Material name |
Composition |
Properties |
Applications |
Aluminum / Aluminum alloys |
Pure metal / Easily alloyed with
small amounts of copper, manganese, silicone, magnesium, and other
elements |
Low density, good electrical
conductivity (approx. 60% of copper), nonmagnetic, noncombustible,
ductile, malleable, corrosion resistance; easily formed, machined, or
cast |
Window frames, aircraft parts,
automotive parts, kitchenware |
Brass |
Alloy of copper and zinc, 65% to
35% is the common ratio |
Reasonable hardness; casts,
forms, and machines well; good electrical conductivity and acoustic
properties |
Parts for electrical fittings,
valves, forgings, ornaments, musical instruments |
Copper |
Pure metal |
Excellent ductility, thermal and
electrical conductivity |
Electrical wiring, tubing,
kettles, bowls, pipes, printed circuit boards |
Lead |
Pure metal |
Heaviest common metal, ductile,
and malleable, good corrosion resistance |
Pipes, batteries, roofing,
protection against X-Rays |
Magnesium / Magnesium Alloys |
Pure metal / Used as an alloy
element for aluminum, lead, zinc, and other nonferrous alloys; alloyed
with aluminum to improve the mechanical, fabrication, and welding
characteristics |
Lightest metallic material
(density of about 2/3 of that of aluminum), strong and tough, most
machinable metal, good corrosion resistance, easily cast |
Automobile, portable
electronics, appliances, power tools, sporting goods parts, and
aerospace equipment |
Nickel / Nickel Alloys |
Pure metal / Alloys very well
with large amounts of other elements, chiefly chromium, molybdenum, and
tungsten |
Very good corrosion resistance
(can be alloyed to extend beyond stainless steels), good high
temperature and mechanical performance, fairly good conductor of heat
and electricity |
The major use of nickel is in
the preparation of alloys or plating - frequently used as an undercoat
in decorative chromium plating and to improve corrosion resistance;
applications include electronic lead wires, battery components, heat
exchangers in corrosive environments |
Titanium / Titanium Alloys |
Pure metal / Easily alloys with
aluminum, nickel, chromium, and other elements |
Low density, low coefficient of
thermal expansion, high melting point, excellent corrosion resistance,
nontoxic and generally biologically compatible with human tissues and
bones, high strength, stiffness, good toughness |
Aerospace structures and other
high-performance applications, chemical and petrochemical applications,
marine environments, and biomaterial applications |
Zinc / Zinc Alloys |
Pure metal/ Metal is employed to
form numerous alloys with other metals. Alloys of primarily zinc with
small amounts of copper, aluminum, and magnesium are useful in
die-casting. The most widely used alloy of zinc is brass |
Excellent corrosion resistance,
light weight, reasonable conductor of electricity |
Used principally for galvanizing
iron (more than 50% of metallic zinc goes into galvanizing steel),
numerous automotive applications because of its light weight |
Ferrous Metals
Material
name |
Composition |
Properties |
Applications |
Low Carbon
Steels |
Up to 0.30%
Carbon |
Good
formability, good weld-ability, low cost |
0.1% - 0.2%
carbon: Chains, stampings, rivets, nails, wire,
pipe, and where very soft, plastic steel is needed.
0.2% - 0.3% carbon: Machine and structural parts |
Medium
Carbon Steels |
0.30% to
0.80% Carbon |
A good
balance of properties, fair formability |
0.3% - 0.4%
carbon: Lead screws, gears, worms, spindles, shafts,
and machine parts.
0.4% - 0.5% carbon: Crankshafts, gears, axles,
mandrels, tool shanks, and heat-treated machine
parts
0.6% - 0.8% carbon: "Low carbon tool steel" and is
used where shock strength is wanted. Drop hammer
dies, set screws, screwdrivers, and arbors.
0.7% - 0.8% carbon: Tough and hard steel. Anvil
faces, band saws, hammers, wrenches, and cable wire. |
High Carbon
Steels |
0.80% to
~2.0% Carbon |
Low
toughness, formability, and weld-ability, high
hardness and wear resistance, fair formability |
0.8% - 0.9%
carbon: Punches for metal, rock drills, shear
blades, cold chisels, rivet sets, and many hand
tools.
0.9% - 1.0% carbon: Used for hardness and high
tensile strength, springs, cutting tools
1.0% - 1.2% carbon: Drills, taps, milling cutters,
knives, cold cutting dies, wood working tools.
1.2% - 1.3% carbon: Files, reamers, knives, tools
for cutting wood and brass.
1.3% - 1.4% carbon: Used where a keen cutting edge
is necessary (razors, saws, etc.) and where wear
resistance is important. |
Stainless
Steel |
Stainless
steel is a family of corrosion resistant steels.
They contain at least 10.5% chromium, with or
without other elements. The Chromium in the alloy
forms a self-healing protective clear oxide layer.
This oxide layer gives stainless steels their
corrosion resistance. |
Good
corrosion resistance, appearance, and mechanical
properties |
|
Austenitic
Steels: Contains chromium and nickel. The typical
chromium content is in the range of 16% to 26%;
nickel content is commonly less than 35%. |
Good
mechanical and corrosion resisting properties, high
hardness and yield strength as well as excellent
ductility and are usually non-magnetic |
Kitchen
sinks, architectural applications such as roofing,
cladding, gutters, doors and windows; Food
processing equipment; Heat exchangers; Ovens;
Chemical tanks |
Ferritic
Steels: Magnetic with a high chromium and low nickel
content usually alloyed with other elements such as
aluminum or titanium. |
Good
ductility, weld-ability, and formability; reasonable
thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance with
a good bright surface appearance |
Automotive
trim, catalytic converters, radiator caps, fuel
lines, cooking utensils, architectural and domestic
appliance trim applications |
Martensitic
Steels: Typically contains 11.0% to 17.0% chromium,
no nickel, and 0.10% to 0.65% carbon levels. The
high carbon enables the material to be hardened by
heating to a high temperature, followed by rapid
cooling (quenching). |
Good
combination of corrosion resistance and excellent
mechanical properties, produced by heat treatment,
to develop maximum hardness, strength, and
resistance to abrasion and erosion. |
Cutlery,
scissors, surgical instruments, wear plates, garbage
disposal shredder lugs, industrial knives, vanes for
steam turbines, fasteners, shafts, and springs |
HOME PAGE | CASTING BLOG | CONTACT US |