Niobium, as an alloy in HSLA (High Strength Low Alloy) specialty steels, is employed in a wide variety of end uses, such as beams and girders in buildings and offshore drilling towers, special industrial machinery, oil and gas pipelines, railroad equipment, and automobiles. Niobium is also used as an additive in superalloys for jet and turbine engines and as a carbide in machining cutting tools. Its volume in nuclear, aerospace, and superconducting applications is increasing each year.

As a metal, niobium was first used in the atomic reactor program. Because niobium is relatively lightweight and can maintain its strength at elevated temperatures, it is used extensively in aerospace equipment and missiles.

Since niobium exhibits excellent corrosion resistance to liquid metal, it is used in sodium vapor lamps for highway lighting. Alloyed with titanium or tin, it has become the primary material used in superconducting applications.

At Wah Chang, niobium is processed from niobium concentrates. The raw material is extracted by chlorination followed by a metallic reduction. The metal is then electron beam melted into various ingot sizes for added purification. This metal is of the highest purity on the market today.

Vacuum consumable arc cast ingots of niobium and its alloys, up to 23 inches in diameter and 13,000 pounds in weight, are melted, extruded or forged, rolled, swaged and further fabricated into wrought products.

Niobium is available in the form of sheet, foil, rod, wire, and tubing, and can be fabricated without difficulty by most metal working techniques. It can be joined mechanically; it can be fusion or resistance welded; and, it can be brazed as long as proper techniques are employed. Many chemical products, including oxide, carbide, and halides, are also produced at Wah Chang.

The following information will help familiarize you with niobium's properties, explain its general working characteristics, and present useful specification data.