An alloy is an admixture of metals, or a metal combined with one or more other elements.

Metals. General properties. Extraction and classification of metals

When the earth was formed the molten mass contained the many different metals which today we
extract and use in huge quantities. Most of the metals combined with rock when molten, to form
metallic ores. The most common of these are bauxite, from which aluminium is extracted, and iron ore
from which iron is extracted. More than seventy different metals are extracted and used in the
manufacturing industries today. Some, like copper and lead for example, can be used in their pure state,
to take advantage of their natural properties. But often, we combine different metals, or metal with
other materials to form alloys. By making alloys, we can change the properties of a metal to suit our
particular needs.

Metals and alloys can be used in many ways. They are important for the transport, telecommunications,
machinery, construction and manufacturing industries.

General properties in all metals

Physical Properties:

Metals are hard, non-adhesive, cold and smooth,they are very often shiny and strong. They are also
ductille and malleable, do not break easily. Metals are very good conductors of electricity, sound and
heat. When temperature rises they expand, and when it falls, they always contract. They can be easily
welded to other metals.

Chemical Properties:

Metals react with oxygen in water and air. It's known as oxidation or rusting and it's a reddish- or
yellowish-brown flaky coating of iron oxide that is formed on iron or steel, especially in the presence of
moisture.

Ecological Properties:
Most metal are recyclable and some metals such as lead or mercury are toxic and they are a danger for
humans being and for the enviroment.

Extraction of metals

There are two types of mines to obtain metals:

Surface mining that is used when the mineral is near the surface.

Underground mining that is used when the mineral is deep below the surface.

It's used excavators, drills, explosives for extracting minerals from the rock.The minerals are separated
into ore and gangue.

Classification of metals

Metals can be divided into two main groups: ferrous metals are those which contain iron and non-
ferrous metals that are those which contain no iron.

Ferrous Metals

Pure Iron is of little use as an engineering material because it is too soft and ductile. When iron cools and
changes from a liquid to a solid, most of the atoms in the metal pack, tightly together in orderly layers.
Some, however. become misaligned, creating areas of weaknesses called dislocations. When a piece of
iron is put under stress, layers of atoms in these areas slip over one another and the metal deforms. This
begins to explain the ductility of soft iron. By adding carbon to the iron however, we can produce a
range of alloys with quite different properties. We call these the carbon steels. An alloy is a mixture of
two or more chemical elements and the primary element is a metal.

Carbon Steels: their properties and uses

Medium carbon steel contains between 0,3% and 0,7% carbon. Properties: harder and less ductile than
mild steel, tough and have a high tensile strength. Uses: it's used for the manufacture of products which
have to be tough and hard wearing like gears, tools, keys, etc

High carbon steel contains between 0,7% and 1,3% carbon. Properties: Very hard and brittle material.
Uses: It's used for cutting tools and products which have to withstand wear such as guillotine, springs,
etc.

Stainless steel are iron and chromium alloys. A wide range of steels are available with chromium content
between 13% and 27%. Properties: Chromium prevents rusting with an oxide film. Ductility, hardness
and tensile strength. It's also a shiny attractive metal. Uses: Cutlery, sinks, pipes, car pieces, etc.

Grey Cast Iron is an alloy of iron (94%), carbon (3%) silicon (2%) and some traces of magnesium, sulphur
and phosphorous. Properties: brittle but extremely hard and resistant, it corrodes by rusting, Uses:
pistons, machinery parts, streets lamps, drain covers, tools.

Other chemical elements can be added to steel, to improve or achieve certain properties. Here you are
some examples:

Silicon makes the alloy magnetic and improves elasticity.

Manganese makes the alloy harder and heat-resistant. It's used to make stainless steel.

Nickel improves strenght and prevents corrosion.

Tungsten makes the steel harder, more heat-resistant and prevents corrosion.

Chromium makes the alloy harder and tougher and more rustproof.

Non-ferrous metals
They are metals that don't contain iron. They have a lot of uses but they are often expensive because
they are more difficult to extract.

Aluminium

It's the most abundant metal in the earth's crustand after steel, is the most widely used of all the metals,
today. Properties: Silvery white colour, light, highly resistant to corrosion, soft, malleable and ductile,
low density, good conductor of both electricity and heat. Uses: high voltage power lines, planes, cars,
bicycles, light metal work. roofing and windows and doors units, decoration, kitchen tools and drink
cans.

