Niobium
Niobium (the old name is «Columbium») — refractory shiny silver-gray metal. It was discovered in 1801 by Charles Hatcher, a scientist from England, and used from metallurgy to nuclear physics.
General characteristics
Niobium has next characteristics:
- Durable;
- Solid;
- Plastic;
- Melting point 2468 °C;
- Boiling point 4742 °C;
- Resistant to corrosion in aggressive environments;
- 25 metastable states of isotope nuclei;
- Most «tenacious” 92Nb isotope with half-life of 34.7 million years;
- Resistance to acids;
- In metallic appearance it mined by electrolysis of anhydrous salt melts and others.
Despite fact that presence of niobium in earth’s crust is relatively small, its popularity and use in various fields is growing every year.
Application area
Popular applications of niobium are:
- Aviation industry;
- Chemical industry;
- Atomic and nuclear physics;
- Metallurgy industry;
- Electronics manufacturing.
Pipes and containers for liquid substances, parts for airplanes and other aircraft, containers for storing radioactive materials and much more are created from metal. In metal rolling, niobium and its alloys are supplied in form of rods, ribbons, plates and other products.
Steel grades
Among niobium alloys, following are most popular:
Alloy grades |
Chemical composition, % |
Standard | ||||||||||||||
GOST |
Wnr |
Uns |
Fe |
Si |
Ti |
Zr |
Al |
C |
O |
Nb |
Mo |
N |
W |
H |
Ta | |
Nb1 |
- |
R04200 |
<0.005 |
<0.005 |
<0.005 |
<0.01 |
<0.01 |
> 99.854 |
<0.01 |
<0.001 |
<0.1 |
GOST 16099−80 | ||||
NbCU |
- |
- |
<0.01 |
<0.01 |
<0.01 |
1−1.4 |
<0.01 |
0.08−0.12 |
<0.02 |
97.884−98.92 |
<0.06 |
<0.015 |
<0.06 |
<0.001 |
<0.4 |
GOST 26468−85 |
They are almost always used in above areas of production.
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Mass units
| Kilogram (kg) | Metric ton (mt) | Pound (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 000 | 1 | 2 200.62 |
| 1 | 0.001 | 2.20 |
| 0.4536 | 1 |