Characteristics

Zirconium (chem. symbol Zr) is a steel-gray metal with a yellowish tint, It is obtained from ore concentrates or by remelting zirconium waste. It is malleable and ductile almost like gold, paramagnetic, corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant metal. It is resistant to chlorinated and seawater, ammonia, alkalis, acids, retains radiation, and does not lose its qualities at high or cryogenic temperatures. As a rule, it is used in alloys with other metals.

Zr atomic number	Atomic (molar) mass g/mol	Oxidation state	Density [g/cm3]	Melting point t°C	Boiling point t ° C	Melting point kJ/kg
№ 40	91,2	0, 1, 2, 3, 4	8,5	1855°С	4409°С	19,2

Geology

Zirconium is literally scattered in ore deposits around the world, where it occurs as amorphous oxides and salts, as well as in the form of monocrystals, such as in North Carolina in the United States. Such crystals in deposits in Nigeria sometimes weigh over a kilogram. The richest deposits are in North America, Australia, South Africa and India. Zirconium is often found in ore together with hafnium, the properties of the closest metal to it. The metal was first isolated as zircon dioxide from the mineral zircon by the German chemist Klaproth in 1799. Zr is smelted from an enriched ore concentrate, which contains up to 60−65% zirconium dioxide.

Percentage composition of zirconium alloys

Mark	or	Zr+Hf	Hf	Nb	Be	Ni	Al	Ti	Cr	Pb	O2
Э100	KTZ100	99.7	0.01	-	0.0005	0.01	0.005	0.007	0.005	0.005	0.14
Э110	KTC 110	99.5	0.01	0−9-1−1	0.003	0.02	0.008	0.007	0.02	0.005	0.10
Э125	KTZ 125	99.5	0.01	2.4−2.7	0.003	0.02	0.008	0.007	0.02	0.005	0.06−0.1

Usage. Jewelry

The unique properties of this metal have long attracted jewelers, Anodized zirconium can acquire any shade, providing the broadest possibilities for the realization of the most daring artistic ideas. If you want something original and unusual, you should pay attention to the zirconia jewelry. These products are elegant, well-thought-out and beautifully made, and they are attractive in their completeness. For this reason they are very highly valued on the world market.

Chemical composition of foreign zirconia analogs

Brand	UNS	Zr+Hf	Hf	Fe+Cr	H	N	C	O
Zr 700	R60700	99.2	4.5	0.2	0.005	0.025	0.05	0.1
Zr 702	R60702	99.2	4.5	0.2	0.005	0.025	0.05	0.16
Zr 705	R60705	95.5	4.5	0.2	0.005	0.025	0.05	0.18

Metallurgy and Power Engineering

Zircon and _ZrO2 minerals are part of refractory lining of metallurgical furnaces, heat-resistant coating of crucibles, refractory pipes, etc. Domestic engineers have developed the technology of rolling pipes of any profile from zirconium alloy KTZ-110. Such tubes are actual in heat-exchange systems of TVEL. They can operate at temperatures above 2000 °C without losing their technological qualities.

This rather expensive metal was first used for alloying of steels. By refining the granularity of the alloy, zirconium not only makes steels heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant, but also increases processability. Zirconium alloying of steel pipes leads to halving of corrosion losses. Almost 1 gram less metal is lost per square meter of alloyed pipe surface per year. Zirconium is a good deoxidizer. It makes copper alloys heat-resistant with little loss of electrical conductivity. It is also a component of brasses and bronzes. When hydrogenated, zirconium expands in volume several times over and much more than when heated, which allows joining materials that cannot be joined when neither soldering nor welding is practical. This is a non-alternative method when making double-layered pipes from materials of different heat resistance, such as brass or bronze with tungsten. If the steel and aluminum sleeve is put on the zirconium ring and hydrogenated for one hour at 400 °C, the steel and aluminum will «stick» together. In metallurgy, zirconia or zircon and baddeleyite minerals are used to manufacture refractory bricks for industrial furnaces, crucibles for melting metals, and similar refractory products.

Ceramics

Up to 25% of zirconium is consumed for the production of ceramics, enamels and glazes. More than a hundred thousand tons of _ZrO2 concentrate a year is used to produce not only household ceramics but also electrical ceramics: high-voltage insulators and other technical porcelain with high resistance. Zirconia-based ceramics are used for chemical crucibles, mortars, etc., in ultrasonic sensors and medical devices, and in pyroelectric infrared detectors.

