Ferrous metal Flashcards
What are the three groups of metals?
Ferrous, Non-ferrous, Alloys
What does the term ‘ferrous’ relate to?
Any material that contains iron in its composition
What are the main ores of iron?
Oxides and carbonates
What is the process of extracting metals from their ore called?
Mining and reduction
What is pig iron?
The impure product of the blast furnace when cast into small ingots or ‘pigs’
What is cast iron?
Selected grades of pig iron re-melted in a cupola and cast into shapes using sand moulds
What is acid iron?
A pig iron of low phosphorous content, which may be refined to steel by an acid process
What is basic iron?
A pig iron containing up to 2% of phosphorous, refined into steel using a basic process
What is wrought iron?
A refined iron containing a certain amount of slag
What is ingot iron?
The purest commercial form of iron, made by refining iron from the blast furnace
What is steel essentially an alloy of?
Iron and carbon, containing between 1 and 5% carbon
What are some forms of supply for metals?
- Square bar
- Round bar
- Powdered steel
- Slotted beam
- Sheet steel
- Steel plate
- Round billet
- I-beam
- C-beam
- Hollow round
- Hollow square
What is mild steel’s carbon content range?
Up to 0.3% carbon
What is medium carbon steel’s carbon content range?
Between 0.3% and 0.6% carbon
What characterizes high carbon steels or tool steels?
Contain more than 0.6% carbon and are used in hardened and tempered condition
What are impurities in carbon steels typically?
Sulphur or phosphorus
How can impurities affect steel properties?
They can weaken the steel if their effect is not countered
What is a common counter-solution to impurities in steel?
Manganese
What are the properties of mild steel?
- Carbon 0.1–0.3%
- Iron 99.7–99.9%
- Tough, high tensile strength, can be hardened, rusts easily
What are the properties of carbon steel?
- Carbon 0.6–1.4%
- Iron 98.6–99.4%
- Tough, can be hardened and tempered
What are the properties of stainless steel?
- Iron, nickel and chromium (% differs by grade)
- Tough, resistant to rust, subject to stains
What are the properties of cast iron?
- Carbon 2–6%
- Iron 94–98%
- Strong but brittle, high compressive strength
What are the properties of wrought iron?
- 100% Iron
- Fibrous, tough, ductile, resistant to rusting
