All kinds of metals played a significant role in the industrial revolution and led to the exponential growth of human civilization and made us reach our current position. There are all kinds of metals around us today, from the computer and phone you use to read this information to all the equipment you deal with on a daily basis.
1 What is metal?
2 Classification of types of metals
3 ferrous and non-ferrous metals
4 non-ferrous metals
5 brittle metals; Another type of metal
6 refractory metals; Refractory category of metals
7 white metal; Colorful bunch of metals
8 light and heavy metals
9 basic, noble and precious metals
What is metal?
In physics, a metal is generally any material that can conduct electricity at absolute zero temperature. Many elements and compounds that are not normally classified as metals become metals under high pressures.
For example, non-metallic iodine gradually turns into a metal at a pressure between 40 and 17,000 atmospheres. Likewise, some materials that are considered metals can also become non-metals. For example, sodium turns into a nonmetal at a pressure of approximately two million times atmospheric pressure.
Approximately 95 of the 118 elements of the periodic table are metals. This exact number is because the boundaries between metals, nonmetals, and semimetals fluctuate slightly due to the lack of generally accepted definitions of the categories involved.
It should be noted that there are thousands of different types of metals and each one is made for very specific applications.
Classification of metals
Metals can be classified based on their physical or chemical properties. The described categories are:
Ferrous and non-ferrous metals
Brittle metals
Refractory metals
White metals
Heavy and light metals
Base, noble and precious metals
Ferrous and non-ferrous metals
Ferrous metals contain iron and non-ferrous metals do not contain iron. The deeper answer is that ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals each have their own distinct properties. These features have distinguished their applications.
Ferrous metals
Pure iron has little use as an engineering material; Because it is very soft and flexible. When iron cools and turns from a liquid to a solid, most of the atoms in it are packed together in regular layers.
But by adding carbon to iron, we can produce a wide range of alloys with completely different properties, which are called carbon steels. An alloy is a mixture of two or more chemical elements and a primary metal element.
Ferrous metals have a high carbon content, which generally makes them susceptible to rusting when exposed to moisture.
Most ferrous metals are magnetic, which makes them very useful for motor and electrical applications. Using ferrous metals on the refrigerator door allows you to pin your shopping list on it with magnets.
Application of metals in industries
Some common ferrous metals include alloy steel, carbon steel, cast iron, and wrought iron. These metals are valuable for their tensile strength and durability. Ferrous metals are also used in shipping containers, industrial piping, automobiles, railroads, and many commercial and household appliances.
Non-ferrous metals
Non-ferrous metals include aluminum, copper, lead, zinc and tin, as well as precious metals such as gold and silver. Their main advantage over iron materials is their malleability. Also, non-ferrous metals do not contain iron, which makes them more resistant to rust and corrosion. This feature makes these metals ideal for gutters, liquid pipes, roofs and exterior panels.
Non-ferrous metals are also non-magnetic, which is important for many electronic and wiring applications.
brittle metals; Another type of metal
While almost all metals are malleable or malleable, a few such as beryllium, chromium, manganese, gallium, and bismuth are brittle. Low values of the ratio of bulk elastic modulus to shear modulus (Pugh criterion) indicate inherent brittleness.
Refractory metals; Refractory category of metals
In materials science, metallurgy and engineering, a refractory metal is a metal that is extremely resistant to heat and wear. Which metals belong to this category varies. The most common definitions include niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten and rhenium. All of them have a melting point above 2000 degrees Celsius and high hardness at room temperature.
White metal; Colorful bunch of metals
White metal refers to any range of white metals (or their alloys) with a relatively low melting point. These metals include zinc, cadmium, tin, antimony (counted as a metal here), lead, and bismuth, some of which are quite toxic.
Light and heavy metals
A heavy metal is any relatively dense metal or metalloid. More specific definitions for these metals have also been proposed, but none have been widely accepted. Some heavy metals have special uses or are significantly toxic. Some of them are essential in small amounts. All other metals are light metals.
Base, noble and precious metals
In chemistry, base metal is used informally to refer to a metal that is easily oxidized or corroded, such as readily reacting with dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl) to form metal chloride and hydrogen, which can be, for example, iron, Nickel, lead and zinc mentioned. Therefore, copper is considered as a base metal; Because it oxidizes relatively easily, although it does not react with HCl.
The term noble metal is usually used in contrast to base metal. Unlike most base metals, noble metals are resistant to corrosion or oxidation. They are usually precious metals due to their rarity. Examples include gold, platinum, silver, rhodium, iridium and palladium.
In alchemy and numismatics, the term base metal is compared to precious metals, i.e. metals of high economic value. The long-standing goal of alchemists was to transform base metals into precious metals, including coinage metals such as silver and gold.
What do you know about alloys?
In simple words, an alloy or an alloy is a metal material that is formed by combining a metal with one or more other elements (metal or non-metal). These elements are mixed together in liquid form and have more properties than pure metal. The most common way to combine metals to form an alloy is to melt them and mix all the ingredients together.
Final remarks
In whatever field you work in, you deal with all kinds of metals every day, each of which is used in devices depending on the type and the characteristics it has.