Nuclear power

Narrow thermal neutron capture cross-section plus heat resistance allows the use of zirconium for fuel elements of nuclear boilers. It is one of the basic constructional materials of nuclear reactors. Industrial technology of manufacturing a wide range of tubes from zirconium alloy KTZ-110 was developed in Ukraine, including for TVEL components. This metal retains radioactive radiation well. In the radiology department of the Nizhny Novgorod Cardiology Center a study was carried out. A thin zirconium plate protected from radiation much better than several layers of lead aprons.

Medicine and Life

A study was conducted at the Cardiology Center in Nizhny Novgorod. In the X-ray department, a thin zirconium plate detained radiation much more than several layers of protective lead aprons. Finding out that this metal actively absorbs and neutralizes harmful radiation. Regular wear of zirconia products is beneficial to health. In the case of chronic disorders, the treatment process often goes through a period of exacerbation. In that case, the product must be taken off and put on again after a while, when the discomfort subsides. The disease passes after several cycles. Biological inertness among other advantages of zirconium allow it to be used for the production of injection needles, suturing of bone fragments and the placement of dental prostheses. The metal is used to produce exclusive household utensils and cutlery. Regular wear of zirconium products has a beneficial effect on health.

Pyrotechnics and Ammunition

Powdered zirconium combusts at 4650 °C in the presence of oxidizing agents (e.g. bertoolethal salt) and generates bright light. It is used in fireworks, tracer bullets, photographic aerial bombs, and more recently, for pumping lasers.

Other industries

Zirconia’s resistance to the effects of superheated steam, acids, industrial condensate zirconia tubes are relevant in the chemical industry, recycling, pulp and paper industry, Biological inertness and compliance with the strictest sanitary standards allows for the use of zirconia in food processing and households, manufacturing cookware, steam condensers and injecting needles.

Zirconium rods

Zirconium bars are produced as cast, hot-pressed and cold-rolled, forged, with thickness of 4.5−81 mm and length of more than seven meters. The alloy used is zirconium with niobium (1 — 2,5%) or E635 alloy. Fabrication accuracy can be: normal and increased accuracy. They are a reliable structural material in manufacture of heat-resistant parts of nuclear reactors, fuel element cladding and various elements of fuel assemblies.

Zirconium iodide rods

Van Arkel bars are a special class of the highest purity zirconium products, obtained by the technology of iodide refining. They are used to produce wires, electrodes and vacuum instrument parts.

Cold-rolled sheets

Zirconium alloys alloyed with 2.5% niobium are used to produce cold rolled sheets — to order with any parameters. They are annealed in a vacuum and surface is pickled. Such sheets have high corrosion resistance. They are used as a base for nuclear reactor fuel cassette covers, chemical tanks and reactor fragments of ship equipment.

Cold drawn wire

Cold drawn wire Ø 0.7 — 4 mm is produced from zirconium alloys alloyed with 1 — 2.5% niobium. Such wire serves as basis for production of parts of shut-off valves of nuclear reactors and is also required for welding tubular parts.

Zirconium cathodes

Relevant for deposition of especially durable coatings — zirconium nitrides, oxides, oxynitrides — on the edges of hard-alloy cutting tools, turbine blades, friction pair elements (shafts, bushings). The service life of the products increases by 10 times. In dentistry, zirconia cathodes are used to apply wear-resistant coating on dental crowns.

Buy at a good price

Evek GmbH offers a wide range of zirconium-based products:

• sheet;
• strip;
• wire (Ø 0,7 — 4 mm);
• Zirconium bars up to 150 mm;

as well as zirconium products according to customer drawing:

• target;
• cathodes for sputtering, etc.

We supply certified rolled products of rare metals and alloys at optimal prices. The specification reflects the data on the percentage composition and mechanical properties of products. From us it is easy to buy wholesale any semi-finished products for large-scale production. We also cooperate with retail buyers. High level of service, compliance with GOST and international quality standards, responsive service is the face of our company. We deliver zirconium tube of standard and non-standard sizes in the shortest possible time. High quality, reasonable prices and a wide range of products determine the face of our company. Becoming our regular customer, you can count on a system of discount discounts. Cooperation with us will help you to realize any engineering plans.

