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Here is some information about niobium rod:
I. Characteristics
High melting point: The melting point of niobium is about 2468℃, which makes niobium rod stable in high temperature environment and suitable for high temperature application fields.
Good corrosion resistance: Niobium shows excellent corrosion resistance in many corrosive media, including acid, alkali and salt solution. This makes niobium rod widely used in chemical, petroleum, aerospace and other fields.
Good mechanical properties: Niobium rod has high strength and hardness, as well as good toughness and ductility. This allows niobium rod to maintain good performance when subjected to external force and deformation.
Superconductivity: At low temperatures, niobium has superconductivity, which makes Niobium rod have important applications in the field of superconductivity.
Low thermal expansion coefficient: Niobium has a low thermal expansion coefficient, which makes the niobium rod have less size change when the temperature changes, which helps to improve the accuracy and stability of the product.
2. Application fields
Niobium rods are widely used, mainly in the following fields:
Aerospace industry:
Since niobium alloy is a material with a lower density among refractory metals, it has high strength at 1100-1650℃, excellent welding performance, good room temperature plasticity, and can be made into various parts with complex shapes, so it is widely used in the manufacture of aircraft engine parts, gas turbine blades, etc. For example, in some high-performance jet engines, parts made of niobium alloy can work stably in harsh environments of high temperature and high pressure.
Niobium rods can be used as thermal protection materials and structural materials in hypersonic aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles and supersonic low-altitude rockets, which can effectively resist the thermal shock and mechanical stress caused by high temperature and high-speed flight.
Superconducting materials industry: Some compounds and alloys of niobium have a high superconducting transition temperature and are important materials for the manufacture of various industrial superconductors. For example, niobium-titanium (NbTi) and niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) alloys are widely used in superconducting generators, accelerator high-power magnets, superconducting magnetic energy storage devices, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging equipment, etc.
Atomic energy industry:
Niobium has good thermal conductivity, high melting point, good corrosion resistance, and low neutron capture cross section, making it a very suitable material for atomic reactors. It can be used as a cladding material for nuclear fuel to protect it from the external environment; it can also be used as an alloy for nuclear fuel to improve the performance and safety of nuclear fuel; it can also be used as a structural material for heat exchangers in nuclear reactors to ensure that the heat exchangers operate stably under high temperature, high pressure and strong radiation environments.
Electronic industry:
Niobate ceramics can be used to make capacitors, which have stable performance and large capacity, and can meet the high requirements of electronic equipment for capacitors.
Compound single crystals such as lithium niobate and potassium niobate are new crystals for optoelectronics and electronics, with good piezoelectric, thermoelectric and optical properties. They are widely used in infrared, laser technology and other fields, such as infrared detectors, laser modulators and other electronic devices. In addition, niobium has a high melting point, strong electron emission ability, and air absorption ability, and can be used to make electron tubes and other electric vacuum devices.
Steel industry: About 85% - 90% of the world's niobium is used in steel production in the form of ferroniobium. Adding a small amount of niobium to steel can increase the yield strength of steel by more than 30%, adjust the toughness level of steel, improve the high temperature oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance of steel, reduce the brittle transition temperature of steel, and make steel have good welding performance and forming performance. Therefore, niobium-containing steel is widely used in automobiles, bridges, oil pipelines, natural gas pipelines, oil drilling, offshore oil drilling platforms, railway tracks, and steel bars for civil construction.
Chemical industry: Niobium is a high-quality acid-resistant and liquid metal corrosion-resistant material, which can be used to make chemical equipment such as digesters, heaters and coolers. In addition, niobium acid is also an important catalyst.
Medical field: Niobium has good physiological corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. It will not react with various liquid substances in the human body, and it will hardly damage the body tissue of organisms. It can adapt to any sterilization method, so it is often used to make bone plates, skull plate bone screws, implant roots, surgical instruments, etc.
Optical industry: Niobium helps to increase the light transmittance of lenses and can be applied to the manufacture of optical lenses. In addition, potassium sodium niobate-based ceramics have excellent transparency, fast charging and discharging speed, and wide temperature adaptability, and can be used as transparent energy storage medium materials.
3. Production process
The production process of niobium rods usually includes the following steps:
Raw material preparation: Select high-purity niobium raw materials, such as niobium ingots or niobium powder.
Melting: Put the niobium raw materials into the furnace for melting to obtain niobium liquid. Vacuum melting, electron beam melting or arc melting can be used in the melting process to ensure the purity and quality of the niobium liquid.
Ingot casting: Pour the melted niobium liquid into the mold, and obtain the niobium ingot after cooling and solidification.
Forging: Forge the niobium ingot to improve its structure and performance. Forging can be done by free forging, die forging or extrusion, and can be done multiple times as needed.
Rolling: Roll the forged niobium ingot to make it into a rod shape. Rolling can be done by hot rolling or cold rolling, and can be done multiple times as needed.
Heat treatment: The rolled niobium rods are heat treated to eliminate internal stress, improve the organizational structure and enhance performance. Heat treatment can be performed by annealing, quenching or tempering, and multiple heat treatments can be performed as needed.
Machining: The heat-treated niobium rods are machined, such as turning, milling, grinding, etc., to achieve the required size and shape.
Surface treatment: The machined niobium rods are surface treated, such as polishing, pickling, coating, etc., to improve their surface quality and corrosion resistance.