Copper

It's a pure metal that is the world's third most important metal, in terms of volume of consumption.
Properties: a reddish-brown metal, ductile and moderately strong, very good conductor of electricity
and heat,It corrodes very easily. Uses: electrical wire, telephone lines, domestic hot water cylinder and
pipes, car radiator core, decoration, architecture.

Brass

This term "brass" covers a wide range of copper-zinc alloys. Properties: It's gold in colour. It has very
good anticorrossive properties and it's resistant to wear. Uses: Handicrafts, jewellery, plumbing,
capacitors and turbine.

Magnesium

It's shiny and silvery white. Properties: It's very light, soft and malleable, but not very ductile.It reacts
very strongly with oxygen. Uses: Fireworks, aerospace industry, car industry.
Tin

It's a shiny white metal. Properties: It doesn't oxidise at room temperatures, it's very soft. Uses: Soft-
soldering, tin foil and tin plate.

Lead

It's a silvery grey metal. Properties: Soft and malleable. It's toxic when its fumes are inhaled. Uses:
Batteries, it's use as an additive in glass for giving hardness and weight.

Bronze

It's an alloy of copper and tin. Properties: High resistan to wear and corrosion. Uses: Boat propellers,
filters, church bells, sculpture, bearings and cogs.

Zinc

It's a bluish grey shiny metal. Properties: Anticorrosive, not very hard, weak at low temperatures. Uses:
Roofing, plumbing because it stops corrosion.

The most important iron-bearing minerals in iron formations are hematite, magnetite, and greenalite.
These deposits constitute the world’s major source of iron ore. Classic examples are found in the Mesabi
Range of Minnesota, U.S., and the Kiruna ores of Sweden.

Ores

Iron ores occur in igneous, metamorphic (transformed), or sedimentary rocks in a variety of geologic
environments. Most are sedimentary, but many have been changed by weathering, and so their precise
origin is difficult to determine. The most widely distributed iron-bearing minerals are oxides, and iron
ores consist mainly of hematite (Fe2O3), which is red; magnetite (Fe3O4), which is black; limonite or
bog-iron ore (2Fe2O3·3H2O), which is brown; and siderite (FeCO3), which is pale brown. Hematite and
magnetite are by far the most common types of ore.

China, Brazil, Australia, Russia, and Ukraine are the five biggest producers of iron ore, but significant
amounts are also mined in India, the United States, Canada, and Kazakhstan.

Hematite and magnetite are by far the most common types of ore. Pure magnetite contains 72.4
percent iron, hematite 69.9 percent, limonite 59.8 percent, and siderite 48.2 percent, but, since these
minerals never occur alone, the metal content of real ores is lower.

Pure Iron is of little use as an engineering material because it is too soft and ductile. When iron cools and
changes from a liquid to a solid, most of the atoms in the metal pack, tightly together in orderly layers.
Some, however. become misaligned, creating areas of weaknesses called dislocations. When a piece of
iron is put under stress, layers of atoms in these areas slip over one another and the metal deforms. This
begins to explain the ductility of soft iron. By adding carbon to the iron however, we can produce a
range of alloys with quite different properties. We call these the carbon steels. An alloy is a mixture of
two or more chemical elements and the primary element is a metal.

Cast iron is iron that has been melted, poured into a mold, and allowed to cool.

Wrought iron is iron that has been heated and then worked with tools. In fact, the term “wrought”
derived from the past participle of the word “worked.”

Compared to wrought iron or steel, cast iron is brittle, hard, and non-malleable. It can’t be bent,
stretched, or hammered into shape. Its weak tensile strength means that it will fracture before it bends
or distorts. It does, however, have good compression strength, and was used prominently in building
construction before the advent of the steel industry in the early 20th Century.

Wrought iron is often characterized by its fibrous appearance, but it’s also softer and more ductile than
cast iron. Wrought iron is highly malleable, meaning it can be heated, and re-heated, and worked into
various shapes. In fact, it gets stronger the more it’s worked. Wrought iron has a much higher tensile
strength than cast iron, making it more suitable for horizontal beams in construction. In general, it
strongly resists fatigue. It deforms without failing unless overloaded well beyond capacity or distorted
from exposure to intense heat (e.g.., from fire).