The mechanical properties and thermal stability of a nanostructured carbide dispersion strengthened W-0.5 wt.% Ta-0.01 wt.% C alloy

•W-TaC alloys are fabricated by high energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering.•The recrystallization temperature is 1600°C.•The size of nanosized particles is about 62nm.•Nanosized structures improve mechanical properties and thermal stability.