What are refractory metals?
refractory metals are metal elements on the periodic table with several different characteristics. They have melting above 3,632 ° Fahrenheit (2,000 ° Celsius) and are solid at room temperature. They are also extremely resistant to wear elements, such as deformation of completion, which is a change in shape that conventional metals are subject to stress. There are five established refractory metals, including niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten and rhenia. This group sometimes includes other metal elements and compounds, including chrome, tungsten alloys and molybdenum alloys, which contain titanium and zirconium known as TZM. It is so great that even if it heats up to 1,832 ° Fahrenheit (1,000 ° Celsius), it still shows twice the strength of iron at room temperature. As a result, applications such as rocket nose cones, long -lasting filaments in bulbs are useful and as an additive to steel used in welding and other high -temperature applications. StainlessL also contains tungsten to increase its properties on corrosion of refractory metals, for the use of industrial pipes where strong, caustic chemicals are processed.
Because the wear of refractory metals at highly reduced speeds is also widely used in the production of components that must prove long -term abrasion resistance such as cases and nozzles. Many of these components are used in high -performance machines, such as the aviation industry or semiconductor electronics. For these applications, tungsten alloys such as TZM, Niobium and Chrome are most commonly used. Chrome is also included in the category of resistance to oxidative metal oxidation, because it is also because it is a highly durable bearing coating.
Other properties of refractory metals focus on their use on several specific industries. Molybdenum has a very predictable expansion coefficient, making itIt is a key metal in thermocours and cooling, on computers, while unique chemical reactivity of Rhenia gives application in processes such as hydrocracking, and oil breaking into simpler molecules. Niobium is used in designing nuclear power plants and is an ideal metal for superconductors because it has a very low level of neutron absorption. The tantalum is used in air and surgical equipment due to its inert nature when in contact with body fluids and tissues. Wolfram and its compounds are widely used as a strengthening metal in everything, from mining to oil drilling, with such a demand that most of the metal is regenerated from scrap.