Engineering Materials

Topic 2 - Metals
Metals and its properties

Learning Objectives
1. List the various types of engineering metals, their properties,
selection criteria and processes
2. State the properties of the ferrous materials, their applications and
their fatigue characteristics
3. State the properties of the non ferrous materials, their applications
and fatigue characteristics
4. Describe the iron-carbon phase diagrams, time-temperature
transformation curves and heat treatment methods.
5. Describe the nature of corrosion, factors affecting corrosions, types
of corrosions, corrosion characteristics and the methods of
corrosion control
The Periodic Table of Elements
 Elements

Science has come along way since Aristotle’s theory of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Scientists have identified 92 Natural elements, and created about 28 others.

 Elements

The elements, alone or in combinations, make up our

bodies, our world, our sun, and in fact, the entire universe.
Metals
 Properties of Metals

Metals have luster. This means they are shiny

 Properties of Metals

Ductile
metals can be drawn into wire.
 Properties of Metals

Malleable
metals can be hammered into sheets
 Properties of Metals

Metals have a high melting point.

They are also very dense.
 Properties of Metals

Conductors:

Metals are good conductors of electricity and heat

 Properties of Metals

A chemical property of metal is its reaction with water and oxygen.

This results in corrosion and rust.

Nonmetals
 Properties of Nonmetals

Nonmetals do not have luster; they are dull.

 Properties of Nonmetals

Brittle:

Nonmetals are brittle so they break easily.

This means nonmetals ARE NOT ductile or malleable.

 Properties of Nonmetals

Nonmetals have low density.

 Properties of Nonmetals

They also have a low melting point.

This is why they are poor conductors of heat and electricity.

Metalloids
 Properties of Metalloids

Metalloids (metal-like) have properties of both metals and nonmetals.

 Properties of Metalloids

Metalloids are solids that can be shiny or dull.

 Properties of Metalloids

They conduct electricity and heat better than nonmetals but not as well as
metals.
 Properties of Metalloids

Metalloids are malleable and ductile

Major categories
Ferrous
-Contain iron as major ingredient
Nonferrous
-May contain small % of iron
Ferrous metals

Carbon content
0.05 -0.32 % Low carbon
0.35 – 0.55 % Medium carbon
0.6 – 1.50 % High carbon
> 2% Cast iron
Non ferrous metals and alloy

Light metals
Aluminum
Chromium
Copper,brass and bronze
Magnesium
Nickel
Others
Light metals

Aluminum
Properties:
Corrosion resistant, lightweight, good
conductivity and high reflectivity
Chronium
Properties:
High corrosion resistant, high
hardness and good alloy element
Light metals

Copper alloys
Copper-zinc alloy is brass
Improve strength, ductility and machinability
Copper-tin alloy is bronze
Improve strenght, hardness and ductility

Alloy element
With ferrous metals, nickel and bronzes
Applications
Plating material
Refractory metal
Light metals
Magnesium
Properties
Lightweight, active metal and good alloy
element
Magnesium alloys
Applications
Anodes for protection
Lightweight applications where strength is
required, such as extension ladders, space
vehicles, aircraft and power tools
Light metals
Nickel
Sulfide ore
Properties
Hard, corrosion resistant, a good alloy element and
polishes well
Nickel alloys
Applications (Alloys)
Plating material
Magnets
Heating elements and thermocouples
Jewelry and coins
Precious metals
Gold
Quartz ores
Properties
Electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and malleability.

Gold alloys
Applications
Jewelry
Plating material
Dental caps, crowns and fillings
Precious metals
Silver
Argentite and horn silver
Properties
Excellent malleability, ductility and electrical conductivity.
Applications
Plating material for electrical conductors
Jewelry
Light-sensitive compounds for photographic materials
Brazing alloys and long-life batteries
Precious metals
Platinium
Nickel ores
Platinium group
Properties
Corrosion resistance and high melting point
Applications
Corrosion resistant coatings
Laboratory equipment, medical instruments and fine
jewelry
Catalyst for many reactions
High resistance wires for furnaces
Heat treatment of metals and alloys
Heating and cooling operations to alter
properties of material
Changes in the microstructures possibly
through the addition of other materials
Heat treatment ovens, flame sources and
induction heating are common methods used
in heat treatment
Different quenching media can be used to
control the cooling rate
Heat treatment of metals and alloys
Heat treatment allows us to produce many
specialty products and enhance material
properties to develop applications which would
otherwise not be possible.
Machine tool industry
Aerospace program
Automotive components
Methods of softening steels
Normalising
Heating to austenite range, and letting it remain there for 1 hour
per inch of thickness, and letting it cool in still air at room
temperature
Good machinability

Annealing
Slow cooling of metal from the austenite temperature range
Heated by 100C to 380C into the austenite range and held
according to thickness
Temperature is then slowly reduced (20C to 50C per hour until it
passes the pf line)
Full annealing, resulting in large uniform grain structure
Methods of softening steels
Methods of softening steels
Other forms of annealing
Box annealing
Process annealing
Spheroidizing
Tempering
BOX ANNEALING
 A process of annealing a ferrous alloy in a suitably
closed metal container with or without protective
materials to minimize oxidation.

SHPHEROIDIZING
 Spheroidizing refers to a heat treatment material
modification process that is used to convert granular
structures of the material into a spheroidal form. The
process is performed to improve a metal's cold forming
capability.
PROCESS ANNEALING
 Process annealing involves heating the steel to a temperature below (typically 10–20°C
below) the lower critical temperature (Ac1) and is often known as 'subcritical' annealing.
After heating, the steel is cooled to room temperature in still air.

TEMPERING
 Reheating immediately after hardening to a temperature below transformation temperature
and cooling it to increase the ductility and toughness of the steel
 Heated to between 3750C and 4300C and remain there depending on thickness, then allowed
to cool
3 types of tempering
Martempering

Austempering

Isothermal quenching and tempering

Methods of hardening steels
Quenching - Simply a controlled cooling process
Different quenching mediums: Oil, Water and Brine

Surface hardening
Carburizing - Placing low carbon steel in a high
carbon atmosphere and heating into the red-heat
range
Methods of hardening steels
Nitriding - Same process as carbonizing but with
nitrogen which have same effects

Carbonitriding - Flame hardening and induction

hardening
Corrosion
Major category
Dry corrosion - Metal-gas reaction
Wet corrosion - Galvanic cell
Dry Corrosion
Happen at ambient or elevated temperature
Corrosion film a result of oxidation reaction
Examples
Alumina formation
Ferrous oxide formation

Effects of gases during production of metals

Grey cast iron “growth”
Nickel chromium alloys “fractrure”
Nickel based alloys “embrittlement”
Catastrophic oxidation
Wet Corrosion
Anode
Cathode
Electrolyte
Dissolved oxygen
Examples

Galvanised iron (zinc coated low carbon steel)

Iron protected as long as zinc is present
Tin coated iron
Protection ends when coating is damaged
Sealed cans protection
Wet Corrosion
 Types

Uniform
Preferential
Crevice
Galvanic
Pitting
Intergranular
Selective leaching
Erosion
Hydrogen damage
Biological
Wet Corrosion
 Factors that affect corrosion mechanism
Metal composition and structure
Environmental surface defects
Structural design
Applied or internal stresses
Temperature
Aeration
Chemistry of electrolyte