Environmental Effects of Tungsten and Tantalum Alloys

This is a proposal to investigate the environmental implications of the use of alloys of tungsten/tantalum with other metals (e.g. cobalt) in warhead/penetrator designs. The primary objectives are to (1) investigate and characterize the alloys of interest to the DOD so that potential environmental source terms can be defined and (2) identify the potential short-term and long-term environmental implications of the use of these alloys. Definition of the potential environmental source terms will require some prediction of the corrosion behavior of the alloys of interest in typical surface environments. The delineation of potential short and long-term environmental implications will involve characterization of the fate and transport of metals of concern in surface environments and evaluation of exposure pathways and transfer factors.