mechanical engineering

Antimony
A brittle lustrous white metal used mainly as an alloying element for casting and bearing alloys and in solders.

Beryllium
A white metal similar in appearance to aluminium. Brittle at room temperature. Has many applications in the nuclear field and for electronic tubes. With copper and nickel it produces alloys with high strength and electrical conductivity. Beryllium iron has good corrosion and heat resistance.

Cadmium
A fairly expensive soft white metal like tin. Used for plating and electrical storage batteries. It has good resistance to water and saline atmospheres and is useful as plating for electrical parts since it takes solder readily.

Chromium
A steel-grey soft but brittle metal. Small traces of carbide give it extreme hardness. It is used extensively in alloys and for electroplating and is also used for electrical resistance wire and in magnet alloys.

Lead
A heavy, soft, ductile metal of low strength but with good corrosion resistance. It is used for chemical equipment, roofing, cable sheathing and radiation shielding. It is also used in alloys for solder and bearings.

Lead-tin alloys
These are used as ‘soft solders’, often with a little antimony for strength. Tinman’s solder Approximately 2 parts of tin to 1 part of lead. Used for electrical jointing and tinplate can sealing. Plumber’s solder Approximately 2 parts of lead to 1 part of tin. Used for wiping lead pipe joints. Type metal Contains about 25% tin, with lead and some antimony. Has negligible shrinkage. Bearing metal Lead based ‘white metal’ contains lead, tin, antimony and copper, etc.

Magnesium
A very light metal, only one-quarter the weight of steel and two-thirds that of aluminium, but not easily cold worked. Usually alloyed with up to 10% aluminium and often small amounts of manganese, zinc and zirconium. Used for aircraft and internal combustion engine parts, nuclear fuel cans and sand and die castings. Magnesium and its alloys corrode less in normal temperatures than does steel.

Manganese
A silvery white hard brittle metal present in most steels. It is used in manganese bronze and high nickel alloys and to improve corrosion resistance in magnesium alloys.

Nickel
Nickel has high corrosion resistance. It is used for chemical plant, coating steel plate and electroplating as a base for chromium. Nickel is used for many steel, iron and non-ferrous alloys. Nickel-base alloys Monel Used for steam turbine blades and chemical plant. Composition: 68%Ni, 3o%cu, 2%0Fe. Inconel Good at elevated temperatures, e.g. for cooker heater sheaths. Composition:  8O%Ni, 14%Cr, 6%Fe.
Nimonic A series of alloys based on 70-80%Ni, with small amounts of Ti, Co, Fe, A1 and C. Has high resistance to creep and is used for gas turbine discs and blades, and combustion chambers. Strong up to 900 “C.

Platinum
A soft ductile white metal with exceptional resistance to corrosion and chemical attack. Platinum and its alloys are widely used for electrical contacts, electrodes and resistance wire.

Silver
A ductile malleable metal with exceptional thermal and electrical conductivity. It resists most chemicals but tarnishes in a sulphurous atmosphere. It is used for electrical contacts, plating, bearing linings and as an alloying element.

Tin
A low-melting-point metal with silvery appearance and high corrosion resistance. It is used for tinplate, bearing alloys and solder.

Titanium
An expensive metal with low density, high strength and excellent corrosion resistance. It is used in the aircraft industry, generally alloyed with up to 10% aluminium with some manganese, vanadium and tin. Titanium is very heat resistant.

Tungsten
A heavy refractory steel-grey metal which can only be produced in shapes by powder metallurgy (m.p.3410 “C). It is used as an alloying element in tool and die steels and in tungsten carbide tool tips. It is also used in permanent magnets.

Zinc
Pure zinc has a melting point of only 400 “C so is good for die casting, usually with 1-2%0Cu and 4%A1 to increase strength. Used for carburettors, fuel pumps, door handles, toys, etc., and also for galvanizing sheet steel, nails and wire, and in bronze.