A non-ferrous alloy composed of molybdenum as a matrix with other elements. The main alloying elements are titanium, zirconium, hafnium, tungsten and rare earth elements. The elements of titanium, zirconium and hafnium not only play a solid solution strengthening role in molybdenum alloy and maintain the low temperature plasticity of the alloy, but also form a stable and dispersed carbide phase to improve the strength and recrystallization temperature of the alloy. Molybdenum alloy has good thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and low expansion coefficient, high strength at high temperature (1100~1650 ℃), and is easier to process than tungsten. It can be used as the gate and anode of the electron tube, the support material of the electric light source, and the parts for making die-casting and extrusion dies, spacecraft, etc. Because molybdenum alloy has low temperature brittleness and welding brittleness, and high temperature oxidation, so its development is limited. The industrial production of molybdenum alloy has molybdenum titanium zirconium, molybdenum tungsten and molybdenum rare earth alloy, the application is more of the first category. The main strengthening ways of molybdenum alloys are solid solution strengthening, precipitation strengthening and work hardening. Molybdenum alloy plates, strips, foils, tubes, bars, wires and profiles can be produced by plastic processing, and their strength and low-temperature plasticity can be improved.
Molybdenum is an important element in steel and alloys. Commonly used molybdenum-containing furnace materials include metallic molybdenum and ferromolybdenum, and sometimes molybdenum oxide concentrates can be used to directly reduce and smelt molybdenum-containing steel grades. The natural reserves of molybdenum in the earth's crust are 19 million tons, and the recoverable reserves are 8.6 million tons.