Introduction
Metals possess many unique fundamental properties that make them an ideal material for use in a diverse range of applications. Many common place things know today are made from metals; bridges, utensils, vehicles of all modes of transport, contain some form of metal or metallic compound. Properties such as high tensile strength, high fracture toughness, malleability and availability are just some of the many advantages associated with metals. Metals, accompanied by their many compounds and alloys, similar properties, high and low corrosion levels, and affects, whether negative or positive, are a grand force to be reckoned with.
Metals and Metal Alloys
In chemistry, metals compose a great number of the periodic table elements. Each metal has its own characteristic mass,
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Metals are utilized in a majority of different ways, for example: gold is used to create jewelry, iron is used to create strong sturdy structures like bridges and steel is used to make long lasting items such as pots and pans. However, most metals in their natural states are less than the desired choice for the jobs they are required to do. For example, iron, although it is an incredibly strong metal in its natural form, it is delicate and rusts quite quickly in damp air. So to enhance the properties of the metal they are combined with other substances to create an alloy, which are often used instead of pure metals to generate a more durable product. There are many different types of alloys; some are so common that they carry on a life beyond their metal bases. For example, 65-90% of copper mixed with 10-35% of zinc create the well known alloy brass, which provides increased resistance to corrosion in things like instruments and
A wide variety of coating alloys and wrought alloys can be prepared that give the metal greater strength, castability, or resistance to corrosion or high temperatures. Some new alloys can be used as armor plate for tanks, personnel carriers, and other military vehicles.
Pounding metal and fabricating metal in thin sheets and sections that humans need or want has a long history. The discovery of how to make and control fire made extracting metals form or more efficient instead of having to find almost pure nuggets of metal. In many civilizations copper was the metal they used but that was succeeded by bronze eventually it is made of copper and tin.
Alloys in the ornament manufacturing are a general use of gold. Because of it is...
Cast iron and ductile iron pipe was long a lower-cost alternative to copper, before the advent of durable plastic materials but special non-conductive fittings must be used where transitions are to be made to other metallic pipes, except for terminal fittings, in order to avoid corrosion owing to electrochemical reactions between dissimilar metals see cell. Bronze fittings and short pipe segments are commonly used in combination with various materials.
The beginnings of modern processing of iron can be traced back to central Europe in the mid-14th century BC. Pure iron has limited use in today’s world. Commercial iron always contains small amounts of carbon and other impurities that change its physical properties, which are much improved by the further addition of carbon and other alloying elements. This helps to prevent oxidation, also known as rust.
Stainless steel, especially, Austenitic stainless steel, because of their high corrosion resistance and customizable mechanical properties has become an indispensable part of the regularly evolving modern day technology. Stainless steels of various grades find applications in numerous fields starting from the household to the nuclear reactors; from food and beverage cans to construction of different automobile parts. The formation of impervious oxide layer on the surface makes it suitable for use in adverse environments such as sea water.
I. Martensitic stainless steels have good mechanical strength and are moderately corrosion resistant. Because of their excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, martensitic stainless steels are used for manufacturing the steam turbine blades, heat exchangers, automotive components and structures, petrochemical & process piping. Properties of martensitic stainless steel can be changed by the heat treatment. Increasing productivity of any welding process while maintaining or even improving the weld quality has been the task of researchers in the field of development of welding processes. Over the years, welding methods and techniques have developed to great extent [3].
Copper and copper alloys, such as bronze, brass, leaded brass are commonly used in friction parts of machines, as bearing liners, bushings, and water with gas fittings. Properties such as high strength and ductility, fatigue strength, wear resistance and machinability are necessary for these materials. Obtaining such properties is possible by creating submicrocrystalline and nanocrystalline structures in the materials [1]. The most common copper alloys are the brasses for which zinc, as a substitutional impurity, is the superior alloying element. Some of the common brasses are yellow, naval, and cartridge brass and gilding metal. Some of the common uses for brass alloys include jewelry, cartridge parts, automotive radiators, musical instruments,
Stainless steel is a type of alloy that has a very strong lattice structure (an arrangement/ shape of the crystals or other objects) which in some case can be more beneficial than others depending on the type of application it may be used for. In many cases this structure will make the material more suited to being used in engineering applications such as tools for instance a hammer (stainless steel alloys) , also they can be used for gears, engines, electrical motors and hydraulic systems because the structure makes the material so strong. So when the arrangement of the structure is as above it makes the overall material even stronger which makes it a good for all the applications stated above. I believe its strength and durability are its main properties as these are commonly needed in the engineering industry, although it is also very well known to be used for its corrosion resistance as it is resistant to many types of corrosion. It is used for these properties because the components such as gears need to be strong in order to keep transferring and altering the rotary motion and torque exhibited in the machine that it may be used in, durable to withstand any loads or pressure put onto it and also corrosion resistance to give the components a bigger life span and increase its rate of work throughout its required use.
