PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF FERROUS ALLOYS

Ferrous metals and alloys:

 Contains iron as base metal.
 Categorized as carbon and alloy steels, stainless steal, tool and die steels, cast
iron and cast steels.

General applications of ferrous alloys:

 Ferrous steel is produced as sheet for automobiles, appliances, and containers.
 As plates for ships, boilers and bridges, as a structural member (such as I-
beams).
 Bar products for leaf springs, gears axles, crankshaft and railroad rails.
 As stock for tools and dies.
 As music wire and as fasteners such as bolts, rivets and nuts.
 Ferrous materials comprise 70% to 85% by weight of virtually all structural
members and mechanical components.
 Carbon steels are least expensive.

Carbon and alloy steels:

 Most commonly used and has wide range of applications.
 Available in various basic product shapes: plate, sheet, strip, bar, wire, tube,
castings and forgings.
 Several elements are added to impart various properties like hardenability,
strength, hardness, toughness, wear resistance, workability, weldability and
machinability.
 Higher the carbon content, higher the hardenability of the steels, higher the
strength, hardness and the wear resistance.
 That is conversely ductility; weldability and toughness are reduced with
reduced with increasing carbon content.
Carbon steels:
Low carbon steels:
 Also called as mild steel, has less than 0.30% carbon.
 Generally used for common industrial products such as bolts, nuts, sheet
plates, tubes and machine components that do not require high strength.
Medium carbon steels:
 0.30% to 0.60% carbon
 Used where high strength is required.
 Machinery, automotive and agricultural parts (eg. Gears, axles, connecting
rod, crank shaft), railroad equipments and parts for metal working
machinery.
High carbon steels:
 >0.60% carbon.
 Used for parts requiring strength, hardness, and wear resistance such as
cutting tools, cable, music wire, springs, cutlery and rails.
 After the parts are usually heat treated and tempered.
 Higher the carbon content, higher the hardness, strength and wear
resistance after heat treatment.

Carbon steels containing sulpher or phosphorous, known as resulpherized and

rephosphorized carbon steels. These steels have improved machinability.

Alloy steels:
 Steels containing significant amount of alloying elements.
 Used in applications where strength, hardness, resistance to creep, fracture
and toughness are required.

High-strength low-alloy steels:

 They are developed to improve the strength-to-weight ratio.
  Low carbon content usually less than 0.3%.
 Usually produced in sheet form by microalloying and controlled hot
rolling.
 Used in ships, bridges and building construction and shapes such as I-
beams, channels and angles are used in buildings and various other
structures.

Dual-phase steels:
 Have a mixed ferrite and martensite structure.
 High work hardening characteristics which improve their ductility and
formability.

Stainless steels:
 Corrosion resistance, high strength and ductility and high chromium
content.
 When exposed to air, they form a thin hard adherent film of chromium
oxide that protects the metal from corrosion.
 Other alloying elements are nickel, molybdenum, copper, titanium, silicon,
manganese, columbium, aluminum and sulfur.

Types: Stainless steel can be categorized into four groups:

Group A:
 Alloy formed from iron and chromium % of chromium is <13%.
 Hard, wear resistance and magnetic.
 Applications: springs, razors, surgical instruments and cutlery items,
Group B:
 Called as ferrite stainless steel.
 Consist of 13 to 27 % chromium and less than 0.2 % carbon.
 Soft, ductile, malleable, and magnetic in nature.
 Application: make vessels in chemical industries.
  Furnace parts, heaters, juice carrying pipes in sugar industries,
architectural and automotive trim, restaurant utensils, pots and pans.
Group C:
 Comprises chromium, nickel, and manganese.
 Soft, ductile, malleable and non-magnetic.
 Low thermal conductive and high coefficient of expansion.
 This group of steel are more resistant to corrosion than ferrite.
 Application: make engine manifolds, food and chemical plants, tubular
exchangers and sanitary fittings.
Group D:
 It is also referred to as precipitation hardenable SS.
 In addition to chromium, and nickel, it contains molybdenum, titanium,
aluminum, copper, and nitrogen.
 Remain strong upto 550’C after that its strength decreases.
 Application: aircraft and missile industries, and to make pen nibs.

Cast iron
 Obtained by combining pig iron along with choke and iron scrap in the cupolo
furnace.
 Cast iron contains 2 to 4% of the carbon content.
Types:
 Grey CI
 White CI
 Malleable CI
 Nodular or spheroid CI.
Grey CI: properties:
 A fractured piece of grey CI is grey in color.
 Due to the presence of grapite, it is highly machinable.
 Due to high carbon content, it has high compressive strength.
 It is a good thermal conductor
  It is brittle & can be easily broken by hammering
 Application: Motor cylinders, pistons, crankcases, & machine tool beds
White CI: properties:
 Obtained by rapid cooling of molten iron
 High carbon content- hard, brittle& difficult to machine
 A fractured piece of white CI is white in color.
 High abrasive wear resistance
 Application: Gates, fences, parts of stove

Malleable CI: properties:

 Moderate shock resistance
 Highly machinable
 Less brittle than white CI
 High strength & toughness
 Can be hammered & rolled
 Application: Railroad, automotive parts, door keys, spanners, gear wheel,
crank levers

Nodular/Spheroid CI: properties:

 Strong & ductile
 Highly moldable
 Wear resistant
 Tensile strength mare than gray CI
 Application: Hydraulic cylinders, valves, pipes & cylinder head for
compressors
 NONFERROUS METALS AND ALLOYS

