Tungsten
The chemical element tungsten, atomic number 74, is listed as a transition metal in group VIB on the Periodic Table of Elements. Tungsten was formerly known by the Germanic name Wolfram, after the tungsten mineral wolframite, hence its chemical symbol W. The name tungsten was derived from the Swedish words tung and sten, meaning heavy stone, because of its high density. Discovery of the element is credited to Spanish brothers Fausto Jermin and nobleman Juan Jose de Elhuyar in the early 1780s (1, 2).
Tungsten is a naturally occurring element that generally occurs as a chemical compound, mainly within ores of wolframite and scheelite, and very rarely in a pure form. Colors range from shiny white to steel-gray, depending on its purity (3). The metal is known for being extremely ductile and as a good conductor of heat and electricity. With the highest melting point, near 3422 degrees Celsius, and the lowest vapor pressure of all the metals, tungsten has a widespread variety of uses, from the mining industry to the healthcare field (2, 3).
Global consumption of tungsten consists primarily of cemented carbides, or hardmetals (2). As one of the hardest metals in the world, tungsten plays an instrumental role in cemented carbide tools and the drill bits used for oil and gas exploration, making it invaluable to the petroleum, mining, and metal-working industries. Tungsten carbide is also used to increase the wear-resistance of the cutting edge of tools as well as cast iron (1).
The metal’s hardness along with its great tensile strength and ability to withstand extremely high temperatures make it ideal for use in the filaments in incandescent light bulbs, cathode-ray tubes, X-ray tubes, vacuum tube filaments, and rocke...
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...sed by the British Geological Survey (4).
The high demand caused by increasingly widespread venues has resulted in a diminishing supply of tungsten, putting a strain on the world’s tungsten market. Although opening previously operational mines and searching for new mines will help supplement the supply of tungsten, it will still be several years before demand is met, as it is “typically a two-to-three year process for those mines currently extracting tungsten for export” (4).
Consequently, industries dependent on tungsten for operating are faces with the choice to either try to acquire a mine for their own use or work with current suppliers to achieve an equitable balance to meet demands. As purchasing a private operation is not feasible for the largest part of businesses, the only option appears to be encouraging current suppliers to meet their needs (4).
The Making of a Hardrock Miner written by Stephen M. Voynick, describes his own personal experiences as a hardrock miner in four different underground mines in the western United States, the Climax molybdenum mine in Colorado, Hecla Lakeshore Project a copper mine in Arizona, and two uranium mines in Wyoming. Rather than a book telling of the fortunes gained and lost, this book was about the relationships gained, but then also lost through mining. Stephen M. Voynick’s direct words and simple writing style provided a book that was an easy read and educational about mine work and safety.
We use metals to construct all kinds of structures, from bridges to skyscrapers to elevators. The strength as well as durability of materials that are crafted out of metal make the materials ideal not only for construction but also for many other applications.
Diamond is a material that has been closely looked at over recent years as a lot of its properties are desirable in mechanicals systems. Because of these diamond is a leading material for MEMS applications in harsh conditions , as it one of the hardest natural materials. As Figure 2 shows both amorphous and crystalline diamond possess much higher elastic moduli and hardness properties than most other MEMS manufacturing materials. This means that diamond is a good material choice for high-wear environments.
Molybdenum is a transition metal. It is represented by the symbol Mo. It is a pure metal that is is silverish white in color and very hard, and has one of the highest melting points of all pure elements at 4753 °F. Its boiling point is 8382 °F. Its density is 10280 kg/m3 and its hardness is 5.5.
Aluminum is a lightweight, silvery metal. The atomic weight of aluminum is 26.9815; the element melts at 660° C (1220° F), boils at 2467° C (4473° F), and has a specific gravity of 2.7. Aluminum is a strongly electropositive metal and extremely reactive. In contact with air, aluminum rapidly becomes covered with a tough, transparent layer of aluminum oxide that resists further corrosive action. For this reason, materials made of aluminum do not tarnish or rust. The metal reduces many other metallic compounds to their base metals. For example, when thermite (a mixture of powdered iron oxide and aluminum) is heated, the aluminum rapidly removes the oxygen from the iron; the heat of the reaction is sufficient to melt the iron. This phenomenon is used in the thermite process for welding iron .
