scandium aluminum alloy
A 2% scandium addition to aluminum alloy improves the strength, toughness and heat resistance of the alloy. It raises the recrystallization temperature of the alloy during hot working, preventing cracking in the welds and increasing fatigue life.
In the aerospace industry, it’s used to improve the strength of aluminum alloys that have been welded together in order to produce aircraft and automobiles. It can reduce weights by 15% to 20% and increase durability and strength of the aluminum products.
It is an effective grain refiner and a good recrystallization inhibitor for aluminum alloys, preventing hot cracking of the welds and improving corrosion resistance. It also increases the hardness and tensile strength of the aluminum alloys.
Scandium-Aluminum Alloys are widely used in the aerospace and military industries, and for a variety of other applications such as bicycle frames, baseball bats, fishing rods, and golf iron shafts. It is also a key additive in metal halide lamps of high intensity, sporting goods and other industrial applications.
The current global market for scandium oxide is estimated at around 5t/year. This market is very tiny, but it has the potential to grow in the future.
Purity on Rare Earth Metal Basis (REM): 99%
The world’s only commercially available scandium is derived from the mineral thortveitite, which is a byproduct of the uranium mining process. However, the current world supply is very low and the production of metallic scandium is very difficult to achieve.