You are on page 1of 2

Non - Ferrous Alloys

Wednesday, November 8, 2017 2:36 PM

Non ferrous alloys


Iron and steel, though is the dominant material used, it has following drawbacks.

• High density
• Susceptibility to corrosion
• Electrical conductivity comparatively low

Thereby other metals and alloys systems come into play Most important non ferrous alloys include Cu, Al, Mg, Ti alloys

1. Copper alloys

• Pure copper is very soft and ductile: difficult to machine


• Can take huge amount of cold work
• Highly resistant to corrosion
• Alloying improves mechanical and corrosion properties
• Copper alloying generally cant be strengthened by heat
treatment
• Cold working and solid-solution done to improve strength

i. Brass: Cu - Zn alloy

• Zn is substitutional element
• Alpha phase upto 35% zn; FCC
• It is soft, ductile and easily cold worked
• Beta brass has higher Zn amount and is BCC structure
• Beta brass is harder and stronger than alpha brass

ii. Bronze are Cu alloys with elements Sn, Al, Si, Ni

• Stronger than brass.


• High corrosion resistance.
• Cu — Be are precipitation hardenable; excellent tensile, electrical .
• corrosion resistance, wear resistance properties.

NOTE: Cold working: Cold working is the strengthening of a metal by plastic deformation.
Solid solution: A solid solution is a solid - state solution of one or more solutes in a solvent.

2. Aluminum alloys

• Low density, high electrical and thermal conductivity


• Corrosion resistant in ambient atmosphere — alumina formation
• Good ductility (FCC), even at low temperature
• Low MP (660 QC) is a constraint
• Can be cold worked or alloyed to improve strength, compromises with corrosion behaviour
• Mainly alloyed with Cu, Mg, Si, Mn, Zn
• Some of these alloys precipitation harden
• Al along with Mg and Ti has low-density and is extensively researched for transportation
industry

Notes Page 1
3. Magnesium alloys

• Very low density at I .7 g/cc


• HCP structure, relatively soft
• Not easily deformable due to HCP structure
• Fabrication possible by casting/hot working
• Low MP (651 ℃)
• Catches fire if heated in air
• Easily corrodes in marine condition
• Al, Zn, Mn, some rare earth are major alloying elements
• Its alloys are either cast or wrought

4. Titanium alloys

• Low density (4.5 g/cc), high MP ( 1668 0 C), high E= 107 GPa
• Extremely strong, UTS as high as 1400 MPa
• Ductile, easily machinable
• Chemical reactivity high at elevated temperature
• Very good corrosion resistance at room temperature
• Costly, hence specialized usage
• Used mainly in airplane structures, spacecraft's, implants

5. Refractory metals

Refractory metals are a class of metals that are extraordinarily resistant to heat and wear

• Metals with very high MP are refractory metals


• Niobium (2468 ℃), Molybdenum(2623℃), Tantalum(3020℃), Tungsten (3410℃)
• Very strong interatomic bonding, large elastic moduli, high strength and hardness even at elevated
temperature
• Varied uses, especially high temperature condition
• Ta, MO added to steel to improve corrosion behavior
• Added as alloying elements in superalloys, used in aircraft industry

Notes Page 2

You might also like