Alloys

Keywords

Alloy, metals, mixture, cutlery, element, hardened, additive, stainless steel, mild steel, tool steel.

Introduction

An alloy is a type of metal that is mixed with another element. The majority of pure metal elements are too soft for general use. By adding another element, they can be strengthened to form an alloy.

Properties of Alloys and Pure Metal

Iron as it's own pure element is very soft. This just means that to make it harden up, the addition of tungsten to it makes steel. We all know that steel is used in many items, such as:

• cutlery (stainless)
• some old car bumpers (stainless)
• drinks cans (stainless)
• suspension cables (mild steel)
• reinforcing bars for concrete (mild steel)
• drill bits (tool steel)

Interesting fact: solder is a type of alloy that is used to bond metals together. It is used for many purposes (circuit boards, jewellery), and is an alloy of lead and tin.

How Does it Harden Up?

A pure metal has a giant metallic structure. If you look under a microscope of some pure element metal, it will have wide gaps between its pieces. When a force is placed on to the metals, it means that they may slide over each other.

When another element is added to a pure element, it changes the structure of the atoms within, making them smaller. This means that a greater force is required to make them slide over each other. This in turn makes them harder and stronger to be able to use them for production.