Effects of vanadium alloying on the microstructures and mechanical properties of hot-pressed tungsten material

Tungsten and vanadium (W-V) alloys (with 1, 5 and 10 wt.% V) are fabricated by hot pressing (HP) at 1800°C under 20 MPa for 2 h. The effects of V content on the microstructures and mechanical properties of W-V alloy are investigated. The results indicate that with increasing V content, (i) the formation of W-V alloying phase is enhanced and the grain size of W-matrix is significantly refined; (ii) the relative density gradually increases from 92.16% to 97.72% in the case of pure W to W-10 wt.% V; (iii) the hardness rises linearly while the bending strength decreases, which is related to the enhanced alloy phase formation.