Useful Information Regarding AZ Metals

By Dennis Hughes


The term metal comes from the Greek language where it translates to quarry or mine in the English language. Generally, metals are good conductors of both electricity and heat. These materials are malleable and ductile. Being malleable means that they can be hammered into sheets while ductility means that they can be drawn into wires. Metals can be alloys or chemical elements such as stainless steel and iron respectively. Here are facts regarding AZ metals.

The meaning of the word metal varies depending on the subject being considered. For example, the term might be used to refer to any element that can conduct electricity at absolute zero temperature in Physics. Most elements and compounds that are not considered as metal generally are often metallic when put under high pressure levels. Iodine is a good example because it becomes metallic when put under levels of pressure ranging from 40 to 170 times that of the pressure of the atmosphere.

The crust of the earth comprises of 25 percent metal. The abundance of metal makes them common in almost every aspect of modern life. Certain metals have more uses than others because of the differences in their properties. Durability and strength are two properties that most metallic materials exhibit. Their strength and durability makes them suitable for building structures such as bridges and skyscrapers.

Products that are made from metal include aircraft, furniture, pipes, tools, home appliances, stationery, utensils, vehicles and many more. Coinage used to be made from precious metal in the old days but that is not the case anymore. Twenty three more elements on the periodic table are used to make coinage.

It is thought that the use of copper was the first instance of metal being used in history. This was about eleven millenniums ago. In the 5th millennium BCE, bronze was introduced. Materials like silver, gold, iron, brass, and lead were already in use before the introduction of bronze. Then the early forms of steel were invented before the discovery of sodium as the earliest light metal in 1809.

After the Second World War, more sophisticated alloys have been produced and used in many products and processes. An alloy is often defined as a substance that is composed of two or more elements with one of them being a metal. They usually have metallic properties. The composition may be fixed or variable depending on the chemical elements that are used to make the alloy.

There are several reasons why it is important to make alloys for use. One of these reasons is that metal in its pure form tends to be too brittle, soft, or chemically reactive to be put to any practical use. When different ratios of metals are combined, their properties are modified to achieve desirable characteristics. The reason why alloys are made is to make them harder, corrosion resistant, and less brittle.

The color or luster of alloys is also more desirable than that of a pure metal. Iron alloys are very many and they are the most commonly used even though others exist too. Abundance is measured by quantity and usage. Common alloys of iron include cast iron, carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless and tool steel are some of the regular alloys of iron.




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