Common+uses+for+Vanadium

Common uses for Vanadium • Vanadium is usually combined with other metals to make special metallic mixtures called ALLOYS.

• Vanadium oxide is a component in special kinds of steel used for car parts such as axles, crankshafts, gears, springs and ball bearings. Most of the vanadium used in the US is used to make steel. Vanadium is also mixed with iron to make important parts for jet engines, and cutting tools.

• Small amounts of vanadium are used in making rubber, plastics, ceramics, and other chemicals.

• Vanadium is corrosion resistant, that is, it is not easily eaten away by aggressive elements, so it is sometimes used to make special tubes and pipes for the chemical industry.

• Vanadium also does not easily absorb neutrons and is sometimes used in nuclear power plants. A thin layer of vanadium is used to bond titanium to steel. Because of its structural strength and neutron cross section properties, it is useful in nuclear applications.

• Nearly 80% of the vanadium produced is used to make ferrovanadium to reinforce steel. Ferrovanadium is a strong, shock resistant and rust resistant alloy of iron, containing between 1% and 6% vanadium.