Boron Carbide (B4C)

Boron Carbide is one of the hardest man-made materials available in commercial quantities that has a finite melting point low enough to permit its relatively easy fabrication into shapes. Some of Boron Carbide’s unique properties include: high hardness, chemical inertness, and a high neutron absorbing cross section. Washington Mills is the only manufacturer of Boron Carbide (B4C) crude in North America.

Applications

  • Boron Carbide is well suited to a variety of industrial applications including:
  • Abrasives for lapping and ultrasonic cutting
  • Anti-oxidant in carbon-bonded refractory mixes
  • Armor
  • Nuclear applications such as reactor control rods and neutron absorbing shielding
  • Wear parts such as blasting nozzles, wire-drawing dies, powdered metal and ceramic forming dies, thread guides

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