Will the Tungsten Wire Mesh React with Air?

Tungsten wire mesh is a pure tungsten wire product. It has the characteristics of a high melting point, high hardness, high strength, high resistivity, low vapor pressure, low evaporation rate, good high-temperature resistance (can withstand high temperatures of 3400 degrees), and excellent impact resistance. Therefore, it is widely used in various mechanical equipment, such as electromagnetic shielding nets, vacuum furnace heat treatment grids, RF electromagnetic shielding, lightwave filtering, etc. Will the tungsten wire mesh react with air? In this article, we will try to answer the above question. 

Will the Tungsten Wire Mesh React with Air?

Under normal circumstances, tungsten wire mesh is a product with very good physical and chemical stability and will not react with air or oxygen. However, when heated in the air, the color of the tungsten wire mesh begins to change from steel gray or silver-white to dark gray-black. When the temperature rises to 400°C, tungsten will begin to oxidize, and as the temperature rises, the oxidation reaction will become more and more intense, and then gradually generate tungsten trioxide.

Tungsten trioxide is a kind of light yellow orthorhombic crystalline powder. Its chemical formula is WO3, its specific gravity is 7.16g/cm3, its melting point is 1473℃, and its boiling point is 1750℃. When the temperature is 850℃, it will sublime significantly, and the color will deepen with the increase of the temperature, and it will be green when melting.

In addition to the color of tungsten trioxide that changes with temperature, the crystal structure also depends on temperature. WO3 is a tetragonal system above 740°C, an orthorhombic system at 330-740°C, a monoclinic system at 17-330°C, and a triclinic system at -50-17°C.

In addition, it is worth noting that if the tungsten wire mesh is continuously heated in an aerobic environment, its toughness will become worse and its brittleness will become greater and greater. It is easy to break under impact or vibration.

However, even at high temperatures in a vacuum, the tungsten wire mesh can maintain the characteristics of tungsten, that is, the melting point is high, and the melting time mainly depends on the evaporation rate of tungsten, so it is not easy to break.

Conclusion 

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you have a better understanding of the tungsten wire mesh. If you want to learn more about tungsten or other refractory metals, we would like to advise you to visit Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) for more information.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, California, USA, Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) is a leading manufacturer & supplier of refractory metals & alloys across the world. It provides customers with high-quality refractory metals & alloys such as niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, rhenium, tungsten, titanium, and zirconium at a very competitive price.