Vanadium Corporation of America Research Center pamphlet

2024-09-03T17:15:26-04:00

Promotional brochure for the Vanadium Corporation of America's forthcoming research center in Cambridge, Ohio circa 1954. The brochure, which includes a map of the 30,000 square foot campus, details how the new center will serve as the headquarters for the newly- centralized Vanadium Corporation Technical Division and includes the locations and descriptions of assorted laboratories, a library, and other facilities. The brochure also describes the Center's Pilot Plant facilities and notable equipment, including electric arc furnaces, high-frequency induction furnaces, and beneficiation facilities. The last two pages of the brochure detail the history of the Vanadium Corporation of America with a chronology of milestones for the corporation. The Vancoram Brand logo adorns the back cover of the pamphlet.

Vanadium, a malleable transition metal, was discovered in its natural state in Mexico by Spanish-Mexican scientist, engineer, and naturalist Andrés Manuel del Río (1764-1849) in 1801, though it was not isolated and recognized as an element until 1830. Following the discovery of a large deposit of vanadium in the Peruvian Andes in 1905, vanadium became commercially viable and significantly impacted the steel industry. In 1906, the American Vanadium Company (later the Vanadium Corporation of America) was organized to mine the new deposit, known as Mina Ragra, and use of vanadium to produce specialty steel alloys quickly became widespread, particularly in the burgeoning automobile industry.