Tungsten

Tungsten is a silvery white, lustrous (in one piece) or grey (powder form) heavy metal, which is hard and brittle but can be made stretchable by hammering or, drawn to form thin wires. Tungsten is characterised by its high melting point, good thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and low thermal expansion. Tungsten is suitable for resistant heating elements, filaments (high temperature furnaces, electrical engineering), evaporation boats, in evaporation systems engine parts, x-ray anodes and welding electrodes. Tungsten rods can be melted into high-melting glasses to add electrical conductivity. Tungsten is used in nuclear engineering. Tungsten alloys are used about 80 % in the steel industry and approximately 10 % each in the hard metal industry and electrical engineering.