Compacts of molybdenum powder mixed with various amouts less than 2 percent of hydrogenated holmium, lanthanum, mischmetall, scandium and yttrium, respectively, were arc-melted under an argon atmosphere. Button-like ingots were chemically analyzed for carbon, oxygen and added elements in the ingots, tested for the warm workability, and examined by metallography on microstructure and fracture surface.
As it was found that scanduim had an excellent effect on the workability of molybdenum, ingots melted with various amounts of scandium up to 0.5 percent were tested further for the workability and tensile properties at temperatures from 203 to 353 K.
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oindentResults obtained are as follows:
(1) Among the elements added, scandium had the most distinguished scavenging ability in arc-melting of molybdenum.
(2) The added elements formed their oxides by the reaction with impurity oxygen in the molten molybdenum, and the oxides floated off from the molten metal onto the surface as molten slags.
(3) As a result of deoxidation, the warm workability of molybdenum was improved, on which scandium had the most remarkable effect.
(4) Elements with low deoxidizing ability, e.g. Ho, produced precipitates in the matrix and grain boundaries before they scavenged oxygen enough.
(5) Even though elements, e.g. Sc, had high deoxidizing ability, when they remained in excess in molybdenum, the workability of the metal became lower.
(6) Molybdenum ingots arc-melted with an optimum amount of scandium, say 0.2 percent, had appreciable ductility at about room temperature.
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