ENSC 20161

Course Assignment 03
NON-FERROUS ALLOYS

1. Structural steels have traditionally been used in shipbuilding; however, with increasing fuel
costs, it is desirable to find alternative lower weight materials. Some of the key properties
required for shipbuilding materials are high yield strength, high corrosion resistance, and low
cost. Discuss the benefits and disadvantages of aluminum alloys as a replacement for structural
steels in ships.
2. If the density remains unchanged, compare the specific strength of the 2090-T6 aluminum alloy
to that of a die cast 443-F aluminum alloy. If you considered the actual density, do you think the
difference between the specific strengths would increase or become smaller? Explain.
3. Explain why aluminum alloys containing more than about 15% Mg are not used.
4. Explain how pure copper is made. What are some of the important properties of copper?
5. What is brass? What is bronze?
6. Why is the Statue of Liberty green?
7. Compare the percent increase in the yield strength of commercially pure annealed aluminum,
magnesium, and copper by strain hardening. Explain the differences observed.
8. Would you expect the fracture toughness of quenched and tempered aluminum bronze to be
high or low? Would there be a difference in the resistance of the alloy to crack nucleation
compared with crack growth? Explain.
9. Several casting alloys have very high lead contents; however, the Pb content in wrought alloys is
comparatively low. Why isn’t more lead added to the wrought alloys? What precautions must be
taken when a lead wrought alloy is hot worked, or heat treated?
10. When steel is joined using arc welding, only the liquid-fusion zone must be protected by a gas or
flux. When titanium is welded, both the front and back sides of the welded metal must be
protected. Why must these extra precautions be taken when joining titanium?
11. What is a refractory metal or an alloy? What is a precious metal?
12. The temperature of a coated tungsten part is increased. What happens when the protective
coating on a tungsten part expands more than the tungsten? What happens when the
protective coating on a tungsten part expands less than the tungsten?
13. For what applications are Pt, Rh, Pd, and Ag used?
14. Not all aluminum alloys are easily weldable. Provide a few designations of readily weldable
aluminum alloys. List some welding techniques recommended for aluminum alloys.
15. An actuating lever in an electrical device must open and close almost instantly and carry a high
current when closed. What design requirements would be important for this application? Design
a material and its processing to meet these requirements.