uses of Tungsten in the world today!

Uses of Tungsten

• Approximately half of the tungsten mined is used to create tungsten carbine. This makes other materials harder.
• Tungsten Carbine is used to make wear-resistant abrasives, cutters and knives. Items such as drill bits, circular saws, metal work tools and woodwork tools.
• It is used in mining drills as it has a high melting point and is extremely hardy. Almost 60% of tungsten is used in this industry.
• It is used to make rings in the jewelry industry. This is due to its scratch resistant qualities.
• Tungsten is commonly used to make hard metal alloys such as high speed steel. Metals alloys with tungsten are often used to make turbine blades, rocket nozzles and metal coatings.
• It is also used in the creation of armor piercing bullets, cannon shells, grenades and missiles to create supersonic shrapnel.
• It has also been used to create Dense Inert Metal explosives.
• Tungsten sulfite is used in high temperature lubricants.
• Tungsten compounds are used to create ceramic glazes and in the tanning industry.
• It is also used in fluorescent lighting
• It is used in weights and counterbalances.
• Because of its weight it is used in some aircraft and yachts as ballasts. It is also used in NASCAR and Formula One cars as ballasts.
• High-density alloys of tungsten with nickel, copper or iron are used in high-quality darts
• It is sometimes used in fishing lures to create quicker sinking flies.
• Some types of strings for musical instruments are wound with tungsten wires.
• Due to its ability to remain solid at high temperatures tungsten is also used in light globes, vacuum tube filaments, heating elements. It is also suitable for aerospace and high-temperature uses such as electrical, heating, and welding applications, notably in the gas tungsten arc welding processing.
• Tungsten is often used in electrodes due to its high melting point and its efficiency as an electrical conductor.

   More uses of tungsten, may learn from www.chinatungsten.com,

Hanns CEO/Chinatungten.com

What's Tungsten?

 

What is Tungsten ?

Tungsten (pronounced /tʌŋstən/), also known as wolfram (/wlfrəm/), is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is as known the heaviest materials except gold of the nature resources, for the density of tungsten is 19.25  g•cm−3(near r.t.). For the same reason, tungsten related products, alloys(Nickel-Copper-Ferro Binder), other elements doped(Al-doped, Th-doped, La-dope, Ce-dopd and K-doped) and carbides( carbonized tungsten powder with cobalt or Nickel binder) have the special ccharacteristics as pure tungsten, then it always named heavy stone.

Tungsten is a typiacl element of transition element Group VI and shows oxidation states from +6 to-2 and, particularly in its oxides, forms many non-stoicheiometric compounds. There is little aqueous chemistry except that of complex oxy-anions and some complex halides. The hexahalides are moleular but lower halides are polymeric and the lowest halides show extensive W-W bonding (more than Mo). Carbonyl and phos-phine derivatives are typical low oxidation state compounds. Complexes are formed, particularly by O-and S-ligands in higher oxidation states and by P-ligands in low oxidation states. Complex cyanides are well established.

Tungsten is one of Nonferrous Metals, and also it is as molybdenum and rare earth which are Refractory Metals, in the modern industrial time, it is the most important Strategic Metals for IT industrial and military industrial.

What is the problem with tungsten? Tungsten dissolves readily in water and is mobile under some field conditions, challenging initial assumptions with regard to tungsten’s fate and transport characteristics. Other concerns include data (occupational, animal studies, cancer clusters) indicating adverse non-cancer and cancer health effects and risk outcomes.

How is tungsten used? Tungsten alloys are good conductors of electricity, and used primarily to increase the toughness and strength of steel. The most common tungsten product, cemented tungsten carbide, is used to make grinding wheels and cutting or forming tools. Tungsten powder is used as a lead replacement in bullets. However, firing of a tungsten/nylon bullet introduces tungsten and other projectile related metals into the environment.

How does exposure to tungsten affect human health?
The toxicology of tungsten depends on the route of administration, the solubility of the constituent and the duration of exposure. Occupational exposure via the inhalation pathway has revealed elevated levels of pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lung tissue) and other effects including asthma and inflammation of the nose tissues.  Research also suggests that the combination of tungsten and other substances can be linked to the development of lung cancer.  Some animal data suggests that tungsten could cause adverse developmental and reproductive effects (including the kidneys as a target organ). Information from Nevada has drawn attention to tungsten’s potential toxicity as exhibited in the Fallon Nevada cancer cluster.

Hanns CEO/Chinatungten.com