Properties of Metals Flashcards
What are the 3 basic metal properties?
They are strong but some can be bent or hammered into different shapes
They’re good at conducting heat
They conduct electricity well
What are 3 everyday uses of metals? (link to the property)
Their strength and bendability makes them great for making into bridges and car bodies
They are good for objects where heat will have to pass through, like saucepans
Their conductivity makes them good for electrical wiring
Metals are good for what?
But what is one bad property involved in this?
So what happens?
So it needs to be ….
building materials
some corrode when exposed to water and air
it loses its strength and hardness
protected by things like paint
Under stress and strains what can metals undergo?
Metal fatigue which leads to it breaking which is dangerous especially in planes
Copper: What are it’s three specific properties?
What is it used for(1) and why(2)?
A good conductor of electricity - ideal for electrical wiring
Hard and strong but can be bent
It doesn’t react with water
Plumbing - 1. it can be bent to make pipes and tanks, 2. it doesn’t react with water as it’s below hydrogen on the reactivity series.
Aluminium: What are it’s three specific properties?
What is it used for(1) and why(2)?
Corrosion resistant
Low density
Pure =not very strong, in an alloy = very strong and hard
Airplane as it’s 1. strong and can be bent into shape, 2. it needs to be light
Titanium: What are it’s three specific properties?
What is it used for(1) and why(3)?
Low density
It’s very strong
Corrosion resistant
Replacement hips as it 1. won’t corrode and 2. is light and 3. not very bendy
How pure is iron from a blast furnace? What is the impurity? What are its structural properties? What is it useful for then?
What is it called?
96%
4% carbon
It’s bendy and brittle which means it’s only useful for ornaments
Cast Iron
What is iron like after all of its impurities have been removed? (2)
It has a regular arrangement of identical atoms
These layers can slide over each other easily which makes it soft and easily shaped - it’s too bendy for most uses now.
What is pure iron turned into to make it strong and useful?
Steels, iron with some carbon or other elements added
Low carbon steel:
% of carbon added
property
use
0.1% carbon
easily shaped
car bodies
High carbon steel:
% of carbon added
properties (2)
uses (2)
1.5%
very hard, flexible
blades for cutting tools, bridges
Stainless steel:
other metals added
properties (2)
uses (2)
chromium and sometimes nickle
corrosion resistant
cutlery, containers for carrying corrosive substances
Why are alloys harder than pure metals?
The different sized atoms in the different elements distorts the layers making them difficult to slide over each other
Bronze:
What is it made up of?
What is its property?
What it good for? (2)
Copper + tin
Bronze is harder than copper
Medals and statues
