| Vanadium is widely dispersed in the earths crust occurring in many types of deposits. Most vanadium is currently obtained as a by-product or co product from titanomagnetites, petroleum, uranium ores, and phosphate rock. Table 1 shows the abundance of vanadium in the earths crust relative to some familiar elements. Applications: For many years, the major application for vanadium has been as a micro-alloying element for steel products. Added in amounts between 0.01% to 0.1%, vanadium lowers the ductile to brittle transition temperature of steel and increases toughness. Vanadium is currently being used in the production of high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels for applications in the automobile industry and the Alaskan pipeline where high strength to weight ratios are important. Information provided by ATI Wah Chang |
