Metals 1

• Strength and hardness 
• Cheap cost of production
• Versatility of shapes
• Durable 
• Conductivity and magnetisim

Structural Metals (strong)

Workable metals (ductile)

Heavy Metals (toxic)

Radioactive Metals (unstable)

Noble metals (non- corroding

Metals Require energy intensive extraction techniques and generate greenhouse gases

1. Reduction of iron ore to pig iron (high carbon content)

2. Refining pig iron into steel 

3. Forming steel into products

• Blast furnance with carbon (coke) ,limestone and iron ore
• Lime stone removes impurities in from iron ore
• Slag (stuff left ontop of pig iron) is non metallic and contains silicates
• Molten iron with carbon is collected at the bottom
• Pig iron is not pure iron, but has high carbon content, manganse, silicon

• Made directly from re smelting pig iron with coke in smaller furnance
• Carbon Content between 2 to 4.5% 
• Brittle material
• Does not soften when heated metls at 1232 degrees 
• Easy to cast
• Reasonably corrosion resistant in water

• Gray iron
• Ductile iron
• White Iron
• Malleable Iron
• Wrought Iron

• Graphic flakes
• Weak and brittle under tension
• Stronger under compression
• Excellent Vibrational dampening
• Wear resistant

• Add Mg or Ce
• Graphite in modules not flakes
• Matrix often pearlite - better ductility

• 1% Si so harder but brittle
• More cementitie

• Heat treat 800-900 degrees
• Graphite in rosettes
• More ductile

• Made from further smelting of cast iron
• almost pure iron
• Produced by combining molten metal with small amounts of hot slag
• Becomes soft when heated Melts at 1538
• Ductile
• Not easily cast
• Cold worked, forgerd, welded

• Air blast used to refine pig iron. Burns up impurities such as carbon, silicon and manganese
• Produces steel then wrought iron
• Robert Mushet and Goren Goranson modified the process to produce steel
• Basic oxygen furnace - 300tons in 25 mins
• Electric arc - melts steel uses a lot of energy