Engineering Materials

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 Applications of Metallic compounds: Lead

Lead was one of the traditional MOC for

chemical plants but now due to price and
toxicity, it is largely replaced by other
materials.
 It is soft, ductile, malleable, and has MP = 327.5 oC
BP = 1749 oC
lubricating properties. ρ = 11.34 g/cm3
 Used as lining material.
 It has good resistance to acids particularly
H2SO4.
 Now a days applications for lead and its
alloys include x-ray shields and storage
batteries.
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 Titanium

Titanium is a hard and shiny metal. It is as

strong as steel but much less dense.
 Its alloys with Al, Mo etc. are widely used
in aircraft, spacecraft and missiles because
of their low density and ability to withstand MP = 1670 oC
extremes of temperature. BP = 3287 oC
 Titanium metal connects well with bone, so it ρ = 4.51 g/cm3
has found surgical applications such as in
joint replacements (especially hip joints) and
tooth implants.
 It is resistant to chloride solutions, including
sea water and wet chlorine, therefore, widely
used as MOC for shell and tube heat
exchangers and plate exchangers.
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 Tantalum
Tantalum is shiny silver non-toxic transition metal that is
highly corrosive resistant. Corrosion resistant properties
are similar to glass therefore called as metallic glass. It
is quite expensive (about 5 times of stainless steel) and
only used for special applications.
 Used as lining material where glass lining is not MP = 3017 oC
suitable. BP = 5455 oC
 One of the main uses of tantalum is in the production ρ = 16.4 g/cm3
of electronic components. An oxide layer which forms
on the surface of tantalum can act as an insulating
(dielectric) layer.
 Tantalum alloys can be extremely strong and have
been used for turbine blades, rocket nozzles and nose
caps for supersonic aircraft.

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 Applications of Ta
Tantalum

Tantalum is used to make steels with desirable properties such as high

melting point, high strength, good ductility. These find use in aircraft and
missile manufacture.

It is very inert and so useful in the chemical and nuclear industries to line
reactors.

Tantalum wires were those used first for light bulbs (now tungsten is
preferred).

The metal is immune to body liquids and the body tolerates the metal
well. Therefore, tantalum has widespread use for surgical use. Examples
of this include sutures and as cranial repair plates.

The oxide is used to make special glass with a high index of refraction for
camera lenses.
Where does Ta come
Tantalum from?

Tantalum occurs in nature in the minerals columbite and

tantalite and euxenite.

Niobium and tantalum concentrates are found in Brazil,

Canada, Africa, particularly Congo, Australia and Spain.

Tantalum is also obtained as a by product in the extraction of

tin from mineral deposits in Malaysia and Nigeria.
 Tantalum
Reaction of tantalum with air
Tantalum does not react with air under normal conditions. The surface of tantalum metal is
protected by a thin oxide layer.
Reaction of tantalum with water - Tantalum does not react with water under normal
conditions. The surface of tantalum metal is protected by a thin oxide layer.
Reaction of tantalum with the halogens
Tantalum does react with the halogens upon warming to form tantalum(V) halides.
2Ta(s) + 5F2(g)  TaF5(s) [white]
2Ta(s) + 5Cl2(g)  TaCl5(l) [white]
2Ta(s) + 5Br2(g)  TaBr5(s) [pale yellow]
2Ta(s) + 5I2(g)  TaI5(s) [black]
Reaction of tantalum with acids
Tantalum appear not to be attacked by many acids at room temperature but does dissolve in
hydrofluoric acid, HF, or oleum (a solution of sulphur trioxide, SO3, in sulphuric acid, H2SO4, also
known as fuming sulphuric acid).
Reaction of tantalum with bases - The metal is attacked by molten alkali.
 Zirconium
Zirconium is a hard, silvery transition metal and is
very resistant to corrosion. Its resistance is
equivalent to Ta but Zr is less expensive, similar in
price to high nickel steel.
 Zirconium does not absorb neutrons, making it
an ideal material for use in nuclear power MP = 1855 oC
stations. More than 90% of zirconium is used in BP = 4406 oC
this way. Nuclear reactors can have more than ρ (RT) = 6.52 g/cm3
100,000 meters of zirconium alloy tubing.
 Zirconium metal is protected by a thin oxide
layer making it exceptionally resistant to
corrosion by hot acids, alkalis and boiling water.
 Cubic zirconia (zirconium oxide) is a synthetic
gemstone. The colorless stones, when cut,
resemble diamonds.
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 Iron and its alloys
Iron is a shiny grayish transition metal that rust in
air quite easily. It is by mass the most common
element on Earth, forming much of Earth's outer
and inner core.
 It rusts easily, yet it is the most important of all
metals. 90% of all metal that is refined today is iron. MP = 1538 oC
 Alloys having iron metal are called ferrous alloys and BP = 2862 oC
rest are called non-ferrous alloy. ρ (RT) = 7.87 g/cm3
 Iron is an essential element for all forms of life and is
non-toxic. The average human contains about 4
grams of iron. A lot of this is in haemoglobin, in the
blood. Haemoglobin carries oxygen from our lungs to
the cells, where it is needed for tissue respiration.
 Humans need 10–18 milligrams of iron each day. A
lack of iron will cause anemia to develop. Foods
such as liver, kidney, molasses, cocoa contain a lot
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of iron.
 Iron alloys

