The military industry has extremely strict requirements on the performance of materials. Tungsten balls have become one of the core materials of many military equipment due to their unique physical properties and comprehensive advantages. The following are the core reasons why the military industry prefers to use tungsten balls and the analysis of specific application scenarios:
一. Strong penetration and lethality brought by high density
1. "Defense-breaking core" of armor-piercing/kinetic bullets
Physical advantages: The density of tungsten balls is as high as 17-18 g/cm³ (about 2.5 times that of steel and 1.7 times that of lead). The mass is larger under the same volume, and the momentum during flight (momentum = mass × speed) is significantly higher than that of traditional materials.
Actual combat effect:
In armor-piercing bullets, tungsten balls are used as the core material. When they hit at high speed, they can generate strong kinetic penetration and easily penetrate targets such as tank armor and bunkers.
Compared with traditional steel core bullets, the penetration depth of tungsten ball cores is increased by 30%-50%, and the ballistic stability is better (high density reduces the influence of air resistance).
2. Optimization of missile/bomb counterweight and guidance accuracy
Installing tungsten ball counterweights on the warhead or tail of cruise missiles and guided bombs can improve flight stability by adjusting the center of gravity distribution and ensure terminal guidance accuracy (the error can be reduced to within meters).
For example: the tungsten ball counterweight in the payload compartment of a drone can balance the center of gravity offset caused by equipment installation to avoid flight attitude loss of control.
二. High strength and low vulnerability: to cope with extreme battlefield environments
1. Impact resistance and deformation resistance
Tungsten alloy has a hardness of up to HRC 30-50 (steel is usually HRC 20-40), and is not easy to deform and shatter under high-speed collision or explosion impact, and can keep the projectile structure intact.
Typical case: The interceptor missile of the tank active protection system uses tungsten ball fragments, which can maintain the fragment lethality even when colliding with incoming ammunition at high speed.
2. High temperature resistance and corrosion resistance
The melting point of tungsten is as high as 3422℃, far exceeding steel (1370℃) and aluminum alloy (660℃). It can withstand high temperature environments such as missile engine tail flames and battlefield flamethrowers to avoid material softening and failure.
In coastal or high-humidity war zones, tungsten balls have better resistance to salt spray corrosion than ordinary steel parts, reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance (such as the counterweight components of shipborne weapon systems).
三. Environmentally friendly alternatives and strategic security
1. "Green choice" to replace depleted uranium bombs
Although traditional depleted uranium bombs have the advantages of self-sharpening (the edge is automatically sharpened when impacted) and high density, there is a risk of radioactive contamination, and the international community restricts their use (such as the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons).
Tungsten balls are non-radioactive, and by optimizing the alloy composition (such as adding nickel, iron, and copper), they can simulate the "quasi-self-sharpening" of depleted uranium (micro-deformation of the head to maintain penetration when impacted), becoming a mainstream alternative.
2. Strategic resource controllability
China is a major tungsten resource country in the world (reserve accounts for 58% of the world), and its military supply chain is not restricted by overseas sanctions. Depleted uranium relies on uranium mines (requires support from the nuclear energy industry), and its strategic security is higher.
四. Multi-functional scene adaptation: full-chain application from weapons to equipment
1. Individual weapons and special equipment
Sniper rifle counterweight: Tungsten ball counterweights are installed under the barrel to reduce muzzle jump during shooting and improve burst accuracy (for example, a certain type of sniper rifle reduces the dispersion error by 20% through tungsten ball counterweights).
Diver weight equipment: Frogman troops use tungsten ball weight belts. The high density makes the volume small, reducing water resistance and avoiding the risk of lead poisoning (traditional lead blocks are easy to wear and release lead).
2. Armored vehicles and ships
Active protection system: The interceptor bullets of the Russian-made "Afghanite" active protection system are loaded with tungsten ball fragments, which can detonate incoming rockets 2-3 meters away from the tank to reduce the risk of sympathetic explosion.
Ship stabilization counterweight: aircraft carrier aircraft elevators and submarine ballast tanks use tungsten balls as counterweights to provide greater weight in a limited space and optimize the balance of the ship's center of gravity.
五. Technology iteration: Performance breakthrough from solid balls to composite structures
1. Hollow tungsten balls and gradient material design
The new hollow tungsten balls are inflated or filled with ceramics to reduce the overall mass while maintaining high density. They are suitable for drone-thrown ammunition (such as cruise missile warheads) to improve range and maneuverability.
Gradient material tungsten balls (high hardness on the outer layer and high toughness on the inner layer) can take into account both the "penetration force" during armor penetration and the "resistance to fragmentation" of impact resistance, and the penetration depth is increased by 15%-20% compared to traditional solid balls.
2. Surface treatment enhancement
Through the plating process (such as nickel plating and diamond-like coating), the surface hardness of the tungsten ball is increased to HV 2000+, and the wear resistance life is extended by 3-5 times. It is suitable for automatic weapon systems with repeated loading (such as chain machine gun feeding mechanisms).
In the future, with the maturity of powder metallurgy technology (such as spark plasma sintering) and 3D printing technology, tungsten balls are expected to achieve breakthroughs in lightweight and complex structural design, further consolidating their core position in the military industry.
