Ferroniobium is an important iron-niobium alloy, with a niobium content of 60-70%. It is the main source for niobium alloying of HSLA steel and covers more than 80% of the worldwide niobium production. The niobium is mined from pyrochlore deposits and is subsequently transformed into the niobium pentoxide Nb2O5. This oxide is mixed with iron oxide and aluminium and is reduced in an aluminothermic reaction to niobium and iron. The component metals can be purified in an electron beam furnace or the alloy can be used as it is. For alloying with steel the ferroniobium is added to molten steel before casting. The largest producers of ferroniobium are the same as for niobium and are located in Brazil and Canada.
External links
- Jorgenson, John D.; Corathers, Lisa A.; Gambogi, Joseph; Kuck, Peter H.; Magyar, Michael J.; Papp, John F.; Shedd, Kim B. "Minerals Yearbook 2006: Ferroalloys" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- "Ferroniobium-Alloying Techniques". cbmm. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ISO 5453:1980 Ferroniobium -- Specification and conditions of delivery
References
C. K. Gupta; A. K. Suri; Gupta K. Gupta (1994). Extractive Metallurgy of Niobium. CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-6071-4. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 0-8493-6071-4 ↩
Claude Dufresne; Ghislain Goyette. "The Production of Ferroniobium at the Niobec mine 1981-2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20081217100559/http://www.cbmm.com.br/portug/sources/techlib/science_techno/table_content/sub_1/images/pdfs/start.pdf ↩
J. Kouptsidis; F. Peters; D. Proch; W. Singer. "Niob für TESLA" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20081217100548/http://tesla.desy.de/new_pages/TESLA_Reports/2001/pdf_files/tesla2001-27.pdf ↩