Effect of Swaging Temperature on Deformation Behaviour of W93Ni6Co1 Tungsten Heavy Alloy
The study investigates a W93Ni6Co1 tungsten heavy alloy rotary swaged at 20 °C and 900 °C with the aim to optimize its mechanical properties. Deformation behaviour was predicted via numerical simulations and subsequently verified via experimental swaging. The results showed that swaging at 900 °C led to substantial increase in ductility (24% elongation after the first pass), whereas swaging at room temperature primarily increased the UTS (up to 1800 MPa after the second pass). Among the key differences between both the swaging temperature modes were the different substructure developments; the higher swaging temperature imparted activation of softening processes within the γ matrix and homogenization of residual stress. The W agglomerates within both the swaged pieces featured the presence of <101> and <001> preferential orientations.