- Tungsten
The toughest metal found in nature. This rare chemical is also the most refractory metal (3422 ° C). It was first discovered in the form of an acid (tungsten trioxide) in 1781 by the Swedish chemist Karl Scheele. Further research led two Spanish scientists, Juan José and Fausto d’Elhuyar, to the discovery of acid from the mineral wolframite, from which they subsequently isolated tungsten using charcoal. In addition to its widespread use in incandescent lamps, tungsten’s ability to work in extreme heat makes it one of the most attractive elements for the arms industry. During World War II, this metal played an important role in initiating economic and political relations between European countries. Tungsten is also used to make hard alloys and in the aerospace industry to make rocket nozzles.
Alloys against metals
Alloys are combinations of metals, and the main reason for creating them is to obtain a stronger material. The most important alloy is steel, which is a combination of iron and carbon. The higher the strength of the alloy, the better. And ordinary steel is not a «champion» here. Alloys based on vanadium steel seem to be especially promising for metallurgists: several companies produce versions with a tensile strength of up to 5205 MPa. And the strongest and hardest bio-compatible materials at the moment are titanium alloy with gold β-Ti3Au… (read more)
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