Metals — from iron and aluminum to copper and titanium — play an important role in everyday life. They are used everywhere — in construction, industry, medicine, electronics. Wherever you are right now, take a look around you — you'll find many items, at least created using metals and their alloys. It is absolutely clear that the device on which you are reading this text could not have been created without copper, cobalt, iron, tin and other metallic substances. In the article below, we'll look at basic metallurgical terms that will help you better understand the world of metals.
Metall — a chemically simple substance that is usually solid, shiny, malleable, low-melting and ductile, with good electrical and thermal conductivity.
Rafting — a compound made by combining two or more metals, for example, to give the final material greater strength or resistance to corrosion.
Precision alloys — highly alloyed metal combinations with a predetermined set of properties and characteristics, produced in strict adherence to technology and without foreign inclusions in the structure (you can read more hereto).
steel — an alloy of iron and carbon containing less than 2% carbon and 1% manganese, as well as small amounts of silicon, phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen. There are four types, within which it is divided into varieties. Each type has unique characteristics that allow them to be used in their respective areas.
Carbon steel — steel, which usually contains up to 2% carbon; the most common type of steel, accounting for about 90% of production. It is divided into three main subcategories: mild steel, also known as mild steel, medium carbon steel, and high carbon steel.
Alloy steel — In addition to iron, carbon and manganese, this alloy also uses other elements that affect the characteristics of the metal: chromium, nickel, copper, molybdenum, vanadium and aluminum. They help change plasticity, give strength, machinability and corrosion resistance.
Inox — steel containing at least 10.5% chromium (usually about 11-12%). It is easy to identify by gloss and is commonly used in the food, medical, and architectural industries.
Tool steel — tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt and vanadium are usually added to this alloy. There are six grades: air-hardening, water-hardening, type D, hot-deformed, shock-resistant and oil-hardened. Tool steels are commonly used in cutting and drilling equipment due to the higher heat resistance and hardness that their constituent materials give them.
Hardening — a method of heat treatment, which includes heating, holding and cooling steel. It is used to improve various characteristics (for example, increase hardness) of inexpensive steel grades, non-ferrous metals and alloys, thereby reducing the cost of products and structures obtained.
Rent — industrial processing of metals and alloys to improve their characteristics. There are two types: cold and hot (you can learn more about both types of rental hereto).
Hot rental — produced at temperatures above 926° C — this value is higher than the recrystallization temperature of steel. Under such conditions, the metal can be easily shaped, which makes it easier to work with the material.
Cold rolled — reprocessing of material that has already been hot-rolled, but this time at room temperature.
This is not a complete list of terms related to metallurgical processes. In the future, we will continue to explain what certain concepts mean in the world of metals.
These and other terms from the metallurgical industry are presented in alphabetical order in the section The ABC of metallurgy.
