Tungsten Carbide vs Silicon Carbide: Differences Explained!

Tungsten and silicon carbide are two major ceramic materials with specific properties and applications. They have enormous uses in different engineering and industrial fields. Tungsten carbide is a hard metallic alloy and the silicon carbide is a chemical compound of silicon and carbon.

Understanding these two important ceramic elements will boost your career as a technical person or material specialist. Silicon carbide and tungsten carbide have similarities and disparities in properties and applications.

Let’s reveal tungsten carbide vs silicon carbide in detail below.

What are Tungsten and Tungsten Carbide?

Tungsten is a silvery-white or grayish-white metallic element found in nature. It forms a chemical compound with other substances. Tungsten is symbolized by W and the atomic number is 74.

The other name of tungsten is Wolfram or Scheelite. The material has wide applications in industrial product manufacturing such as heating elements, alloying steel, and electrical contacts.

Tungsten carbide(WC) is an alloy of tungsten, cobalt, carbon, nickel, and other elements. It is harder and more highly wear-resistant than pure tungsten.

Tungsten carbide is an ideal material for cutting tools and wear-resistant spare parts. It has wide applications in the jewelry industry. Primarily it is found as a fine powder. It can be reshaped by applying precise pressure and temperature.

Tungsten carbide material properties:  Tungsten carbide is an influential industrial material for its exclusive properties. The following are the key tungsten carbide properties you must learn.

1. Extreme Hardness:  Tungsten carbide has the highest hardness compared to the other metals and alloys. It is the hardest material used in jewelry. Mohs hardness of tungsten carbide is 9 to 9.5.

2. High Deformation Resistance: Tungsten carbide is abrasion, scratching, corrosion, and oxidation resistant. It can withstand any deflection and deformation for this high resistance.

3. Maximum Durability: WC is a durable material. It does not bend or break with pressure and tough usage.

4. High Melting Point: Tungsten carbide ceramic material has a high melting point of 2,870°C (5,198°F) with a boiling point of 6,000 °C.

5. Electrical Conductivity: Tungsten carbide’s electrical conductivity is low. If we consider that copper has 100% conductivity, then tungsten carbide has only 10.7% electrical conductivity compared with copper.

6. Thermal Conductivity: Tungsten carbide has a high thermal conductivity of around 110 W/m·K. The actual heat conducting capacity may vary due to the manufacturing process and chemical composition.

7. Fatigue Resistance: A material can tolerate repeated load cycles without significant damage due to its high fatigue resistance. Tungsten carbide is a fatigue-resistant material.

8. Low Porosity: Porosity refers to the properties of being porous. Porous means having many tiny holes. Tungsten carbide is a very low porous ceramic material.

9. Adjustment Capacity:   The properties of tungsten carbide are adjustable. You can control some of its characteristics with the changes in the ratio of its alloy elements.

10. Tribological Properties: Tribological properties refer to the compatibility and performance of a material with the contact of other material in dynamic conditions.  Tungsten carbide has good tribological characteristics that refer to hardness, scratch resistance, corrosion resistance,  and strength.

Applications of Tungsten Carbide: Tungsten carbide has applications in different industries. Tungsten carbide mechanical seal is popular in heavy mechanical equipment. It can sustain high loads and stressed conditions.

Tungsten carbide mechanical seals are also used in pumps, compressors, agitators, and acidic environments.

WC is a popular metal in jewelry products like rings, earrings, and pendants.  It is also used in the aeronautical industry, cutting tools, sports equipment, musical instruments, ballpoint pens, space satellites, and electrical components.

What are Silicon and Silicon Carbide?

Silicon is a crystalline, hard, brittle, and solid chemical element. Its atomic number is 14, and its symbol is Si. Silicon is almost unreactive and is widely used as a semiconductor material.

Silicon carbide is a chemical compound of carbon and silicon also known as carborundum.  It appears as yellow-green or bluish-black crystals. Silicon carbide grains can form hard ceramics and are widely used in high-end equipment like car brakes.

