I think what this means, is that moly and niobium will be more popular, as they make the two best stainless steels. Tungsten can also be used, but moly steel is the best of them all, as it makes an even better edged knife, for instance. Niobium makes stellite which is even acid resistant to the extreme and makes a very high temperature resistant steel. Presentation steak knifes of stellite that would never rust and never needed sharpening were made by the Deloro company and given to the customers of their turbine blades. Today sulfuric acid tanks are made of stellite.
The use of Moly was in the past for tank and battleship armour, as it has fatigue and creep resistance. Another useage is in pipeline steels as it is resistant to cold weather embrittlement.
NFLD has good manganese deposits that have gone undeveloped for many many years. Manganese is an interesting steel hardner that is used in rail, grinding and other work hardening steel applications.
Vanadium was the prime steel hardner in Ford motor body metal that allowed them to make their body metal much thinner, giving the Fords, the tinny appelation. However back in WWII they found if tank armour was made with the same steel, it rendered it stronger and more resistant to penetration than what they had been using. Vanadium however as Ford owners can testify does not make the steel resistant to corrosion. When they want front end parts to resist salt, they use moly.
I believe vanadium, moly, tungsten, and niobium deposits may be more and more interesting in the coming years.
(BTW if anyone wants to know what the most fatigue resistant and shock resistant steel is with the most toughness, it is 1058 Monarch. It sells for about 4.50 a lb for hex stock. It is what is used in the very best drills steels, (not the kind sold by Fagersta.))
EC<:-} |