Ferrous Alloys

Steel Cast Iron

Low carbon Medium High

steel carbon carbon
steel steel
Grey Iron ductile Iron white Iron malleable
Iron
Compacted
Iron
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 Iron and its alloys: Steel
Steel

Low carbon Medium carbon High carbon

steel steel steel

Steel : The mechanical properties are sensitive to the content

of carbon, which is normally less than 1.5 wt %. Some of the
more common steels are classified according to carbon
concentration.

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 Low carbon Steel (Carbon contents ~0.3%)

Low carbon steel is the most commonly used

engineering material. It is cheap, available in wide range
of sizes and standard forms, can be easily welded. It has
good tensile strength and ductility. Most commonly used
low carbon steels are plain low carbon steels and high
strength low carbon steel.

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Low carbon Steel: properties and applications

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 Medium carbon Steel(Carbon contents ~0.6%)

The medium-carbon steels have carbon concentrations

between about 0.3 and 0.60 wt%. These alloys may be heat
treated by austenitizing, quenching, and then tempering to
improve their mechanical properties.
 The plain medium-carbon steels have low hardenabilities and can
be successfully heat treated only in very thin sections and with
very rapid quenching rates. Additions of chromium, nickel, and
molybdenum improve the capacity of these alloys to be heat
treated giving rise to a variety of strength–ductility combinations.
 These heat-treated alloys are stronger than the low-carbon steels,
but at a sacrifice of ductility and toughness.
 Applications include railway wheels and tracks, gears,
crankshafts, and other machine parts and high-strength structural
components calling for a combination of high strength, wear
resistance, and toughness. 14
 High carbon Steel

The high-carbon steels, normally having carbon contents

between 0.60 and 1.4 wt%, are the hardest, strongest, and
least ductile of the carbon steels.
 They are almost always used in a hardened condition and
are especially wear resistant and capable of holding a sharp
cutting edge.
 The tool and die steels are high-carbon alloys, usually
containing chromium, vanadium, tungsten, and
molybdenum.

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Medium and high carbon Steel

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 Stainless Steel

The stainless steels are highly resistant to corrosion (rusting) in

a variety of environments, especially the ambient atmosphere.
Their predominant alloying element is chromium (up to 20%).
Corrosion resistance may also be enhanced by nickel and
molybdenum additions.
These are further divided into three categories
1-Ferritic SS (13-20 %Cr, 0.1 %C )
2- Austenitic SS (18-20 % Cr, 7% Ni, widely used category)
3- Martensitic SS (10-12 % Cr, 0.2-0.4 % C, up to 2% Ni)

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 Stainless Steel Types

Type 304: the most generally used stainless steel.

It contains the minimum Cr and Ni that give a stable austenitic
structure.
Type 304L: Low carbon version of type 304 (C < 0.03 %).
Type 321: stabilized version of type 304. it is stabilized with
titanium. It is mostly used in high temperature environment.
Type 347: Stabilized version of type 304, stabilized with
niobium to enhance strength.
Type 316: highly resistant to corrosion in reducing environment.
Mo is added to improve corrosion and used in particular for
solutions containing chlorides.

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Stainless Steel Types

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Stainless Steel Types (Ferritic steel)

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Stainless Steel Types (Austenitic steel)

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Stainless Steel Types (Martensitic steel)

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