Structure and properties of powders obtained by electrodispersion of pure tungsten metal waste in distilled water

Abstract

Purpose. Investigation of the composition, structure and properties of powder materials obtained by electrodispersion of tungsten waste of the VA brand in an oxygen–containing medium - distilled water. Methods. To determine the composition, structure and properties of powder materials, samples of powders obtained from waste tungsten of the VA brand were studied. The powder material was obtained by electroerosive dispersion in distilled water. Microanalysis of powder particles was carried out using a scanning electron microscope, analysis of the size distribution of powder particles was obtained using a particle size analyzer, X-ray spectral microanalysis of powder particles was carried out using an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer integrated into a scanning electron microscope, analysis of the phase composition of powder particles was carried out using X-ray diffraction on a diffractometer. Results. During the study, it was revealed that the shape of the particles obtained from powdered tungsten materials is spherical and elliptical, and agglomerates of smaller particles are also marked on magnification. Oxygen and tungsten are present in the composition of powder materials, while there are no joint structural components. The phases of pure tungsten in α and β modifications are noted in the phase composition. It follows from the analysis of the granulometric histogram that the particle size spread varies in the range of 0.092–62.59 microns, while the average particle diameterwas 5.73 microns. Conclusion. The obtained research results can be used to develop a new heavy pseudo-alloy using metal waste of expensive raw materials by the method of electroerosive dispersion with subsequent improvement and optimization of the composition and structure of the alloy.