Tungsten Carbide (TC or WC for short), also known as tungsten in the Netherlands, is a very hard metal.
Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals (3422°C) and is resistant to corrosion. Only some mineral acids are capable of corroding this metal. When exposed to air, it forms a protective oxide layer. In alloys, the addition of a small amount of Tungsten can greatly increase the hardness.
Certain Tungsten alloys are heat resistant to such an extent that the material can be used in rocket and jet engine exhaust pipes. Tungsten Carbide, Tungsten with cobalt as a binder (better known as hard metal), is a very hard material that is used in drilling and cutting tools such as milling cutters.
These properties make Tungsten very suitable for tread combinations in mechanical seals.
At Qseals we use Tungsten Carbide on the stationary faces and rotary faces of some of our mechanical seals.
Qseals can supply tungsten products that meet all requirements and are provided with the FDA and EC1935 / 2004 quality mark.
