Alloy

For other uses, see Alloy (disambiguation).

Wire rope made from steel, which is a

whose
major
component
is iron,
with carbon content between 0.02% and
mass.

metal
2.14%

alloy
by

An alloy is a material composed of two

or
[1]
more metals or a metal and a nonmetal.
An
alloy
may be a solid solution of the elements
(a
single
phase), a mixture of metallic phases
(two or more
solutions)
or
an intermetallic
compound with no distinct boundary
between the
phases. Solid solution alloys give a
single
solid phase microstructure, while partial
solutions
exhibit two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution,
depending on the thermal (heat treatment) history of the material
. An inter-metallic compound has one other alloy or pure metal embedded within
another pure metal.
Alloys are used in some applications, where their properties are superior to those of the
pure component elements for a given
application. Examples of alloys
are steel, solder, brass, pewter, Duralumin,phosphor bronze and an amalgam.
The alloy constituents are usually measured by mass. Alloys are usually classified as
substitutional or interstitial alloys, depending on the atomic arrangement that forms the
alloy. They can be further classified as homogeneous (consisting of a single phase), or
heterogeneous (consisting of two or more phases) or intermetallic (where there is no
distinct boundary between phases).

Contents

1 Introduction

2 Terminology

3 Theory

4 Heat-treatable alloys

5 Substitutional and interstitial alloys

6 History
o

6.1 Meteoric iron

6.2 Bronze and brass

6.3 Amalgams

6.4 Precious-metal alloys

6.5 Pewter

6.6 Steel and pig iron

When the alloy cools and solidifies (crystallizes), its mechanical properties will often be
quite different from those of its individual constituents. A metal that is normally very soft
and malleable, such as aluminium, can be altered by alloying it with another soft metal,
like copper. Although both metals are very soft and ductile, the resulting aluminium
alloy will be muchharder and stronger. Adding a small amount of nonmetallic carbon to iron produces an alloy called steel. Due to its very-high strength
and toughness (which is much higher than pure iron), and its ability to be greatly altered
by heat treatment, steel is one of the most common alloys in modern use. By
adding chromium to
steel,
its
resistance
to corrosion can
be
enhanced,
creating stainless steel
When the alloy cools and solidifies (crystallizes), its mechanical properties will often be
quite different from those of its individual constituents. A metal that is normally very soft
and malleable, such as aluminium, can be altered by alloying it with another soft metal,
like copper. Although both metals are very soft and ductile, the resulting aluminium
alloy will be muchharder and stronger. Adding a small amount of nonmetallic carbon to iron produces an alloy called steel. Due to its very-high strength
and toughness (which is much higher than pure iron), and its ability to be greatly altered
by heat treatment, steel is one of the most common alloys in modern use. By
adding chromium to
steel,
its
resistance
to corrosion can
be
enhanced,
creating stainless steel.