Silicon carbide material properties: Silicon carbide material is a black-grey solid material enriched with special characteristics.  Here are the main silicon carbide properties described:

1. Hardness:  Silicon carbide is one of the hardest materials. It is the most hard material after diamond and boron nitride.  Mohs hardness scale of silicon carbide is 9.5 to 13. The hardness value of the ceramic silicon carbide material varies between this scale depending on the source.

2. Thermal Conductivity: SiC has a thermal conductivity of 120 W/m.K. This conductivity can be changed by mixing additives and Silicon carbide types.

3. Chemical resistance: SiC is highly resistant to reactions and oxidation. It can survive in highly reactive environments.

4. Wear resistance: Silicon carbide is resistant to wear and abrasion. The extreme hardness and structural stability have made it resistant to wear.

5. Density: The density value of SiC is 3.21 g/cm3.

6. Compressive strength: SiC can tolerate high compression. It has a compressive strength of 3900 Mpa.

7. Thermal shock resistance: Silicon carbide is a high shock-resistant material due to its low thermal expansion value and high heat conductivity. It has a thermal expansion coefficient value of 4.0 x 10–6/°C.

8. Porosity:  SiC has 0% of porosity.

9. Melting Point: Silicon carbide decomposes at around 2,830 °(melting point).

10. Electrical properties: Silicon carbide has electrical properties like semiconductors. It has electrical resistivity between 105-107 ohm-cm. The electrical conductivity of SiC depends highly on its doping types.

Silicon Carbide Applications: Silicon carbide usage is vast in modern technological equipment and industrial applications. It is used in cutting and grinding tools for its hardness and abrasion resistance.

SiC is widely used in wet polishing, high-pressure pump bearings, and seal manufacturing. Silicon carbide seals can endure high temperatures and pressured situations.

Silicon carbide ceramic pipes are highly resistant to wear and used in severe harsh working environments. SiC has another application as the protective coatings of different metal items.

Tungsten Carbide vs Silicon Carbide: A Comparison Table

The following comparison table will help you understand the differences between silicon carbide vs tungsten carbide quickly.

FAQs

What is the difference between tungsten and tungsten carbide?

The basic difference between tungsten(W) and tungsten carbide(TC) is that tungsten is a metal element while tungsten carbide is an alloy.

Tungsten is popularly used in heating elements, electric bulbs, and heavy metal alloy manufacturing. On the other hand, tungsten carbide has uses in cutting tools, mechanical seals, mining tools, construction, and snow removal.

How strong is tungsten carbide?

Tungsten carbide is an extremely strong, hard, and durable metal alloy. The tungsten hardness mohs scale is 9. It also has high compressive and tensile strength.

Is tungsten carbide a ceramic?

Yes,  tungsten carbide is a ceramic. It is also considered a hybrid of metal and alloy because it has combined characteristics of metal and ceramic materials.

Is tungsten carbide strong?

Yes, tungsten carbide is very strong.

What is stronger than tungsten?

Diamond is harder and stronger than tungsten.

What is meant by tungsten carbide yield strength?

Yield strength is the maximum stress at which a material starts to deform permanently. The material can not reform in its original shape after the yield strength. The tungsten carbide yield strength value is 86 Kbar.

Is silicon carbide a ceramic?

Yes, silicon carbide is a ceramic material with a high melting point, hardness, and chemical resistance.

Is tungsten carbide conductive?

Tungsten carbide is not fully conductive. It has low electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity.

Bottom Line:  Our planet is enriched with valuable materials like silicon and tungsten carbide. They are the basis of modern civilization. Every development depends on the correct usage of that precise natural wealth.

The knowledge of the materialistic properties of tungsten carbide vs silicon carbide will help us produce more valuable things. Our effort to differentiate these ceramic elements will be successful when you learn something from it.

We hope our contextual connection assists you in learning new things. Thank you.