Physically and chemically Aluminium is a metal much like others such as; steel, copper and titanium. I can occur as a solid, a liquid or a gas and the state at which aluminium occurs depends on its condition, temperature and pressure. Aluminium is a very light weight metal at 2.7 grams per 〖cm〗^3, which is approximately one third the weight of steel. (HIGGINS, 1972) It naturally forms a protective oxide coating which protects it from corrosion; this oxide coating is thin but very dense and can be made harder through a natural or imitated treatment called Anodising. Aluminium can be further protected with treatments such as coating through lacquering and painting. It is an excellent heat and electricity conductor. It has a low melting point and is very ductile. And finally aluminium is completely recyclable without a reduction in quality.
By adding up to 2%,of carbon it makes the steel tough and strong. Although it’s tough and strong, it is able to bend. To make sure that the metal doesn’t rust, it has a zinc coating on it. Iron is 26 on the periodic table,and considered an “transition metal,” meaning that it is ductile and malleable, and conduct electricity and heat. ... “Some other elements that are similar to iron are cobalt and nickel. They are the only elements known to produce a magnetic field.” Zinc is 30 on the periodic table and it is also a transition metal like iron. “The first iron used by humans is likely to have come from meteorites.” A meteorite is a meteor that survives its passage through the earth's atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground. More than 90 percent of meteorites are of rock, while the remainder consist wholly or partly of iron and nickel. Meteors are believed to have been from the asteroid belt of Mars and
Metalloids can be applied in almost all aspects of life. From being used in gum and toys to technology and spacecraft, metalloids are very useful. For example, Silicon can be used in electrical insulators, fabric softeners, hair sprays, hand creams, furniture, polishes, paints, adhesives, and gum. While Arsenic is used for bronzing, the hardening of lead in shotgun shells, and as a dopant, because metalloids are semiconductive, Antimony could be used in making bells, tools, printing presses, batteries, alloys, bullets, and cable sheathing. Furthermore, Tellurium is used to build electronics and make metals easier to cut. Tellurium is also used in coloring glass, porcelain, enamel, and ceramics. Lastly, Germanium is used in fluorescent lamps, infrared spectroscopes, and infrared detectors. Together, metalloids have many applications that can be used to create and upgrade certain
Aluminum is a silvery-white metal which is a chemical element of boron group represented by symbol Al and have atomic number 13. It has soft ductile nature. Aluminum is abundantly available (third most abundant element). It makes about 8% of the total mass of earth crust. It is very chemically reactive and present with the combination of 270 different minerals. Previously it was produced in 1924 for the first time. Bauxite is the chief ore of aluminum. Aluminum is famous because of its low density and its ability to resist corrosion by using the phenomena of passivation. Alumina is an integral part of an aerospace industry, electrical engineering, and transportation with its other alloys. It is also used in building and window
Aluminum is an element in the boron group with a symbol of Al, and an atomic number of 13. Aluminum is a very soft metal when pure but becomes strong and hard when alloyed, a malleable metal with a silvery gray color. Aluminum is a very reactive element so it is found in nature combined with other elements. Aluminum resists corrosion by the formation of a self-protecting oxide coating. Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, following oxygen and silicon. It makes up approximately 8% by weight of the Earth’s surface. Although this is evident, it is also apparent that aluminum is never found by itself in nature. All of the earth’s aluminum has combined with other elements to form compounds and in order to create new aluminum products; it has to be taken out of that specific compound. Aluminum does not rust like other elements, therefore it always remains strong and shiny, which means reused aluminum is almost identical to a brand new piece of metal. An electrochemical process creates aluminum. An electrochemical process is “the direct process end use in which electricity is used to cause a chemical transformation” ( E.I.A. Government). Major uses of electrochemical processes occur in the aluminum industry in which alumina is reduced to molten aluminum metal and oxygen, where than the aluminum can be used into making several different materials. Electrochemical processes, although very useful, can have serious environmental consequences. To help reduce the consequences that the production of aluminum creates, the idea of aluminum recycling comes into play.
Most metals rust, but the rate at which they corrode is different. Metals like aluminum seem to resist corrosion, but the metal iron corrodes rapidly. Nimmo, Bill. PDF) Iron alloys such as steel rust when they come into contact with oxygen and water.