Ferrouranium
Encyclopedia
Ferrouranium, also called ferro-uranium, is a ferroalloy
, an alloy
of iron
and uranium
, after WWII usually depleted uranium
. It contains about 35–50% uranium and 1.5–4% carbon
.
Ferrouranium is used as a deoxidizer
(more powerful than ferrovanadium), for denitrogenizing steel
, for forming carbide
s, and as an alloying element. In ferrous alloys, uranium increases the elastic limit and the tensile strength
. In high speed steel
s, it has been used to increase toughness
and strength
in amounts between 0.05–5%. Uranium-alloyed steels can be used at very low temperatures; nickel-uranium alloys are resistant to even very aggressive chemicals, including aqua regia
.
The alloys did not prove to be commercially successful in long run. However, during World War I
and afterwards, uranium doped steels were used for tools; large amounts of ferrouranium were produced between 1914–1916.
At least two intermetallic compounds of iron and uranium were identified: U6Fe and UFe2. Small amounts of uranium can drastically lower melting point of iron and vice versa. UFe2 reportedly melts at 1230 °C, U6Fe at 805 °C; a mixture of these two can have melting point as low as 725 °C, a mixture of iron and UFe2 can have melting point of 1055 °C.
As ferrouranium readily dissolves in mineral acid
s, its chemical analysis is not problematic.
Ferroalloy
Ferroalloy refers to various alloys of iron with a high proportion of one or more other element, manganese or silicon for example. It is used in the production of steels and alloys as a raw material.The main ferroalloys are:*FeAl – ferroaluminum...
, an alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, after WWII usually depleted uranium
Depleted uranium
Depleted uranium is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium . Uses of DU take advantage of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm3...
. It contains about 35–50% uranium and 1.5–4% carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
.
Ferrouranium is used as a deoxidizer
Deoxidizer
A deoxidizer is a chemical used in a reaction or process to remove oxygen. In comparison with antioxidants, deoxidizers are not used for stabilization during storage but for oxygen removal during manufacture...
(more powerful than ferrovanadium), for denitrogenizing steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, for forming carbide
Carbide
In chemistry, a carbide is a compound composed of carbon and a less electronegative element. Carbides can be generally classified by chemical bonding type as follows: salt-like, covalent compounds, interstitial compounds, and "intermediate" transition metal carbides...
s, and as an alloying element. In ferrous alloys, uranium increases the elastic limit and the tensile strength
Tensile strength
Ultimate tensile strength , often shortened to tensile strength or ultimate strength, is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before necking, which is when the specimen's cross-section starts to significantly contract...
. In high speed steel
High speed steel
High speed steelMost copyeditors today would tend to choose to style the unit adjective high-speed with a hyphen, rendering the full term as high-speed steel, and this styling is not uncommon . However, it is true that in the metalworking industries the styling high speed steel is long-established...
s, it has been used to increase toughness
Toughness
In materials science and metallurgy, toughness is the ability of a material to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing; Material toughness is defined as the amount of energy per volume that a material can absorb before rupturing...
and strength
Strength of materials
In materials science, the strength of a material is its ability to withstand an applied stress without failure. The applied stress may be tensile, compressive, or shear. Strength of materials is a subject which deals with loads, deformations and the forces acting on a material. A load applied to a...
in amounts between 0.05–5%. Uranium-alloyed steels can be used at very low temperatures; nickel-uranium alloys are resistant to even very aggressive chemicals, including aqua regia
Aqua regia
Aqua regia or aqua regis is a highly corrosive mixture of acids, fuming yellow or red solution, also called nitro-hydrochloric acid. The mixture is formed by freshly mixing concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, usually in a volume ratio of 1:3, respectively...
.
The alloys did not prove to be commercially successful in long run. However, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and afterwards, uranium doped steels were used for tools; large amounts of ferrouranium were produced between 1914–1916.
At least two intermetallic compounds of iron and uranium were identified: U6Fe and UFe2. Small amounts of uranium can drastically lower melting point of iron and vice versa. UFe2 reportedly melts at 1230 °C, U6Fe at 805 °C; a mixture of these two can have melting point as low as 725 °C, a mixture of iron and UFe2 can have melting point of 1055 °C.
As ferrouranium readily dissolves in mineral acid
Mineral acid
A mineral acid is an acid derived from one or more inorganic compounds. A mineral acid is not organic and all mineral acids release hydrogen ions when dissolved in water.-Characteristics:...
s, its chemical analysis is not problematic.