Zirconium Basic Uses And Informations

Zirconium is a chemical element.Zirconium is a lustrous, gray-white, strong transition metal that resembles titanium. Zirconium is used as an alloying agent due to its high resistance to corrosion. It is never found as a native metal; it is obtained mainly from the mineral zircon, which can be purified by chlorine.

Zirconium has no known biological role. Zirconium forms both inorganic and organometallic compounds such as zirconium dioxide and zirconocene dichloride, respectively. There are five naturally-occurring isotopes, three of which are stable. Short-term exposure to zirconium powder causes minor irritation, and inhalation of zirconium compounds can cause skin and lung granulomas.

Zirconium's excellent resistance to corrosion, it is often used as an alloying agent in materials that are exposed to corrosive agents, such as surgical appliances, explosive primers, vacuum tube getters and filaments. 90% of all zirconium produced is used in nuclear reactors because of its low neutron-capture cross-section and resistance to corrosion. Zirconium alloys are used in space vehicle parts for their resistance to heat, an important quality given the extreme heat associated with atmospheric reentry. Zirconium is also a component in some abrasives, such as grinding wheels and sandpaper. Zirconium is used in weapons such as the BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb for incendiary effect. Zirconium in the oxidized form is also used in dentistry for crowning of the teeth because of its biocompatibility, strength and appearance.

A major use of zirconium is for structural material in nuclear reactor cores. Because of its low thermal neutron absorption cross-section and good strength, Zirconium is ideal in this application. The thermal neutron absorption cross-section is the ability of a material to absorb thermal neutrons. The lower the thermal neutron absorption, the greater the efficiency of a nuclear reactor. In this application, reactor grade (low hafnium) material must be used. The major nuclear grade Zircadyne alloys are: Zircaloy-2, Zircaloy-4, Zr-2.5Nb which have excellent corrosion resistance to high temperature steam and water, and good mechanical strength.

Zirconium Metal Sheet / Zirconium Metal Plate