Thousands of types of metal grades are available on earth. Different metal and their alloys have different physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. This article covers various types of metals & alloys and their applications.
Different Types of Metal and their Applications
Various types of metal are available in different grades. The same type of material with a different grade has different properties and applications.
For example, AL 5052 grade aluminum application is to manufacture sheet metal Parts, whereas A380 grade aluminum is for metal casting. Following are the commonly available commercial-grade metals.
- Ferrous and non-ferrous Metals
- Ferrous Materials
- Iron
- Carbon Steel
- Alloy Steel
- Non-Ferrous Materials
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Brass
- Magnesium
- Titanium
- Tungsten
- Ferrous Materials
- Magnetic and non-magnetic metals
- Magnetic Metals
- Iron
- Neodymium
- Cobalt
- Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels
- Gadolinium
- samarium
- Nickel
- Platinum
- Non-Magnetic Metals
- Aluminum
- Gold
- Zinc
- Tin
- Copper
- Brass
- Silver
- Austenitic Steel
- Titanium
- Tungsten
- Magnetic Metals
In this article we will discuss in detail about ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Refer this link for more details on magnetic and non-magnetic materials.
Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Types of Metal
Ferrous Metals
These metals are magnetic and prone to rust. Ferrous metals have good tensile strength and electrical conductivity.
1. Iron
Iron is the most used type of greyish metal on earth. It is available on earth in abundant quantities. But pure iron is unstable and gets corroded when it comes in contact with air. Iron is a primary ingredient of steel with good ductility and malleability properties.
Applications and Uses of Iron
Iron has numerous applications in various sectors such as home appliances, electronics, manufacturing, construction etc.
- Steel Manufacturing
- Cookware
- Magnet Manufacturing
- Industrial Machinery etc
2. Carbon Steel
Steel is one of the extensively used types of metal in the construction, electrical, electronics, and automotive industry. It is an alloy of iron and carbon. The percentage of carbon content in iron has an impact on its properties.
Different Types of Carbon Steel Material
Following are the commonly used types of carbon steel material:
- Low Carbon Steel: It is also known as mild steel. Low Carbon Steel has carbon content from 0.04% to 0.3%. Some of its applications include Structural Steel (reinforcing bars, I-beams), Nails, furniture, wire fencing, Automobiles, etc
- Medium Carbon Steel: It has carbon content in the range of 0.3% to 0.6% and manganese from 0.6% to 1.65%. Heat treatment is also done to increase the hardness of medium carbon steel. They have applications in automotive (gears, shafts, axles, crankshaft, coupling, etc), Railway wheels and tracks, Construction (Steel beams in building and bridges), Forging work, etc.
- High Carbon Steel: They are also known as carbon tool steel. High carbon steel has carbon content in the range of 0.6% to 1.4%. It is harder and brittle than low and medium carbon steel. High carbon steel has applications in manufacturing springs and cutting tools.
3. Alloy Steel
Alloy steel is an alloy of carbon steel and other alloying elements to improve the mechanical properties of a material. Following is the list of alloy elements in alloy steel:
- Manganese: Improves surface hardness, resistance to strain, and ability to withstand shocks.
- Nickel: Improves strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance.
- Chromium Improves Surface hardness, toughness, and wear resistance.
- Cobalt: improves Red Hardness.
- Molybdenum: Improves strength, shock, and heat resistance.
- Tungsten: Improves hardness and internal grain structure.
- Vanadium: Improves strength, toughness, shock resistance, and corrosion resistance.
The impact of alloying elements on the mechanical properties depends on the percentage of that material alloyed with the base material.
Non-Ferrous Metals
Non-ferrous metals are metals that do not contain iron. All pure metals except iron are non-ferrous.
1. Aluminum
Aluminum is a silver-white Color type of metal extracted from bauxite ore. Its properties includes:
- Soft Material
- Good Corrosion resistance.
- Non-magnetic.
- Ductile and Malleable.
- Good electrical and thermal conductivity.
- Good Strength to weight Ratio (Weight approximately one-third of the iron).
Aluminum can be alloyed with most metals To improve its mechanical properties. Therefore a lot of aluminum grades are available in the market.
2. Copper
Copper is a pinkish orange color soft material extracted from the ore. Its properties include:
- Excellent thermal and Electrical Conductivity
- Malleable and Ductile
- Good corrosion resistance
- Antimicrobial Properties
- Non-Magnetic
Applications and Uses of Copper
Copper is used as an alloy or pure metal. Most of its applications involve electrical and thermal work. Following are the application of copper material in various industries:
- Electrical Circuits and Wires
- Printed circuit board
- Heat Sinks
- Cookware
- Decor Items etc.
3. Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that can be manufactured in red, yellow, gold, bronze, and brown color. It is a good and cheap alternative to copper. Brass material has following properties.
- High corrosion resistance.
- Ductile and malleable
- Antimicrobial properties.
Applications and Uses of Brass
Followings are the applications of brass in various industries:
- Electrical connections.
- Jewelry and decor items
- Musical instruments
- Tools and fitting
- Bearing
7. Magnesium
Magnesium is a grey-white light-weight metal and an alternative to aluminum because it has 2/3 rd the weight of aluminum. it’s mechanical properties are similar to aluminum. But it corrodes easily compared to aluminum.
Applications and Uses of Magnesium
Magnesium has applications in the electronics and automotive industry to replace aluminum. Pure magnesium is very difficult to process (Casting, Machining). Therefore it is used as an alloy.
5. Titanium
Titanium is a silver color metal with low density and high strength. Alloying of titanium with aluminum, iron, vanadium, and molybdenum is possible. Titanium has following properties.
- Excellent strength to weight-ratio.
- Excellent corrosion resistance.
- High thermal stability
Applications and Uses of Titanium
Titanium metal is used for the following applications.
- Titanium has applications in the aerospace industry due to its lightweight and good strength.
- Used in the medical industry to manufacture prostheses, orthopedic implants, dental, etc
- Chemical industry
- Titanium nitride coatings are used on metal cutting tools.
6. Tungsten
It’s a greyish-white metal used to make tungsten carbide. Tungsten-carbide is used to manufacture cutting tools. Tungsten material have following properties.
- Excellent corrosion resistance
- Very High Density
- High melting point and low vapor pressure.
- Very high tensile strength at elevated temperature.
To sum up, various types of metal and their alloys are available. The selection of the best material for your application shall be done by analyzing that material grade properties.
For example, Aluminum A380 material is best for casting. Whereas Aluminum 5052 has good malleable properties therefore used as sheets. We suggest you also read this article on the Degree of Freedom of a body in mechanical Engineering.
We will keep adding more updates on different types of metals and their properties. Add your comments or questions on different types of metals in the comment box.
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