Show vanadium vital too to 0 in the rush for the riches brought or u by uranium its companion mineral vanadium has almost been forgotten by the man on the street vana vanadium d aum ium is one of the most important minerals mined in the colorado plateau and is treated with just as much caro care as duranl uranium in the processing mills about 80 90 per cent of the vanadium produced on the plateau ends up in steel as a or in some special alloy for high temperature use such as those required re alred in making jet let engines ane one of the most important attributes of vanadium is that it toughens steel without impairing its ductility or hardness for this reason substantial quantities of vanadium are used in the production of tool steels and in steel used for mechanical parts that must endure high dynamic stress such as springs axles axles and parts of diesel locomotives the bonus for the first pounds of uranium oxide from eligible mines on the colorado plateau resulted in payments of over in bonus awards |