Characteristics

Zirconium (chem. symbol Zr) is a steel-gray metal with a yellowish tint, It is obtained from ore concentrates or by remelting zirconium waste. It is malleable and ductile almost like gold, paramagnetic, corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant metal. It is resistant to chlorinated and seawater, ammonia, alkalis, acids, retains radiation, and does not lose its qualities at high or cryogenic temperatures. As a rule, it is used in alloys with other metals.

Zr atomic number	Atomic (molar) mass g/mol	Oxidation state	Density [g/cm3]	Melting point t°C	Boiling point t ° C	Melting point kJ/kg
№ 40	91,2	0, 1, 2, 3, 4	8,5	1855°С	4409°С	19,2

Geology

Zirconium is literally scattered in ore deposits around the world, where it occurs as amorphous oxides and salts, as well as in the form of monocrystals, such as in North Carolina in the United States. Such crystals in the deposits of Nigeria sometimes weigh over a kilogram. The richest deposits are in North America, Australia, South Africa and India. Zirconium is often found in ore together with hafnium, the properties of the closest metal to it. The metal was first isolated as zircon dioxide from the mineral zircon by the German chemist Klaproth in 1799. Zr is smelted from an enriched ore concentrate, which contains up to 60−65% zirconium dioxide.

Percentage composition of zirconium alloys

Mark	or	Zr+Hf	Hf	Nb	Be	Ni	Al	Ti	Cr	Pb	O2
Э100	KTZ100	99.7	0.01	-	0.0005	0.01	0.005	0.007	0.005	0.005	0.14
Э110	KTC 110	99.5	0.01	0−9-1−1	0.003	0.02	0.008	0.007	0.02	0.005	0.10
Э125	KTZ 125	99.5	0.01	2.4−2.7	0.003	0.02	0.008	0.007	0.02	0.005	0.06−0.1

Usage. Jewelry

The unique properties of this metal have long attracted jewelers, Anodized zirconium can acquire any shade, providing the broadest possibilities for the realization of the most daring artistic ideas. If you want something original and unusual, you should pay attention to the zirconia jewelry. These products are elegant, well-thought-out and beautifully made, and they are attractive in their completeness. For this reason they are very highly valued on the world market.

Chemical composition of foreign zirconia analogs

Brand	UNS	Zr+Hf	Hf	Fe+Cr	H	N	C	O
Zr 700	R60700	99.2	4.5	0.2	0.005	0.025	0.05	0.1
Zr 702	R60702	99.2	4.5	0.2	0.005	0.025	0.05	0.16
Zr 705	R60705	95.5	4.5	0.2	0.005	0.025	0.05	0.18

Metallurgy and Power Engineering

Zircon and _ZrO2 minerals are part of refractory lining of metallurgical furnaces, heat-resistant coating of crucibles, refractory pipes, etc. Domestic engineers have developed the technology of rolling pipes of any profile from zirconium alloy KTZ-110. Such tubes are actual in heat-exchange systems of TVEL. They can operate at temperatures above 2000 °C without losing their technological qualities.

This rather expensive metal was first used for alloying of steels. By refining the granularity of the alloy, zirconium not only makes steels heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant, but also increases processability. Zirconium alloying of steel pipes leads to halving of corrosion losses. Almost 1 gram less metal is lost per square meter of alloyed pipe surface per year. Zirconium is a good deoxidizer. It makes copper alloys heat-resistant with little loss of electrical conductivity. It is also a component of brasses and bronzes. When hydrogenated, zirconium expands in volume several times over and much more than when heated, which allows joining materials that cannot be joined when neither soldering nor welding is practical. This is a non-alternative method when making double-layered pipes from materials of different heat resistance, such as brass or bronze with tungsten. If the steel and aluminum sleeve is put on the zirconium ring and hydrogenated for one hour at 400 °C, the steel and aluminum will «stick» together. In metallurgy, zirconia or zircon and baddeleyite minerals are used to manufacture refractory bricks for industrial furnaces, crucibles for melting metals, and similar refractory products.

Ceramics

Up to 25% of zirconium is consumed for the production of ceramics, enamels and glazes. More than a hundred thousand tons of _ZrO2 concentrate a year is used to produce not only household ceramics but also electrical ceramics: high-voltage insulators and other technical porcelain with high resistance. Zirconia-based ceramics are used for chemical crucibles, mortars, etc., in ultrasonic sensors and medical devices, and in pyroelectric infrared detectors.