The military industry has extremely strict requirements on the performance of materials. Tungsten balls have become one of the core materials of many military equipment due to their unique physical properties and comprehensive advantages. The following are the core reasons why the military industry prefers to use tungsten balls and the analysis of specific application scenarios:
一. Strong penetration and lethality brought by high density
1. "Defense-breaking core" of armor-piercing/kinetic bullets
Physical advantages: The density of tungsten balls is as high as 17-18 g/cm³ (about 2.5 times that of steel and 1.7 times that of lead). The mass is larger under the same volume, and the momentum during flight (momentum = mass × speed) is significantly higher than that of traditional materials.
Actual combat effect:
In armor-piercing bullets, tungsten balls are used as the core material. When they hit at high speed, they can generate strong kinetic penetration and easily penetrate targets such as tank armor and bunkers.
Compared with traditional steel core bullets, the penetration depth of tungsten ball cores is increased by 30%-50%, and the ballistic stability is better (high density reduces the influence of air resistance).
2. Optimization of missile/bomb counterweight and guidance accuracy
Installing tungsten ball counterweights on the warhead or tail of cruise missiles and guided bombs can improve flight stability by adjusting the center of gravity distribution and ensure terminal guidance accuracy (the error can be reduced to within meters).
For example: the tungsten ball counterweight in the payload compartment of a drone can balance the center of gravity offset caused by equipment installation to avoid flight attitude loss of control.
二. High strength and low vulnerability: to cope with extreme battlefield environments
1. Impact resistance and deformation resistance
Tungsten alloy has a hardness of up to HRC 30-50 (steel is usually HRC 20-40), and is not easy to deform and shatter under high-speed collision or explosion impact, and can keep the projectile structure intact.
Typical case: The interceptor missile of the tank active protection system uses tungsten ball fragments, which can maintain the fragment lethality even when colliding with incoming ammunition at high speed.
2. High temperature resistance and corrosion resistance
The melting point of tungsten is as high as 3422℃, far exceeding steel (1370℃) and aluminum alloy (660℃). It can withstand high temperature environments such as missile engine tail flames and battlefield flamethrowers to avoid material softening and failure.
In coastal or high-humidity war zones, tungsten balls have better resistance to salt spray corrosion than ordinary steel parts, reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance (such as the counterweight components of shipborne weapon systems).
三. Environmentally friendly alternatives and strategic security
1. "Green choice" to replace depleted uranium bombs
Although traditional depleted uranium bombs have the advantages of self-sharpening (the edge is automatically sharpened when impacted) and high density, there is a risk of radioactive contamination, and the international community restricts their use (such as the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons).
Tungsten balls are non-radioactive, and by optimizing the alloy composition (such as adding nickel, iron, and copper), they can simulate the "quasi-self-sharpening" of depleted uranium (micro-deformation of the head to maintain penetration when impacted), becoming a mainstream alternative.
2. Strategic resource controllability
China is a major tungsten resource country in the world (reserve accounts for 58% of the world), and its military supply chain is not restricted by overseas sanctions. Depleted uranium relies on uranium mines (requires support from the nuclear energy industry), and its strategic security is higher.
四. Multi-functional scene adaptation: full-chain application from weapons to equipment
1. Individual weapons and special equipment
Sniper rifle counterweight: Tungsten ball counterweights are installed under the barrel to reduce muzzle jump during shooting and improve burst accuracy (for example, a certain type of sniper rifle reduces the dispersion error by 20% through tungsten ball counterweights).
Diver weight equipment: Frogman troops use tungsten ball weight belts. The high density makes the volume small, reducing water resistance and avoiding the risk of lead poisoning (traditional lead blocks are easy to wear and release lead).
2. Armored vehicles and ships
Active protection system: The interceptor bullets of the Russian-made "Afghanite" active protection system are loaded with tungsten ball fragments, which can detonate incoming rockets 2-3 meters away from the tank to reduce the risk of sympathetic explosion.
Ship stabilization counterweight: aircraft carrier aircraft elevators and submarine ballast tanks use tungsten balls as counterweights to provide greater weight in a limited space and optimize the balance of the ship's center of gravity.
五. Technology iteration: Performance breakthrough from solid balls to composite structures
1. Hollow tungsten balls and gradient material design
The new hollow tungsten balls are inflated or filled with ceramics to reduce the overall mass while maintaining high density. They are suitable for drone-thrown ammunition (such as cruise missile warheads) to improve range and maneuverability.
Gradient material tungsten balls (high hardness on the outer layer and high toughness on the inner layer) can take into account both the "penetration force" during armor penetration and the "resistance to fragmentation" of impact resistance, and the penetration depth is increased by 15%-20% compared to traditional solid balls.
2. Surface treatment enhancement
Through the plating process (such as nickel plating and diamond-like coating), the surface hardness of the tungsten ball is increased to HV 2000+, and the wear resistance life is extended by 3-5 times. It is suitable for automatic weapon systems with repeated loading (such as chain machine gun feeding mechanisms).
In the future, with the maturity of powder metallurgy technology (such as spark plasma sintering) and 3D printing technology, tungsten balls are expected to achieve breakthroughs in lightweight and complex structural design, further consolidating their core position in the military industry.
