Specific weight of zirconium, its properties, applications, and values table

Zirconium is an element of the fourth group of the secondary subgroup of the fifth period of the periodic table of elements. Zirconium in its simple form is a shiny gray metal with a silvery tint. It is characterized by excellent corrosion resistance and high ductility.

This material exists in two variations: zirconium with a hexagonal close-packed lattice (alpha-zirconium) and zirconium with a body-centered cubic lattice. This type changes from one form to the other at a temperature of 863 degrees Celsius.

Table of the specific weight of zirconium

The weight of this material depends on such a parameter as the specific weight of zirconium. Since this material is complex, it is not possible to calculate its specific weight in field conditions. This procedure is carried out in special chemical laboratories. However, the average specific weight is known and is 6.506 g/cm³.

To simplify calculations of indicators such as the weight of zirconium and its specific weight, the table below provides these values, as well as other calculations for different measurement systems.

Properties of zirconium

Zirconium has a good density equal to 6.5107 g/cm³, good heat capacity at temperatures from 25 to 100 degrees Celsius, and excellent electrical resistance. The melting point of zirconium is 1855 degrees Celsius, and its boiling point is 4409 degrees Celsius.

This type of material in pure form is ductile and is easily subjected to different types of processing, such as rolling, stamping, and forging, as well as other types of hot and cold processing. With an oxygen content of more than 0.2 percent, this material cannot be processed by cold pressure. A brittle structure may appear due to the presence of nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen in its composition.

Compact zirconium has the property of slowly oxidizing at temperatures in the range from 200 to 400 degrees Celsius, becoming covered with a zirconium dioxide film. Above 800 degrees Celsius, it interacts well with oxygen in the air.

This type of material is stable in water and water vapor up to a temperature of 300 degrees Celsius, does not react with sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, and also does not react with various types of alkali solutions. It interacts with aqua regia and nitric acid only at temperatures from 100 degrees Celsius. It dissolves in hot sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids.

Zirconium is classified as a paramagnetic metal.

Applications of zirconium

Zirconium and its alloys are widely used in various fields. The main areas include:

• Use in nuclear power engineering for the manufacture of fuel assemblies and elements, as well as other structures in nuclear reactors.
• Use in metallurgy as a master-alloy material, since it is an excellent denitriding and deoxidizing agent. Zirconium is also used to make alloys with high heat resistance and strength while causing only a small loss of electrical conductivity.
• Use in pyrotechnic work because of its distinctive properties. This type of material burns well when interacting with atmospheric oxygen at a temperature of 250 degrees Celsius and does not emit smoke. During this process, the temperature rises to 4650 degrees Celsius and zirconium dioxide is released, which is widely used in different types of chemical light sources.
• Use of zirconium in various fields as a superconductor, since this type of material withstands a load of up to 100000 A/cm².
• Use in medicine for the manufacture of various types of prostheses and surgical instruments due to excellent resistance to biological environments, even better than titanium.