1. Aluminum and its alloys:

 High strength to weight ratio
 Resistance to corrosion
 High thermal and electrical conductivity
 Nontoxicity, reflectivity, appearance, ease of formability and machinability
 Non-magnetic
 Made into various shapes by extrusion, rolling, drawing, forging, powder
metallurgy

Applications:
 Aluminum cans and foils
 Buildings and other construction purposes
 Aircrafts, buses, automobiles, marine craft
 Electrical products
 Cooking utensils, furniture and portable tools

2. Magnesium and its alloys:

 Lightest engineering metal available
 Good vibration damping characteristics
 High strength to weight ratio
 They are Pyrophoric- oxidize rapidly
 Good casting, forming and machining characteristics

Applications:
 Aircraft and missile components
  Portable power tools, ladders, bicycles, sporting goods and general light weight
components
 Printing and textile machinery
3. Copper and its alloys:
 Best conductors of electricity and heat
 Good corrosion resistance
 Processed easily by forming, machining, casting and joining techniques
Applications:
 Bronze - alloy of copper & tin used to produce springs & bearings
 Electrical and electronic components
 Plumbing, cartridges for small arms
 Heat exchanger, marine hardware
 Cooking utensils, jewelry, decorative objects

4. Nickel and its alloys:

 Silver- white metal having strength, toughness & corrosion resistance
 High temperature strength
 Monel – Ni-Cu alloy has corrosion resistance & high temperature strength
 Nichrome- Ni,Cr,Fe alloy has high oxidation & electrical resistance
 Invar – Fe, Ni alloy has relatively low sensitivity to temperature
Applications:
 Jet – engine components, rockets
 Nuclear power plants, solenoids
 Food- handling & chemical processing equipments
 Electroplating
 Electrical heating elements (Nichrome)

5. Titanium and its alloys:

 Expensive
 High strength to weight ratio
  Corrosion resistance at room and elevated temperatures
 Titanniam aluminide intermetallics (TiAl & Ti3Al) has high stiffness and lower
density
Applications:
 Air craft, jet engine, race cars
 Chemical, petrochemical, marine components
 Submarine hulls & biomaterials such as orthopedic implants

6. Molybdenum:
 Silvery white metal with high melting point
 High modulus of elasticity
 Good resistance to thermal shock
 Good thermal and electrical conductivity
 Low resistance to oxidation at temperatures above 500 degree Celsius
Applications:
 Solid-propellant rockets, jet-engines
 Honeycomb structures, electronic components
 Heating elements & Dies for die casting

7. Niobium:
 Good ductility and formability
 Greater resistance to oxidation
Applications:
 Rockets, missiles
 Nuclear, chemical & super conductor applications

8. Tungsten:
 Highest melting point (3410 degree Celsius)
 High strength at elevated temperature
 High density, brittleness at low temperature
  Poor resistance to oxidation
Applications:
 Filament wire in incandescent light bulbs
 Nozzle throat liners in missiles
 Welding electrodes & spark-plug electrodes
 Tool and die steels

9. Tantalum:
 High melting point(3000degree celsius)
 Good ductility & resistance to corrosion
 High density & poor resistance to chemicals at temperatures above 150degree
Celsius
Applications:
 Electrolytic capacitors
 Furnaces & acid-reisstant heat exchangers
 Tantalum base alloys are used in missiles & aircraft

10. Beryllium:
 Stray gray in color, high strength to weight ratio
 Beryllium & its oxide are toxic and should not be inhaled
Applications:
 Nuclear and X-ray applications
 Rocket nozzles, space and missile structures
 Aircraft disc brakes, precision instruments & mirrors

11. Zirconium:
 Silvery in appearance
 Good strength & ductility at elevated temperatures
 Good corrosion resistance
Applications:
  Electronic components
 Nuclear power reactor applications- low neutron absorption characteristics

12. Lead:
 High density, good corrosion resistance
 Softness, low strength , high ductility & workability
 Toxic
Applications:
 Piping, collapsible tubing
 Cable sheathing, roofing, lead acid storage batteries
 Damping sound & vibrations, radiation shielding against X-rays
 Printing, chemical & paint industries

13. Zinc:
 Bluish-white color
 Fourth most utilized metal after iron, aluminum & copper
 Good corrosion resistance
Applications:
 Galvanizing iron, steel sheet & wire
 Fuel pumps, grills for automobiles
 Household appliances- vacuum cleaners, kitchen equipment& washing machines
 Photoengraving plates

14. Tin:
 Silvery white, lustrous metal
 Low shear strength, low friction coefficient
Applications:
 Containers(tin cans)
 To improve performance in deep drawing & general press working operations
  Lining material for water distillation plants
 Soldering materials, decorative aircrafts, dental alloys

15. Gold:
 Soft & ductile
 Good corrosion resistance at any temperature
Applications:
 Jewelry, coinage, reflectors
 Dental work, electroplating
 Gold leaf for decorative purposes

16. Silver:
 Ductile metal, highest electrical & thermal conductivity
 Oxide film affects its surface properties & appearance
Applications:
 Tableware, jewelry, coinage, electroplating
 Photographic film, solders, bearings
 Food & chemical equipments

17. Platinum:
 Soft, ductile, grayish-white metal
 Good corrosion resistance even at elevated temperatures
Applications:
 Spark-plug electrodes, filaments, nozzles
 Catalysts for automobile pollution-control devices
 Dies for extruding glass fibers, jewelry, dental work
 Thermocouples & in electrochemical industry