MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING: METALS

LESTER JOHN B. DE VERA

In partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the degree of
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING.

September 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT 1

INTRODUCTION 2

TOPIC TO BE DISCUSSED 3

APPLCATIONS TO THE REAL WORLD 10

CONCLUSION 12

REFERENCES 13
 ABSTRACT

Various manufacturing processes around the world uses more than 3 giga tonnes of

metal every year. Today, almost every aspect of our lives depends on metals, as they have

done since the Bronze Age. Metals are essential for the production of tools, food,

structures, medical devices, energy, transportation, and communications.

Metals are usually ductile, malleable, shiny, and can form alloys with other metals.

Metals are tremendously important to a high energy society: they transport electricity in

the electrical grid, and provide many services.

They can be strong and simple to shape, which makes them useful for making tools.

Steel and iron have been used to construct ships, buildings, and bridges. Due to their

hardness and ability to resist rapid wear, some metals are used to create objects like coins.

In this paper, metals and classification of metals is to be studied and presented on

how it plays an important role in everyday lives of the people.

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 INTRODUCTION

Metal is any of a group of substances with high thermal and electrical conductivity,

malleability, ductility, and high light reflectivity.

Metals make up about 75 percent of all chemical elements that are currently

understood. Aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium are the elements

that are most prevalent in the crust of the Earth.

The majority of engineering materials are made of metals. The main characteristics

of metals are their wide availability, simplicity in fabrication, and desirable mechanical and

physical properties. Based on whether iron or another element is the primary constituent,

metallic materials can be broadly divided into two categories: ferrous and non-ferrous.

Cast irons, carbon steels, alloy steels, and wrought irons are additional categories

for ferrous materials. Alloys of copper, aluminum, magnesium, nickel, lead, tin, and zinc

are typical non-ferrous materials. These ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys will be

the focus of this paper.

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 TOPIC TO BE DISCUSSED

A metal is characterized as an opaque, shiny element with ductile and malleable

properties. They are ductile if they can be drawn into wires and malleable if they can be

hammered into different shapes. They are also excellent heat and electricity conductors,

very strong, and have a high tensile strength. Metals have a high density and are shiny.

Despite the fact that we see metals almost everywhere we go, finding metals is

difficult. The majority of metals are actually found in the earth's crust, but when they are,

they are frequently combined with other materials. The ore refers to the variety of materials

found in the rocks that make up the earth's crust and can be used to extract metals.

Metals is classified into two types; these are the Ferrous Metals and the Non-

Ferrous Metals. Ferrous Metals are hard, heavy, have high density, fragile, not malleable,

ductile, magnetic, and rust. A metal that contains iron. They are favored for their tensile

strength and durability, so are often utilized in housing construction, large-scale piping and

industrial containers.

In the other hand Non-ferrous metals tend to be more expensive than ferrous metals

but are used for their desirable properties, including light weight (aluminum), high

conductivity (copper), non-magnetic properties or resistance to corrosion (zinc). Some

non-ferrous materials are used in the iron and steel industries, such as bauxite, which is

used for flux in blast furnaces. Other non-ferrous metals, including chromite, pyrolusite

and wolframite, are used to make ferrous alloys. However, many non-ferrous metals have

low melting points, making them less suitable for applications at high temperatures.

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Non-Ferrous Metals

Here are the following examples of a Non-Ferrous Metals that is commonly used;

• Aluminum

It is the most abundant metallic element in Earth's crust and the most

widely used nonferrous metal. Because of its chemical activity, aluminum

never occurs in the metallic form in nature, but its compounds are present

to a greater or lesser extent in almost all rocks, vegetation, and animals.

• Titanium

Titanium is a lightweight, high-strength, low-corrosion structural

metal and is used in alloy form for parts in high-speed aircraft. These alloys

are mainly used in aircraft, spacecraft and missiles because of their low

density and ability to withstand extremes of temperature.

• Copper

Copper is a noble metal and its properties include high thermal and

electrical conductivity, low corrosion, alloying ability, and malleability. It

is used in electrical equipment such as wiring and motors. This is because

it conducts both heat and electricity very well, and can be drawn into wires.

• Nickel

Nickel is a metallic element with a silvery-white, shiny appearance.

It is the fifth-most common element on earth and occurs extensively in the

earth's crust and core. Nickel, along with iron, is also a common element in

meteorites. Nickel occurs naturally in soil and water. Nickel has a long

history of being used in coins. Nickel is used in batteries, including

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 rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries

used in hybrid vehicles.

There are also rare or precious Non-Ferrous Metals that is widely used today. These

are;

• Gold

Gold is one of the densest of all metals. It is a good conductor of

heat and electricity. It is also soft and the most malleable and ductile of the

elements. Most mined gold is stored as bullion. It is also, however, used

extensively in jewelry, either in its pure form or as an alloy.

• Silver

Pure silver is nearly white, lustrous, soft, very ductile, malleable, it

is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Silver is used to make

mirrors, as it is the best reflector of visible light known, although it does

tarnish with time. It is also used in dental alloys, solder and brazing alloys,

electrical contacts and batteries. Silver paints are used for making printed

circuits.

• Platinum

Platinum is a silvery metallic chemical element, known collectively

as the platinum metals. It is extremely resistant to tarnishing and corrosion

(which makes it known as a “noble metal”) and is very soft and malleable,

making it easy to shape. It is also ductile, making it easy to stretch into wire,

and unreactive, which means it doesn't oxidize and is unaffected by

common acids.