Objectives • To evaluate the difficulty of mining and reclamation To calculate costs, expenses, income, and profit from a hands-on mining exercise. • To evaluate the effectiveness of reclamation and its added costs to mining. To describe the increasing rarity of some non-renewable mineral resources. Introduction Minerals play an important role in our day-to-day life, but we often do not contemplate how the minerals are obtained. Minerals are scattered all over the world, just like any other resource.
Stainless steel is a type of alloy that has a very strong lattice structure (an arrangement/ shape of the crystals or other objects) which in some case can be more beneficial than others depending on the type of application it may be used for. In many cases this structure will make the material more suited to being used in engineering applications such as tools for instance a hammer (stainless steel alloys) , also they can be used for gears, engines, electrical motors and hydraulic systems because the structure makes the material so strong. So when the arrangement of the structure is as above it makes the overall material even stronger which makes it a good for all the applications stated above. I believe its strength and durability are its main properties as these are commonly needed in the engineering industry, although it is also very well known to be used for its corrosion resistance as it is resistant to many types of corrosion. It is used for these properties because the components such as gears need to be strong in order to keep transferring and altering the rotary motion and torque exhibited in the machine that it may be used in, durable to withstand any loads or pressure put onto it and also corrosion resistance to give the components a bigger life span and increase its rate of work throughout its required use.
This company has come a long way into the sustainable and triple bottom line world. “Four wind turbines were erected in 2013 to reduce the use of diesel fuel, which had to be trucked in on a 550-km ice road at a cost of $70 million a year” (Hamilton, 2016). Wind turbines are put into place to create electricity through the spinning of the propellers. Mines are underground therefore it is extremely crucial to have electricity through renewable energy to create light for the miners underground because of the darkness being created. More importantly, if every corporation were to include the triple bottom line in their business goals, it would aid with climate change and global
In this report basic information is provided about the orbital weld process and the related equipment: technical approach, advantages, common and special applications, but also restrictions and limits.
The jewelry industry is always in need of gold. In the past years, the Western mine production cannot meet the gold demand of jewelry industry. To compensate with the lack of gold supply, jewelry sectors tried to make do with reclaimed jewelry, reserves and other industrial scrap.
Physically and chemically Aluminium is a metal much like others such as; steel, copper and titanium. I can occur as a solid, a liquid or a gas and the state at which aluminium occurs depends on its condition, temperature and pressure. Aluminium is a very light weight metal at 2.7 grams per 〖cm〗^3, which is approximately one third the weight of steel. (HIGGINS, 1972) It naturally forms a protective oxide coating which protects it from corrosion; this oxide coating is thin but very dense and can be made harder through a natural or imitated treatment called Anodising. Aluminium can be further protected with treatments such as coating through lacquering and painting. It is an excellent heat and electricity conductor. It has a low melting point and is very ductile. And finally aluminium is completely recyclable without a reduction in quality.
This process can be used for many variations of work, including root welds, joints, T’s, butts, laps, and many more applications. Even though its used in many practices, it is not recommended to use this method for repair work because of the quality of the welds. It’s easy to use and it is inexpensive to afford now with 110v machines. But you cannot weld for a long time like a 220v machine would produce. Both have different duty cycles” (Parag. 7.
Mining is the process or industry of obtaining minerals from the earth. Topics in this paper I’ll be specifically discussing are pros and cons of mining, structures of a mine, mining in general, California gold rush, diamonds in Africa, and comparison of diamond and gold mines.
Warhurst, A. (1999). Mining and the environment: case studies from the Americas. Ottawa, ON, Canada: International Development Research Centre.