Chapter W: W Wulfenite

W

W

Symbol for the element tungsten (wolfram).

Wagner's alloy

An alloy containing 85% tin, 10% antimony, 3% zinc, l% copper, and 1% bismuth.

W5 Alloy

Alloy containing 95.7% nickel, 4% silicon, 0.3% manganese, used for high temperature applicatons.

Warne's metal

Alloys nominally containing 37% tin, 26% nickel, 26% bismuth, and 11% cobalt.

washout thread

See also vanish thread.

watchmaker's alloy

A brass containing 59% copper, 40% zinc, and 1% lead.

water absorption

The amount of increase in weight of a material due to absorption of water, expressed as a percentage of the original weight. Standard test specimens are first dried for 24 hr, then weighed before and after immersion in water at 73.4 F/23 C for various lengths of time. Water absorption affects both mechanical and electrical properties and part dimensions. Parts made from materials with low water absorption rates tend to have greater dimensional stability.

water-miscible fluids

Fluids that easily mix with water.

water quenching

A process for hardening plain carbon steel by immersion in a bath of fresh water. By itself, water allows an insulating vapor barrier of gas bubbles to-form on the surface of hot steel, and cooling is slowed. The result is uneven cooling and sometimes excessive strains which may cause cracking. In order to secure more even cooling, reduce danger of cracking, and remove scale from the steel, either rock salt (8 or 9%) or caustic soda (3 to 5%) may be added to the bath to promote rapid early cooling by making...