Research Projects

The increasing restrictions on the use of depleted uranium (DU) for ballistic/kinetic energy penetrators, owing to its long-term radiotoxicity and environmental hazards, have intensified global efforts to identify high-density, non-radioactive alternatives for armor-piercing in defence applications. DU’s superior performance is predominantly due to its high density (~19.1 g/cm³), self-sharpening behavior during impact, and high momentum transfer capability, resulting in exceptional penetration depth under high-strain-rate loading. Tungsten (W), with a comparable density (~19.3 g/cm³), offers a viable and environmentally acceptable substitute. To enhance its ductility, toughness, and sinterability, W is alloyed with ductile binder metals such as Ni, Cu, Fe and Co, forming a dual-phase composite known as Tungsten Heavy Alloy (WHA). These alloys typically consist of a continuous W-rich (BCC) phase embedded in a ductile binder matrix (FCC) phase. The binder acts both as a liquid phase during sintering and as a toughening phase during mechanical loading. Despite WHA’s established strength and moderate toughness, its performance under extreme dynamic loading remains inferior to DU, primarily due to limited binder ductility and suboptimal energy absorption mechanisms during deformation. This project aims to overcome these limitations by addition of ball milled novel FeNiCoCuMn solid solution HEA as a binder in the W. This HEA is designed using early transition elements that were previously used as binder elements. It can enhance the densification, reduce porosity, increase W-W grain contact, and improve the dynamic plasticity of the alloy, thereby enhancing energy dissipation and penetration performance under high strain rates. The hypothesis is that tailoring the microstructure-particularly the distribution and bonding of the tungsten phase and matrix (HEA + dissolved W) can enhance toughness and strain-rate sensitivity. This project seeks to address the limitations of WHA by tailoring the chemistry and microstructure of the binder phase. The central hypothesis is that an optimized binder composition and microstructure characterized by improved densification, tungsten connectivity, and matrix toughness can enhance the dynamic performance of WHA and narrow the performance gap exhibiting self-sharpening behavior rather than mushrooming by optimizing the binder phase and microstructural architecture (mechanism illustrated in the methodology section) with DU-based KEPs. The primary scientific objective is to investigate the structure property relationship in WHA under various strain rates and processing conditions. The data obtained from mechanical testing (including quasi-static and dynamic compression, hardness testing) and microstructural characterization will be analyzed concurrently to establish meaningful structure-property relationships.