Metals

Almost 75% of all elements are metals. Metals are used in electronics for wires and in cookware for pots and pans because they conduct electricity and heat well. Most metals are malleable and ductile and are, in general, heavier than the other elemental substances. Two or more metals can be alloyed to create materials with properties that do not exist in a pure metal. All metals can be classified as either ferrous or non-ferrous. Ferrous metals contain iron and non-ferrous metals do not. All ferrous metals are magnetic and have poor corrosion resistance while non-ferrous metals are typically non-magnetic and have more corrosion resistance. An overview of the most common ferrous and nonferrous metals is shown below.

Ferrous Metals
Material name Low Carbon Steels

Composition Up to 0.30% Carbon

Properties

Applications

Good formability, good 0.1%-0.2% carbon: Chains, stampings, weld-ability, low cost rivets, nails, wire, pipe, and where very soft, plastic steel is needed. 0.2%-0.3% carbon: Machine and structural parts

Medium 0.30% to 0.80% Carbon Steels Carbon

A good balance of properties, fair formability

0.3%-0.4% carbon: Lead screws, gears, worms, spindles, shafts, and machine parts. 0.4%-0.5% carbon: Crankshafts, gears, axles, mandrels, tool shanks, and heat-treated machine parts 0.6%-0.8% carbon: "Low carbon tool steel" and is used where shock

strength is wanted. Drop hammer dies, set screws, screwdrivers, and arbors. 0.7%-0.8% carbon: Tough and hard steel. Anvil faces, band saws, hammers, wrenches, and cable wire. High Carbon Steels 0.80% to ~2.0% Carbon Low toughness, formability, and weldability, high hardness and wear resistance, fair formability 0.8%-0.9% carbon: Punches for metal, rock drills, shear blades, cold chisels, rivet sets, and many hand tools. 0.9%-1.0% carbon: Used for hardness and high tensile strength, springs, cutting tools 1.0%-1.2% carbon: Drills, taps, milling cutters, knives, cold cutting dies, wood working tools. 1.2%-1.3% carbon: Files, reamers, knives, tools for cutting wood and brass. 1.3%-1.4% carbon: Used where a keen cutting edge is necessary (razors, saws, etc.) and where wear resistance is important. Stainless Steel Stainless steel is a family of corrosion resistant steels. They contain at least 10.5% chromium, with or without other elements. The Chromium in the alloy forms a selfhealing protective clear oxide layer. This oxide layer Good corrosion resistance, appearance, and mechanical properties

gives stainless steels their corrosion resistance. Austenitic Steels: Good mechanical and Contains chromium corrosion resisting and nickel. The properties, high typical chromium hardness and yield content is in the strength as well as range of 16% to excellent ductility and 26%; nickel are usually noncontent is magnetic commonly less than 35%. Ferritic Steels: Good ductility, weldMagnetic with a ability, and formability; high chromium and reasonable thermal low nickel content conductivity, and usually alloyed with corrosion resistance other elements with a good bright such as aluminum surface appearance or titanium. Kitchen sinks, architectural applications such as roofing, cladding, gutters, doors and windows; Food processing equipment; Heat exchangers; Ovens; Chemical tanks

Automotive trim, catalytic converters, radiator caps, fuel lines, cooking utensils, architectural and domestic appliance trim applications

Martensitic Steels: Good combination of Cutlery, scissors, surgical instruments, Typically contains corrosion resistance wear plates, garbage disposal 11.0% to 17.0% and excellent shredder lugs, industrial knives, vanes chromium, no mechanical properties, for steam turbines, fasteners, shafts, nickel, and 0.10% produced by heat and springs to 0.65% carbon treatment, to develop levels. The high maximum hardness, carbon enables the strength, and resistance material to be to abrasion and erosion. hardened by heating to a high temperature, followed by rapid cooling (quenching).

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Non-Ferrous Metals
Material name Aluminum / Aluminum alloys

Composition

Properties

Applications

Pure metal / Easily Low density, good Window frames, aircraft parts, alloyed with small electrical conductivity automotive parts, kitchenware amounts of copper, (approx. 60% of manganese, copper), nonmagnetic, silicone, noncombustible, ductile, magnesium, and malleable, corrosion other elements resistance; easily formed, machined, or cast Alloy of copper and Reasonable hardness; Parts for electrical fittings, valves, zinc, 65% to 35% casts, forms, and forgings, ornaments, musical is the common machines well; good instruments ratio electrical conductivity and acoustic properties Pure metal Excellent ductility, thermal and electrical conductivity Heaviest common metal, ductile, and malleable, good corrosion resistance Electrical wiring, tubing, kettles, bowls, pipes, printed circuit boards Pipes, batteries, roofing, protection against X-Rays

Brass

Copper

Lead

Pure metal

Magnesium / Pure metal / Used Lightest metallic Automobile, portable electronics, Magnesium as an alloy element material (density of appliances, power tools, sporting Alloys for aluminum, lead, about 2/3 of that of goods parts, and aerospace equipment zinc, and other aluminum), strong and nonferrous alloys; tough, most machinable alloyed with metal, good corrosion aluminum to resistance, easily cast improve the mechanical,

fabrication, and welding characteristics Nickel / Nickel Pure metal / Alloys Alloys very well with large amounts of other elements, chiefly chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten Very good corrosion The major use of nickel is in the resistance (can be preparation of alloys or plating alloyed to extend frequently used as an undercoat in beyond stainless decorative chromium plating and to steels), good high improve corrosion resistance; temperature and applications include electronic lead mechanical wires, battery components, heat performance, fairly good exchangers in corrosive environments conductor of heat and electricity Low density, low coefficient of thermal expansion, high melting point, excellent corrosion resistance, nontoxic and generally biologically compatible with human tissues and bones, high strength, stiffness, good toughness Aerospace structures and other highperformance applications, chemical and petrochemical applications, marine environments, and biomaterial applications

Titanium / Titanium Alloys

Pure metal / Easily alloys with aluminum, nickel, chromium, and other elements

Zinc / Zinc Alloys

Pure metal/ Metal is employed to form numerous alloys with other metals. Alloys of primarily zinc with small amounts of copper, aluminum, and magnesium are useful in diecasting. The most widely used alloy of zinc is brass

Excellent corrosion Used principally for galvanizing iron resistance, light weight, (more than 50% of metallic zinc goes reasonable conductor of into galvanizing steel), numerous electricity automotive applications because of its light weight