Nuclear power

Narrow thermal neutron capture cross-section plus heat resistance allows the use of zirconium for fuel elements of nuclear boilers. It is one of the basic constructional materials of nuclear reactors. Industrial technology of manufacturing a wide range of tubes from zirconium alloy KTZ-110 was developed in Ukraine, including for TVEL components. This metal retains radioactive radiation well. In the radiology department of the Nizhny Novgorod Cardiology Center a study was carried out. A thin zirconium plate protected from radiation much better than several layers of lead aprons.

Medicine and Life

A study was conducted at the Cardiology Center in Nizhny Novgorod. In the X-ray department, a thin zirconium plate detained radiation much more than several layers of protective lead aprons. Finding out that this metal actively absorbs and neutralizes harmful radiation. Regular wear of zirconia products is beneficial to health. In the case of chronic disorders, the treatment process often goes through a period of exacerbation. In that case, the product must be taken off and put on again after a while, when the discomfort subsides. The disease passes after several cycles. Biological inertness among other advantages of zirconium allow it to be used for the production of injection needles, suturing of bone fragments and the placement of dental prostheses. The metal is used to produce exclusive household utensils and cutlery. Regular wear of zirconium products has a beneficial effect on health.

Pyrotechnics and Ammunition

Powdered zirconium combusts at 4650 °C in the presence of oxidizing agents (e.g. bertoolethal salt) and generates bright light. It is used in fireworks, tracer bullets, photographic aerial bombs, and more recently, for pumping lasers.

Other industries

Zirconia’s resistance to the effects of superheated steam, acids, industrial condensate zirconia tubes are relevant in the chemical industry, recycling, pulp and paper industry, Biological inertness and compliance with the strictest sanitary standards allows for the use of zirconia in food processing and households, manufacturing cookware, steam condensers and injecting needles.

Zirconium rods

Zirconium bars are produced as cast, hot-pressed and cold-rolled, forged, with thickness of 4.5−81 mm and length of more than seven meters. The alloy used is zirconium with niobium (1 — 2,5%) or E635 alloy. Fabrication accuracy can be: normal and increased accuracy. They are a reliable structural material in manufacture of heat-resistant parts of nuclear reactors, fuel element cladding and various elements of fuel assemblies.

Zirconium iodide rods

Van Arkel bars are a special class of the highest purity zirconium products, obtained by the technology of iodide refining. They are used to produce wires, electrodes and vacuum instrument parts.

Cold-rolled sheets

Zirconium alloys alloyed with 2.5% niobium are used to produce cold rolled sheets — to order with any parameters. They are annealed in a vacuum and surface is pickled. Such sheets have high corrosion resistance. They are used as a base for nuclear reactor fuel cassette covers, chemical tanks and reactor fragments of ship equipment.

Cold drawn wire

Cold drawn wire Ø 0.7 — 4 mm is produced from zirconium alloys alloyed with 1 — 2.5% niobium. Such wire serves as basis for production of parts of shut-off valves of nuclear reactors and is also required for welding tubular parts.

Zirconium cathodes

Relevant for deposition of especially durable coatings — zirconium nitrides, oxides, oxynitrides — on the edges of hard-alloy cutting tools, turbine blades, friction pair elements (shafts, bushings). The service life of the products increases by 10 times. In dentistry, zirconia cathodes are used to apply wear-resistant coating on dental crowns.

Buy at a good price

Evek GmbH offers a wide range of zirconium-based products:

• sheet;
• strip;
• wire (Ø 0,7 — 4 mm);
• Zirconium bars up to 150 mm;

as well as zirconium products according to customer drawing:

• target;
• cathodes for sputtering, etc.

We supply certified rolled products of rare metals and alloys at optimal prices. The specification reflects the data on the percentage composition and mechanical properties of products. From us it is easy to buy wholesale any semi-finished products for large-scale production. We also cooperate with retail buyers. High level of service, compliance with GOST and international quality standards, responsive service is the face of our company. We deliver zirconium tube of standard and non-standard sizes in the shortest possible time. High quality, reasonable prices and a wide range of products determine the face of our company. Becoming our regular customer, you can count on a system of discount discounts. Cooperation with us will help you to realize any engineering plans.