Combine and Conquer

[Nerva Regis]

Combine and Conquer

Description

Iridium Their resistance to arc erosion makes iridium alloys ideal for electrical contacts for spark plugs, and iridium-based spark plugs are particularly used in aviation. Pure iridium is extremely brittle, to the point of being hard to weld because the heat-affected zone cracks, but it can be made more ductile by addition of small quantities of titanium and zirconium (0.2% of each apparently works well) Corrosion and heat resistance makes iridium an important alloying agent. Certain long-life aircraft engine parts are made of an iridium alloy, and an iridium–titanium alloy is used for deep-water pipes because of its corrosion resistance. Iridium is also used as a hardening agent in platinum alloys. The Vickers hardness of pure platinum is 56 HV, whereas platinum with 50% of iridium can reach over 500 HV.

Beryllium In its processed metallic form, Beryllium is one of the lightest and stiffest naturally occurring materials known to science; unfortunately, it is also highly brittle, making unalloyed Beryllium unsuitable for most industrial processes. However, Beryllium was discovered to be extraordinarily effective at absorbing neutron radiation, and has since become a key component in the construction of modern reactors and engines. A reflector made of a light material like graphite or beryllium will also serve as a neutron moderator reducing neutron kinetic energy, while a heavy material like lead or lead-bismuth eutectic will have less effect on neutron velocity.

Cobalt Thousands of years ago the distinctive coloration of Cobalt was used to create blue-tinged glass that was admired throughout the known world. Since that time, Cobalt has become recognized as a strategic metal with diverse military and commercial applications. Brittle in its unalloyed form, Cobalt Alloys exhibit tremendous hardness and resistance to corrosion. When combined with Niobium, the resulting High-Temperature Alloy can withstand even the intense heat and pressure generated by the combustion chamber of a fusion engine.

Yttrium Yttrium is a rare metal that has a silvery appearance. It is used to increase the strength of Aluminium and magnesium alloys, and is often alloyed with chromium, Molybdenum, Titanium and zirconium to significantly reduce their grain size. The addition of Yttrium to alloys generally improves workability, adds resistance to high-temperature recrystallization and significantly enhances resistance to high-temperature oxidation. Yttrium can also be used to deoxidize Vanadium and other non-ferrous metals. Yttrium is a critical component of room temperature Superconductors, and is combined with Neodymium and other elements to form near-infrared Lasers that operate at high power and are used for drilling into and cutting metal.

Holmium Holmium has the highest magnetic strength of any element, and therefore is used to create the strongest artificially generated magnetic fields, when placed within high-strength magnets as a magnetic pole piece (also called a magnetic flux concentrator).Since it can absorb nuclear fission-bred neutrons, it is also used as a burnable poison to regulate nuclear reactors.