The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-10-10
TUNGSTEN AND ITS USES.
Unusual and Important Mineral Emf,
pIoyed in Various Industries.

Last year there was a sharp de-
crease in the production of tungsten
ore owing to the decrease in the de-
mand for tool steels, in which the bulk
of the tunksten produced is used, ac-
cordiug to Frank L. Hess. In a report
on this metal just issued by the United
States Geological Survey. The pro-
duction of domestic tungsten ore In
1911 amounted to 1889 short tons of
concentrates, carrying go per cent Of
tungsten trozide, valued at $407.sS5; in
1910 the production amounted to 1921
short tons, valued at $832,992.
Tungsten is used chiefly in making
steels that will hold their temper when
heated, but 1t Is most generally known
as supplying the filament Of tungsten
incandescent lamps. The great Inn
provements in drawing tungsten wire
and further notable improvements in
the size Of the globe Of the tungsten
lamp and in other mechanical details
that add greatly to its efficiency are
making it encroach upon the carbon
flament lamp and the arc lamp, and
It is rapidly driving from the market
the tantalum lamp, which was the first
good incandescent lamp having me-
tallic filament Diamonds are used for
dies in drawing tungsten wire. At first
it did not seem possible to drill small
enough holes through the diamonds to
make wire sufficiently fine for lamps
of small candlepower, bat wire 0OOO6
inch in diameter can now be drawn
in onantity The total quantity of
tungsten ore used for electric lights,
however amounts to only few tons
a year. New uses Of tungsten, in
making electric furnaces, electric con-
facts, and targets for Roentgen rays,
have been developed, and the last two
products are being actively manufac-
tured.
Even for purposes of war tungsten
may have its uses, and Investigations
are now being made with view to Its
application in the manufacture Of pro-
jectiles.
The present small-ar service pro-
iectile is made of lead with jacket Of
copper nickel alloy. The principal adj
vantage of lead over iron, which would
CT course be cheaper, is that it has
higher specific gravity Because OF
this fact a lead bullet will have
smaller cross section and will therefore
encounter less air resistance to Its
flight than will an iron bullet of the
same weight, and it will consequently
give hatter trajectory and longer
range. An iron bullet of the same d.
ameter as the lead bullet could OF
course be made Of the same weight by
increasing it's length, but this would at
once necessitate giving it a higher ro-
rational velocity to keep its axis tan
genital to its flight. To impair this
, added rotational velocity would call for
, the expenditure Of energy and so leave
ifess for velocity of translation. With
the exception of tungsten, lead Is the
densest metal which can be considered
for this purpose, for gold is the cheap
est of the other eleemnts having a
higher specific gravity than lead.
For military purposes the softness
Of lead is nat an advantage, soft
nosed bullet being tabooed in civilized
warfare For this reason and because
of the fact that it is too weak to hold
the rifling it has to be jacketed with
copper nickel alloy To take the riff
ing and to act as gas check, the
tungsten bullet will require copper
band or it's equivalent at the base.
The hardness and high tensile
strength Of wrought tungsten will give
high penetrating power. The high
melting point of tungsten will prevent
the projectile from being harmfully
upset at the base of the combined &C.
ton of the high temperature and rapid
impact due to the combustion Of the
powder charge.