Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
The tensile strain rate sensitivity and the stress-rupture strength of Mo-base and W-base alloy wires, 380 µm in diameter, were determined over the temperature range from 1200 to 1600 K. Three molybdenum alloy wires; Mo + 1.1 wt% hafnium carbide (MoHfC), Mo + 25 wt% W + 1.1 wt% hafnium carbide (MoHfC+25W) and Mo + 45 wt% W + 1.1 wt% hafnium carbide (MoHfC+45W), and a W + 0.4 wt% hafnium carbide (WHfC) tungsten alloy wire were evaluated.
The tensile strength of all wires studied was found to have a positive strain rate sensitivity. The strain rate dependency increased with increasing temperature and is associated with grain broadening of the initial fibrous structures. The hafnium carbide dispersed W-base and Mo-base alloys have superior tensile and stress-rupture properties than those without HfC. On a density compensated basis the MoHfC wires exhibit superior tensile and stress-rupture strengths to the WHfC wires up to approximately 1400 K. Addition of tungsten in the Mo-alloy wires was found to increase the long-term stress-rupture strength at temperatures above 1400 K.