Inspection and testing: The produced niobium rods are inspected and tested, such as chemical composition analysis, mechanical property testing, metallographic structure analysis, etc., to ensure that their quality meets relevant standards and requirements.
Packaging and storage: The niobium rods that have passed the inspection are packaged and stored to prevent them from contamination and damage. The packaging can be wooden boxes, cartons or plastic bags, etc., and attention should be paid to moisture-proof, sun-proof and corrosion-proof during storage.
What are the performance characteristics of niobium rods?
The performance characteristics of niobium rods are as follows:
Physical properties:
High melting point: The melting point of niobium is about 2477℃, which allows niobium rods to maintain stable structure and performance in high temperature environments and can be used in high temperature working environments, such as heat-resistant parts of aerospace engines, construction of high temperature furnaces, etc.
Low density: The density of niobium is 8.57g/cm³, which is relatively light. It has advantages in application scenarios that require material weight, such as the aerospace field, which can reduce the weight of aircraft and improve flight efficiency and performance.
Good ductility: Niobium rods have good ductility and are easy to process and form. They can be made into products of different shapes and sizes through various processing methods such as forging, rolling, and stretching to meet the needs of various complex designs.
Chemical properties:
Corrosion resistance: Niobium does not react with air at room temperature, and will not be completely oxidized when it is red hot in oxygen. It has good corrosion resistance to many corrosive media such as acids and alkalis. Therefore, it can be used in the manufacture of equipment such as pipelines, valves, containers, etc. in the chemical industry, and in harsh chemical environments.
Low neutron capture cross section: Niobium has a small neutron capture cross section, which makes it important in the atomic energy industry. It can be used as a cladding material for nuclear fuel, an alloy for nuclear fuel, and a structural material for heat exchangers in nuclear reactors.
Mechanical properties:
Higher strength: After proper processing and treatment, Niobium rods can obtain higher strength. For example, the tensile strength of recrystallized Niobium rods melted in an arc furnace can reach 340-350MPa, which can withstand large external forces and loads.
Good toughness: Niobium rods have good toughness at room temperature and have a high elongation. For example, the elongation of annealed niobium plates can be around 50%, which makes Niobium rods less likely to break when impacted or vibrated, and have good impact and fatigue resistance.
Electrical properties:
Good superconductivity: Some compounds and alloys of niobium have a high superconducting transition temperature and are important superconducting materials. In the field of superconductivity, niobium rods can be used to manufacture various industrial superconductors, such as superconducting generators, accelerator high-power magnets, superconducting magnetic energy storage devices, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging equipment, etc.
High electron emission capability: Niobium rods have high electron emission capability and can be used to make electron tubes and other electric vacuum devices.
What are some examples of the application of Niobium rods in the superconducting materials industry?
Superconducting magnet manufacturing:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment: MRI is an important medical diagnostic technology that requires a strong and uniform magnetic field to obtain clear images of the human body. Superconducting magnets made of niobium titanium (NbTi) alloy and niobium tin (Nb3Sn) alloy are widely used in MRI equipment. These superconducting magnets can generate high magnetic field strength and good magnetic field stability, providing doctors with high-quality diagnostic images. For example, the key materials of the superconducting magnets of 1.5T and 3.0T MRI equipment commonly used in hospitals include niobium alloys.
Particle accelerators: Particle accelerators are used to accelerate particles for basic physics research, radiotherapy, etc. Niobium alloy superconducting magnets can provide a strong magnetic field to guide and focus particle beams, so that particles stay on the right track during acceleration. Large particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, use a large number of niobium alloy superconducting magnets.
Nuclear fusion devices: In nuclear fusion research, a strong magnetic field is needed to confine high-temperature plasma to achieve controlled nuclear fusion. Niobium alloy superconducting magnets can generate high magnetic fields and operate at low temperatures to meet the needs of nuclear fusion devices. For example, in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, the superconducting magnet system is one of the key components, in which niobium alloy materials play an important role.
Superconducting generators: Compared with traditional generators, superconducting generators have the advantages of small size, light weight and high efficiency. Niobium alloy superconducting materials can be used to manufacture superconducting coils for generators, which can carry large currents at low temperatures and generate strong magnetic fields, thereby improving the output power and efficiency of the generator. Although superconducting generators have not yet been widely used in the commercial field, certain results have been achieved in some special occasions and research projects.
Superconducting transmission lines: Traditional transmission lines have resistance losses, while superconducting transmission lines have almost no resistance in the superconducting state, which can achieve efficient power transmission. Niobium alloy materials can be used to manufacture cables for superconducting transmission lines. Although superconducting transmission technology is still in the experimental and demonstration stage, it is expected to play an important role in long-distance power transmission, urban power grid transformation and other fields in the future.
Superconducting magnetic energy storage device: Superconducting magnetic energy storage devices can store electrical energy in the form of magnetic fields and release it quickly when needed. They have the advantages of fast response speed and high energy storage efficiency. Niobium alloy superconducting materials are used to manufacture superconducting coils of magnetic energy storage devices, which can maintain a stable superconducting state at low temperatures and achieve efficient energy storage and release. Superconducting magnetic energy storage devices can be used for peak regulation, voltage stabilization, emergency standby and other aspects of power systems.
Zhuohangxin Metal is committed to establishing, monitoring, reviewing and improving the effectiveness of the quality management system to ensure that the purchased materials and services meet customer requirements. All Niobium bars (Niobium bars) we provide have undergone a rigorous testing process. If you cannot find the product you need, please contact us directly to discuss your requirements or questions with us.
