Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

[Ranald]

I hope that the following BBC link will work, for all.

It is technical, but well written and composed for easier reading.

Not for everyone......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27829874

Ranald

[Glesgalass]

Re: Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

Interesting Ranald. Wouldn't you think they'd make cars & planes out of it?

Elda

[albalad]

Re: Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

Ranald, after I read the article I actually went out to the shed and had a look, and yes,the newer spanners have "chrome vanadium" stamped on the handle. But I have some times wrecked the movable jaw on these shifting-spanners, while Dad's ancient ones handled the job no trouble. Evidently something has changed over the years.
As you say, a very well-written article - even a technophobe like me understood it.

[Ranald]

Re: Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

Hi John, thanks for the interesting reply.

There is a large amount of information in Wikipedia:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanadium (it is TOO large, and technical for reading)

Scroll all the way down to 'Reference and click on number 6' for an interesting detail of Henry Ford developing to strengthen and reduce chassis weight for the Model T Ford car !!

Ranald

[albalad]

Re: Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

Another interesting thing I read here was that Ford was the first one to introduce magnet-powered ignition in early automobiles in the USA - a long time ago I bought an old Alice-Chalmers tractor (I don't know the year, probably pre-war) which ran on kerosine and had a magneto. It started with one turn of the crank on the coldest mornings, and you never had to worry about flat batteries!
Thanks for the link Ranald,
John.

[Ranald]

Re: Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

Elda, if you can be bothered to use my 2nd link, you will see that the car industry have been using the product for 100 ears!

Ranald

[Glesgalass]

Re: Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

Yes, I did read that Ranald. I wonder if that's what planes black boxes are made from. I've heard people say that if they can recover the black boxes undamaged, why don't they make the whole plane out of the same material.

Elda

[Ranald]

Re: Vanadium: The metal that may soon be powering your neighbourhood

Hi Elda, it is only steel that can be modified, not the main body of the plane which is of alloy.

But who knows, in future research, that might also be modified ?

Ranald