Metals

Metals account for about two thirds of all the elements and about 24% of the mass of the planet. Metals have useful properties including strength, ductility, high melting points, thermal and electrical conductivity, and toughness. From the periodic table, it can be seen that a large number of the elements are classified as being a metal. A few of the common metals and their typical uses are presented below.

Common Metallic Materials

• Iron/Steel - Steel alloys are used for strength critical applications
• Aluminum - Aluminum and its alloys are used because they are easy to form, readily available, inexpensive, and recyclable.
• Copper - Copper and copper alloys have a number of properties that make them useful, including high electrical and thermal conductivity, high ductility, and good corrosion resistance.
• Titanium - Titanium alloys are used for strength in higher temperature (~1000° F) application, when component weight is a concern, or when good corrosion resistance is required
• Nickel - Nickel alloys are used for still higher temperatures (~1500-2000° F) applications or when good corrosion resistance is required.
• Refractory materials are used for the highest temperature (> 2000° F) applications.

The key feature that distinguishes metals from non-metals is their bonding. Metallic materials have free electrons that are free to move easily from one atom to the next. The existence of these free electrons has a number of profound consequences for the properties of metallic materials. For example, metallic materials tend to be good electrical conductors because the free electrons can move around within the metal so freely. More on the structure of metals will be discussed later.