It has excellent high-temperature performance. By adding alloying elements such as Hf, Ti and Zr to achieve solid solution strengthening, it can still maintain good strength at 1200-1300℃, which can meet the usage requirements of high-temperature components such as rocket thrusters. It has good processing performance and good formability, and can be processed into plates of different thicknesses through rolling, drawing and other processes. Moreover, it has excellent welding performance and is easy to be welded by methods such as tungsten inert gas welding and electron beam fusion welding. It has good oxidation resistance. When equipped with HfC-SiC gradient coating, the oxidation rate at 1400℃ is ≤0.5mg/cm2 · h, which can effectively resist high-temperature oxidation.
It is mainly applied in the aerospace field and is an excellent material for liquid rocket thruster nozzles, light propulsion systems and rocket engine thrust chambers. It can also be used to manufacture turbine pumps and high-temperature jet engine parts, etc. The production process usually begins with the preparation of C-103 ingots by combining electron beam casting with vacuum consumable electrode electric arc furnaces. Then, the ingots are extruded or forged at temperatures above 1200℃, and finally processed into plates through rolling, drawing and other techniques.
The surface protection system is a crucial aspect that must be considered when using C103 sheet. Due to its own insufficient antioxidant capacity, a protective coating must be applied when used in a high-temperature aerobic environment. Silicide coating is the most common and mature technology. A stable silicide layer is formed on the surface through a diffusion process, which can provide long-term protection in an oxidizing environment up to 1400-1650°C. Precious metal coatings such as platinum and iridium plating are used in extreme environments. Process coatings are usually applied after the parts are formed and welded. Niobium C103 sheet is a strategic material optimized for "high-temperature - vacuum/inert - lightweight" application scenarios. It offers the highest structural efficiency (lightweight and strong) in the aerospace vacuum environment that requires enduring extreme high temperatures (achieved through coatings) and intense thermal cycles. The combination of excellent high-temperature specific strength and relatively good processability enables it to be manufactured into complex thin-walled high-temperature components. It must be equipped with a mature high-temperature anti-oxidation coating system. Only when the two are combined can their full potential be realized.
Solid solution strengthening is achieved by adding alloying elements such as Hf, Ti and Zr, and it has good high-temperature strength. It can still maintain structural stability above 1300℃, and its anti-oxidation performance is even better after being coated with an anti-oxidation layer on the surface. Meanwhile, this sheet has excellent plastic processability and supports forging, rolling and spinning forming, making it suitable for the manufacturing of complex structural components. It is widely applied in the aerospace industry, such as the combustion chamber, thrust chamber of rocket engines and the leading edge structure of hypersonic vehicles, etc. It can also be used in the nuclear energy field as radiation-resistant shielding materials for nuclear reactors and high-temperature molds, etc. It can also be used in electric light source components, such as high-temperature resistant electrodes in high-brightness lighting equipment, etc. C-103 ingots are usually prepared by combining electron beam casting with vacuum consumable electrode arc furnaces first. Then, the ingots are extruded or forged at a temperature above 1200℃, and finally made into plates through processes such as rolling and drawing.
Compared with other refractory metals (such as tungsten and molybdenum), Niobium C-103 alloy has better plasticity and a lower tendency to work hardening. Sheet materials can undergo cold forming or warm and hot forming processes such as stamping, spinning, deep drawing and bending to manufacture complex-shaped parts (such as nozzles and combustion chambers). Welding (electron beam welding, laser welding, TIG welding) can be carried out, but it must be done under a strictly protective atmosphere.
