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Nitrogen: Enhances Vanadium Strengthening

In the presence of vanadium, nitrogen is converted from an impurity into a cost-effective alloying element. Vanadium and nitrogen combine rapidly, forming vanadium nitrides that are more stable and more finely dispersed than vanadium carbides. For that reason, precipitation strengthening with vanadium is more efficient when nitrogen is present.

Same Strength with Less Vanadium

By increasing strength, nitrogen allows steelmakers to use less vanadium, as shown in the graph above. Here, a 0.07% vanadium addition is needed to obtain a 110 MPa (16 ksi) increase in yield strength in a steel containing only 50 parts per million of nitrogen. If the nitrogen content is increased to 100 parts per million, only 0.04% vanadium is needed to obtain the same yield strength.

Substantial Savings

Reducing vanadium additions yields major cost savings. In the example below, equivalent yield strengths are obtained when either 0.10% vanadium is added as ferrovanadium or 0.06% vanadium is added as Nitrovan^® vanadium. Using Nitrovan^® vanadium reduces vanadium additions by 0.40 kg (0.90 lbs.) per metric ton of steel.

Equivalent Yield Strengths with Less Vanadium