Tungsten-silver alloy rods are alloy materials with tungsten as the main matrix and silver as the auxiliary phase, belonging to the category of pseudo-alloy systems, occupying a key position in electrical engineering, vacuum electronic devices and high-temperature contact applications.
From the perspective of material composition, the tungsten content in tungsten-silver alloy rods usually dominates the overall structure, while the silver phase is distributed in dispersed or network form within the tungsten skeleton. This non-solid-solution composite system ensures the stability of the tungsten-silver interface, avoiding the risk of phase separation or brittle phase formation at high temperatures. Tungsten as the continuous phase provides high hardness and deformation resistance, while silver as the functional phase dominates the electrical contact and heat conduction paths.
In terms of performance, tungsten's high melting point and high modulus endow tungsten-silver alloy rods with excellent thermal stability and mechanical strength, maintaining geometric integrity under high-temperature loads without softening or creep. Silver's low resistivity and high thermal conductivity ensure low power consumption and efficient heat dissipation during current transmission in the alloy rods, significantly reducing the contact resistance heating effect. More importantly, the material performs particularly outstanding under arc action: the rapid melting-re-solidification mechanism of the silver phase combined with tungsten's ablation-resistant skeleton forms a self-healing anti-erosion surface, suppressing welding and material transfer phenomena, thereby greatly extending contact life. In addition, tungsten-silver alloy rods have moderate density and good oxidation resistance, exhibiting long-term stable contact resistance characteristics in vacuum or inert atmospheres.
In the field of electrical engineering, tungsten-silver alloy rods are mainly used in contact systems of high-voltage switchgear. As core contact components in vacuum circuit breakers or SF6 circuit breakers, they can withstand tens of thousands of breaking operations without sticking or excessive burning, ensuring reliable breaking and closing of power systems. In vacuum interrupters, tungsten-silver contacts' low chopping current and high withstand voltage strength effectively suppress reignition phenomena, improving breaking capacity.
Vacuum electronic devices are another important application field for tungsten-silver alloy rods. In high-power microwave devices such as traveling wave tubes and klystrons, tungsten-silver alloy rods are often made into grid or anode structures, utilizing their low work function and high thermal conductivity to achieve efficient electron emission and thermal management. In X-ray tube rotating anode targets, tungsten-silver alloy rods can serve as support shafts or connecting parts, balancing high-temperature strength and thermal conductivity needs to extend target surface life.
