Hopkinson bar dynamic test under strain rates ranging from 2000 to 8000 at room temperature revealed that the flow stress of tungsten heavy alloys depended strongly on the strain, strain rate, and the content of molybdenum. The variation of flow stress was caused by the competition between work hardening and heat softening in the materials at different strain rates. The high temperature strength of the matrix phase was increased by the addition of molybdenum, which enhanced the strength of the tungsten heavy alloys in high strain rate test.
The main object of this research was to examine the effect of sintering conditions on the microstructure of tungsten heavy alloys and how the resulting modification of the microstructure can be used to optimize their mechanical properties. Alloys composed of 88%, 93% and 95% wt. of tungsten and the balance is Ni: Fe in the ratio of 7:3 were sintered at different temperatures for different sintering holding times in hydrogen atmosphere. It was shown that the mechanical properties of the alloys, and especially their ductility, are harmed when tungsten grains are contiguous.