As you navigate through your metalworking needs, you’ll need to decide on the type of material that your project requires. One of the best materials that’s widely used in multiple industries is the silver-grey transition metal called zirconium. If you’re clueless about it, check out these zirconium facts that may surprise you.
What Exactly is Zirconium?
Essentially, zirconium is a chemical element that presents itself as a strong solid when placed at room temperature. If your goal is to obtain a pure version of it, the material needs to go through a complicated physicochemical process.
Who Discovered it?
For a long time, it has been known to be one of the components that are found in gemstones. However, it wasn’t until 1789 when it officially became an element. It was then when Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist, discovered it as he was trying to analyze zircon. Thirty-five years later, a Swedish chemist named Jöns Berzelius was able to isolate the element, although not in its purer form. The successful isolation of pure zirconium took place in 1925 when Dutch chemists Jan Hendrik de Boer and Anton Eduard van Arkel were decomposing zirconium tetraiodide.
What Makes it Desirable and Useful for Metalworking Industries?
Aside from the fact that this element is known for its malleability and ductility, it’s also highly resistant to corrosion, steam, high temperature, and water. In fact, it’s very much similar to steel in terms of features and characteristics. For this reason, it is ideal for environments where the metal components are subjected to extreme environments.
What are its Common Uses?
These alloys can be used in heat exchangers, pipes, fittings, lamp filaments, lab crucibles, catalytic converters, surgical instruments, television glass, furnace bricks, and so much more.
Looking for More Information About Zirconium?
If you’re looking to find more information about zirconium alloys, feel free to get in touch with the leading global supplier of engineered products and services – Ferralloy, Inc. We offer total supply chain management to a diverse metalworking customer base. Call us now.