Ferrous vanadium is an important alloying additive in the steel industry. Vanadium improves the strength, toughness, ductility and heat resistance of steel. The use of vanadium in the iron and steel industry has increased dramatically since the 1960s and by 1988 accounted for 85% of vanadium consumption. The proportion of vanadium consumption in steel is 20% for carbon steel, 25% for high strength low alloy steel, 20% for alloy steel and 15% for tool steel. Vanadium-containing high-strength low alloy steels (HSLA) are widely used in the production and construction of oil/gas pipelines, buildings, bridges, rails, pressure vessels, carriages, etc. due to their high strength. At present, various vanadium-containing steels are being used in a wider and wider range of applications.
Vanadium metal in non-ferrous alloys is mainly used in the production of vanadium and titanium alloys, such as Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn and Ti-8Al-1V-Mo, etc. Ti-6Al-4V alloy is used in the manufacture of aircraft and rockets excellent high-temperature structural materials, in the United States is highly valued, the output of titanium vanadium alloys accounted for more than half. Vanadium metal can also be used in magnetic materials, cast iron, cemented carbides, superconducting materials and nuclear reactor materials and other fields.
Vanadium pentoxide and vanadium compounds are mainly used as colorants in the glass and ceramics industries, and as catalysts in the production of sulfuric acid and petrochemicals. In the United States, 35% of vanadium pentoxide is used in the production of sulfuric acid and 35% is used in petroleum refining. Vanadium catalysts have a special activity that is difficult to replace with other elements. With the rapid development of the chemical industry, the importance of vanadium as a catalyst will become more apparent.
Vanadium Applications
Application Fields
Proportion of Total (%)
Main Uses
Used Products
Carbon Steel
25
Rebar
FeV
HSLA Steel
25
Construction. Petroleum Pipelines
FeV
High Alloy Steel
20
Castings, Petroleum Pipe Fittings
FeV
Tool Steels
15
High Speed Tool Steels, Wear Parts
FeV (80% V)
Titanium Alloys
10 <
Jet engine parts, aircraft body
V-Al-based alloys
Chemicals
5
Sulphuric acid and maleic anhydride production
V2O5 and other vanadium compounds
Materials are the basis of all engineering and construction. One of the important signs of the progress of human civilization is the continuous updating and increasing of the materials used. Materials, energy and information are the three pillars of modern science and technology development.
In the many metal materials, a new metal material titanium has become a dazzling "new star". Titanium is one of the light metals, pure titanium has many excellent properties. Although the specific gravity of titanium is only 50% of steel, but its strength exceeds that of steel by about 18%, and its ductility is far better than that of steel, and it can withstand hammering and stretching like copper. Titanium melting point of 1600 ℃, much higher than steel, such as titanium and steel at the same time in the steelmaking furnace, steel melted, but titanium is still the same. In the ultra-low temperature environment, steel will become brittle, dropped on the ground will be broken, while titanium in -100 ℃ will not become brittle, still has good mechanical properties. Titanium also has good acid and alkali resistance, corrosion resistance, in strong acid and alkali solutions, steel will be corroded with holes, while titanium is unharmed; steel in seawater will quickly rust and deteriorate, while titanium will not rust for at least 5 years. Stir-frying with titanium pan will not produce sticky pan phenomenon. Non-stick pans made of titanium alloy have entered the family. Titanium also has many advantages over aluminum, titanium hardness is higher than aluminum, so it is stronger than aluminum, not easy to deform; titanium melting point is much higher than aluminum (600 ℃).
Titanium as a substrate, doped with aluminum, vanadium, molybdenum, zirconium and other metals, can be obtained containing 90% of titanium quality materials - titanium alloy. Titanium alloy has light weight, impact resistance, tensile strength and many other excellent properties, is the machinery, aviation, aerospace and other industries in the senior material. Titanium alloy-based system into the aircraft, high strength, low weight, can increase the speed of about 1 / 3, can greatly increase the number of passengers (large passenger aircraft can increase more than 100 people), but also save fuel. Made of titanium alloy deep-sea probe, can dive to a depth of 6500 meters without being crushed, while the submarine made of steel, can only dive to 300 meters. In the aerospace and astronautics industry, titanium alloy with its excellent performance is widely used, launch vehicles, artificial satellites, space shuttles, space stations, planetary probes, etc., most of the use of titanium alloy manufacturing shell. This metal shell can remain tough under space conditions and can withstand high temperatures generated by intense friction in high-speed flight.
In the chemical industry, the need for corrosion-resistant pumps, valves, reactors and other equipment, which are also mostly made of titanium. Titanium and nickel combination, can also be made with memory function "memory alloy". This material is used to manufacture car shells, when the crash occurred when the deformation, as long as the hot air with more than 80 ℃ blow, you can restore the original shape.
Titanium is also an excellent decorative material, the surface of the titanium-plated materials, not only the appearance of bright and beautiful, but also has a strong resistance to abrasion and corrosion resistance; in vacuum conditions, the plasma state of titanium plating in the performance of the work or the building, the appearance of its appearance is similar to gold, known as titanium gold. Beijing Asian Games Village torch, Tiananmen Square flagpole dome, the Grand View Garden's treasure top, etc. are decorated with titanium. With titanium as architectural decoration, not only can save a lot of gold, but also brilliant, elegant, can achieve the effect of "false". Titanium can also be used for furniture, lighting, sanitary ware, fitness equipment, bicycles, motorcycles and other decorative.
Titanium is abundant in the earth's crust, accounting for the ninth in the reserves of various metals, about 17 times the total amount of copper, nickel, aluminum, zinc. There are more than 70 kinds of titanium-containing minerals, mainly rutile ilmenite distributed in igneous rocks. In the past, due to mining difficulties, high cost, the application of titanium is limited, now smelting technology has greatly improved, the cost is gradually reduced, the application of titanium