Metallic Materials

 Types of metallic Materials * Aluminum * Brass * Bronze * Stainless Steel * Carbon Steel * Copper

 Aluminum

Aluminum is the third most abundant element (after oxygen and silicon), and the most abundant metal, in the earth crust. Aluminum is chosen as it is lightweight (about 2700 kg/m3 density), it is comparatively soft and its process-ability is good. Pure aluminum is easy to bend but it is difficult to process as it is too soft and easily clogs cutting tools.

 BRASS

BBBBRASS Brass is an alloy which is made from a combination of copper and zinc as the main ingredients. In compared with carbon steel or stainless steel, the machine-ability of brass is good, and it also has good soldering properties. Brass is very heavy due to its high density so it is ideal for heavy parts, such as a flywheel or balance weight for model engines.

 B B B Bronze

 Bronze Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal.

 S S S Stainless Steel

SSSStainless Steel The benefits of stainless steel is that it has high strength, great heat-resistance, and it resists staining e.g. rust. Stainless steels contain sufficient chromium to form a passive film of chromium oxide, which prevents further surface corrosion and blocks corrosion from spreading into the metal's internal structure, and due to the similar size of the steel and oxide molecules they bond very strongly and remain attached to the surface.

 Carbon Steel

Carbon steel, also called plain-carbon steel, is steel where the main interstitial alloying constituent is carbon. The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) defines carbon steel as the following: "Steel is considered to be carbon steel when no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt, molybdenum,nickel, niobium, titanium, tungs ten, vanadium or zirconium, or any other element to be added to obtain a desired alloying effect. They are very cheap, excelling in weld ability, and they can be subjected to various heat treatments. Since many machine tools are designed to cut mild steel material, it is very rare to encounter problems while machining.

 Copper

 C C C Copper Pure copper is soft and malleable; a freshly exposed surface has a reddish-orange color. It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys. The metal and its alloys have been used for thousands of years. In the Roman era, copper was principally mined on Cyprus, hence the origin of the name of the metal as сyprium (metal of Cyprus), later shortened to сuprum.

PPPProperties of Metallic Materials * Hardness * Brittleness * Malleability * Ductility * Elasticity

 Hardness Hardness refers to the ability of a metal to resist abrasion, penetration, cutting action, or permanent distortion

 Brittleness Brittleness is the property of a metal that allows little bending or deformation without shattering. In other words, a brittle metal is apt to break or crack without change of shape. Because structural metals are often subjected to shock loads, brittleness is not a very desirable property. Cast iron, cast aluminum, and very hard steel are brittle metals.

 Malleability A metal that can be hammered, rolled, or pressed into various shapes without cracking or breaking or other detrimental effects is said to be malleable. This property is necessary in sheet metal that is to be worked into curved shapes such as cowlings, fairings, and wing tips. Copper is one example of a malleable metal.

 Ductility Ductility is the property of a metal that permits it to be permanently drawn, bent, or twisted into various shapes without breaking. This property is essential for metals used in making wire and tubing. Ductile metals are greatly preferred for aircraft use because of their ease of forming and resistance to failure under shock loads. Ductility is similar to malleability.

 Elasticity Elasticity is that property that enables a metal to return to its original shape when the force that causes the change of shape is removed. This property is extremely valuable, because it would be highly undesirable to have a part permanently distorted after an applied load was removed.

 Industry The primary metals industry continues to be an important contributor to the Canadian economy. It employs thousands directly and, in turn, supplies iron and steel products to many other key manufacturing industries, primarily in Canada and the United States.