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 Though these are the most commonly used non-ferrous metals in

this present day, there are hundreds of them in the world and until now

many non-ferrous metals are still adding up into the lists.

Ferrous Metals

Ferrous metals share some basic properties, including being prone to rust and being

magnetic. The list of common ferrous metal properties include;

• Chromium Alloy Steels

Chromium is used to make stainless steel, with chromium levels of

over 11% making metals corrosion-resistant. An oxidized chromium layer

on top of the metal will prevent the underlying metal from coming into

contact with oxygen, thereby greatly reducing the chance of corrosion.

Chromium also increases the hardness, tensile strength, toughness and wear

resistance of a metal.

• Manganese Alloy Steels

Manganese can be used as an alloying element to prevent iron

sulphides from forming, as well as increasing strength at high temperatures,

improving ductility and wear resistance. Manganese can also improve

hardenability through quenching, reducing the danger of defect formation

and making the metal more stable.

• Vanadium Alloy Steels

Vanadium carbides also limit the grain size of a metal, increasing

the ductility of the alloyed material. Vanadium also improves the strength,

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hardness, wear and shock impact resistance. However, if used in quantities

that are too high it can have a negative impact on material properties.

• Cast Iron

Cast iron is produced when a carbon content of 1.5-4% is alloyed

with iron. Other elements including silicon, manganese, sulphur and

phosphorus will be present, but only in small quantities. Cast iron is brittle,

but has a good wear resistance due to its hardness. It is also easy to cast,

relatively cheap, has high compressive strength, and a low melting point.

• Steel

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon with improved strength and

fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements

may be present or added. Steel is an alloy between iron and carbon. Steel is

one of the most used construction materials because of its high tensile

strength.

Presented above are the most commonly used Metals in everyday

lives. Each one of them plays an important role in the industries today and

also in our basic routines everyday.

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Pictures

Aluminum Titanium

Copper (Non-Ferrous) Nickel

Gold Silver

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 Platinum Chromium Steel

Manganese Steel Vanadium Steel

Cast Iron Steel

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 APPLICATIONS TO THE REAL WORLD

Metals are essential to almost every aspect of our lives today—and they have

been indispensable since the Bronze Age. We rely on metals for tools, food production,

buildings, medical equipment, energy production, transport and communications. Metals

have been used for centuries and continue to be used today in almost every area of our

lives. We often don’t think about it, but metals are involved in almost everything we do

on a daily basis.

Metals are essential for transportation. Steel is one of the most commonly used

metals because it is strong, lightweight, and cost-effective. Steel is also highly resistant to

corrosion, making it ideal for use in automobiles, ships, buses, trains, airplanes, bikes,

and more. It’s estimated that nearly 65 percent of all steel produced each year goes into

making vehicles of some kind. In addition to steel, other materials like copper and

aluminum are also used to make cars lighter and more fuel efficient. Copper can also be

found in many electrical components within cars as well as brake systems due to its

excellent conductivity properties.

Due to its durability and adaptability, steel is frequently used in construction

projects. Because steel is simple to work with and can be tailored for any project, it is

used in both residential and commercial construction. It is predicted that steel or metal

components will be used in some capacity in more than 75% of all new construction

projects. Aside from being lightweight and requiring less maintenance than steel or wood

structures, aluminum is growing in popularity as a building material.

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 When it comes to electronics, gold may not seem like the obvious choice, but it

actually has some special qualities that make it perfect for specific applications. Due to

its high electrical conductivity, gold is able to move electricity from one location to

another without losing any of its power. Due to the need for dependable power transfer,

gold is frequently found on circuit boards or connectors in electronic devices such as

computers or cell phones. Since they are also effective conductors, other metals like

silver, copper, and aluminum have important roles in electronics.

In cutlery, without a set of gleaming spoons, forks, and knives, family meals will

fall short. Although you have the option of using plastic or wooden cutlery, neither of

these materials exudes the same air of sophistication as their metallic counterpart. If

anything, most people find non-metallic utensils unappealing, especially when they're

used in a formal setting. Metal cutlery also requires less upkeep and lasts longer. Metals

are widely used also in money. All modern coins are made of metal.

In the past, coins were made of gold or silver, but as the value of these metal

increased, they were replaced by other less valuable metals, such as copper, nickel, and

zinc. These metals are both lightweight and corrosion-resistant, so they are perfect for

this application. During war times, however, coin manufacturers used steel because the

usual metals were hard to come by.

It is very clear that metals is mostly seen around us and is playing different and

helpful roles not just in our own life circle but also around the societies around the globe.

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 CONCLUSION

Whether we are aware of it or not, metals play a significant role in our daily lives.

Metals have become a necessary component of modern life, whether it be in electronics,

construction, or transportation. With the wide variety of metal types that are currently

available, each with distinct properties. Non-ferrous metals have been utilized by humans

for a variety of purposes for thousands of years. These materials have a wide range of uses,

from decoration to electronics, aerospace, and other fields.

Even though some non-ferrous metals can mimic the characteristics of some ferrous

metals, these metals are typically chosen for their own distinctive qualities. These qualities

include corrosion resistance, non-magnetic characteristics, and light weight. Additionally,

these metals have a tendency to be more malleable than ferrous metals, making them

suitable for ornamental uses like jewelry and statues.

The paper emphasizes that Ferrous metals are defined as those metals that contain

iron. Non-ferrous metals do not. One of the major distinctions in specialization is whether

foundries work with ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, or both. Ferrous metals and non-

ferrous metals have their own chemical make-up and mechanical properties that put them

in either the ferrous or non-ferrous category.

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 REFERENCES

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