The 5 Base Metals
STEEL
STAINLESS STEEL
CAST IRON
COPPER/BRASS
ALUMINUM
Steel – A Ferrous Metal
 A iron
alloy containing less than 2% carbon
 Melting
point of 1535 degrees C or 1535 degrees F
2795
 Boils
 From
at 3000 degrees C or 5432 degrees F
Iron, add coke, limestones lots of air and
boom steel is created
Steel Forms
Bars – Solid shapes, hot or cold rolled, rounds, squares, or
flats
 Billets – A section of an ingot
 Blooms – A slab of steel, usually the same thickness and
width
 Plates – Large flat slabs thicker than ¼” (inch)
 Shapes – Can be in the forms of beams or any other
shape needed
 Sheets – Hot or cold rolled with varying thicknesses
 Wires – Drawn form bars of steel

Steel Nomenclature

Created by S.A.E and A.I.S.I

Referred to by a four digit designation (e.g. 1060, 8620, 4340)

The first two digits refer to types of alloys in the steel (e.g. 1018
means it is plain carbon)

The last two digits refer to the carbon content in hundredths (e.g.
1018 is .18% carbon.
 1018
means that we have a plain carbon steel with .18% carbon
Stainless Steel – A Ferrous Metal

A iron alloy containing less than 2% carbon
 Contains
chromium and sometimes nickel
 Melting point
 Boiling

of 1535 degrees C or 2795 degrees F
point of 3000 degrees C or 5432 degrees F
Why do we use Stainless Steel?
 Better aesthetics
 Minimizes
 Can
oxidation and corrosion
have the ability to be ultrahigh-strength steel
Stainless Steel Classification

Designated with the same 4 digit coding of steel

Ferritic



11 to 27 percent chromium

Low carbon content (.1 to .35 percent)

Used in jewelry, car accessories, and is considered very weak
Austenitic

Non-magnetic

16 to 26 chromium and 6 to 22 percent nickel

Very low carbon content

Wieldable, somewhat machinable, but cannot be hardened by heat treatments

Used in low strength structural purposes
Martensitic

Higher carbon content .15 to 1.2 percent

4 to 18 percent chromium with usually no nickel

Magnetic

Not easily machined or welded but possible

Good for knives and such
Cast Iron – A Ferrous Metal
 Contains
2% or more carbon
 Can
be Gray, White, Ductile, Malleable, or
Wrought
 Somewhat unpredictable to
work with due to its
high carbon content
 Two
most common are Gray and White
Cast Iron

Gray

Most Common type of cast iron

About 4% carbon

Cheap to make, good compression strength, good machinability, and good vibration
dampening

Broken up into three classes based on minimum tensile strength

Class 20 – 20,000 lb/in^2

Class 40 – 40,000 lb/in^2

Class 60 – 60,000 lb/in^2
Cast Iron

White
 2.5
to 3.5 percent carbon and .5 to 1.5 percent silicon and 1 to 3
percent nickel, molybdenum, or chromium
 Same
 Very
class system as Gray Cast Iron
hard and very brittle
 Great
wear resistance
 Ideal
for rolling/crushing machines or tools
Cast Iron

Ductile – ability to be drawn into a wire

4% carbon and 2.5% silicon

Is composed of spherulites (Key factor in the ductile part)
 This
removes the stress risers which potentially allow cracking in the
metal

Tensile strength at around 120,000 lb/in^2

Designated by three individual number sets
 e.g.
60:40:18, 65:45:12
 First Set
– Tensile Strength (amount of energy required to rip the material
apart)
 Second Set
– Yield Strength (the point at which the material begins to
deform)
Set – Percent Ultimate Elongation (the permanent deformation of
the material)
 Third
Copper/Brass – A Non-ferrous Metal

Copper

One of the first metals used

Dozens of types of ores but not many are commercially important

Predominantly found in Michigan, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Arizona, Alaska, Chile,
Canada, Africa, England, Spain, Peru, Mexico, and Bolivia

Most practical copper is found near the surface of the earth

Usually used for wire and electrical components (must be extremely pure)

Good conductivity and good corrosion resistance but will react with sulfur, oxygen,
and chlorine when heated

Its tensile strength is considerably less than steel and it modulus of elasticity is roughly
half that of steel
Copper/Brass Continued

Brass

A type of Copper, Bronze, and Zinc

However may contain more elements besides Copper and Zinc

Roughly, Brass is 70% Copper, 29% Zinc, and 1% Tin

Most common types are Muntz, Red, and Free Machining

Muntz – also called Malleable Brass, is 60% Copper and 40% Zinc


Red – 85% Copper and 15% Zinc


Tensile strength of 52,000 lb/in^2
Tensile strength of 38,000 lb/in^2 but can be cold rolled (Hardened) to 70,000 lb/in^2
Free Machining

60% Copper, 40% Zinc, .75% Tin, and .25% Lead
Aluminum – A Non-ferrous Metal

Second most abundant metallic element in the Earth’s crust

Never found in a pure natural form

1/3 the weight of steel or copper

Easily recyclable (maintaining 100% reuse)

Melting Point: 1,220.58 degrees Fahrenheit (660.32 degrees Celsius)

Boiling Point: 4,566 degrees F (2,519 degrees C)

Refined made readily useable by the Bayer and Hall–Héroult processes
Aluminum Continued

Why do we use Aluminum?

Light in weight

Strong

Noncorrosive

Nonsparking

Nonmagnetic

Nontoxic

Noncombustible.
Aluminum Continued

Aluminum is a very versatile metal
 It
is used in the auto and aero space industry due to
lightness and durability
 It
is used in many situations where sparks or fire are
concerns
 It
is generally thought of as more versatile than steel
Aluminum Continued

Aluminum Code System

Good online sources (http://www.esab.ca/ca/en/education/blog/understanding-thealuminum-alloy-designation-system.cfm and
http://www.kanabco.com/vms/eng_metal_stds/eng_metal_stds_06.html )

Wrought Aluminum (4 digit codes)

Cast Alloy Designation (3 digit codes)

The Aluminum Temper Designation (letter designation)


F (As Fabricated) O (Annealed) H (Strain Hardened) W (Solution Heat Treated) T
(Thermally Treated)
Commercial Grading (8 digit code)
Formability or
Workability
Weldability
Machining
Corrosion Resistance
Heat Treating
Strength
Typical
Applications
Alloy 1100
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent
No
Low
Metal
Spinning
Alloy 2011
Good
Poor
Excellent
Poor
Yes
High
General
Machining
Alloy 2024
Good
Poor
Fair
Poor
Yes
High
Aerospace
Application
Alloy 3003
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Good
No
Medium
Chemical
Equipment
Alloy 5052
Good
Good
Fair
Excellent
No
Medium
Marine
Applications
Alloy 6061
Good
Good
Good
Excellent
Yes
Medium
Structural
Applications
Alloy 6063
Good
Good
Fair
Good
Yes
Medium
Architectural
Applications
Alloy 7075
Poor
Poor
Fair
Average
Yes
High
Aerospace
Applications