Unalloyed niobium is rapidly attacked by 600 and 680 F water and 750 F steams. However, a number of alloying additions were found which markedly improve the corrosion resistance of niobium. Of these, binary and ternary combinations of chromium, molybdenum, titanium, vanadium, and zirconium were among the most effective. Many of these alloys show as low or lower weight gains than those obtained for Zircaloy-2 under similar test conditions. Most of the niobiumbase alloys tested for strength also show excellent resistance to creep at temperatures up to 1200 F under stresses through 20,000 psi.
展开▼
