NON FERROUS METALS AND ALLOYS

 Some other element other than Iron as the principal constituent

 Widely used non ferrous materials are alloys of Copper, Aluminum, Nickel, Tin, lead,
Zinc
 Less commonly used are Titanium, cobalt, molybdenum, gold, silver
Copper
The properties of copper that are most important are high electrical conductivity, good
corrosion resistance, machinability, strength, and ease of fabrication.
Some of these basic properties can be improved by suitable alloying.

Copper Alloys
1. Brass – alloys of copper and zinc
-- Alpha brasses – alloys containing up to 36 % Zn
Red Brasses – 5 to 20 % Zn
Yellow Brasses – 20 to 36 % Zn

-- Alpha plus beta brasses – 36 to 46 % Zn

2. Bronzes – up to 12 percent of alloying element

Tin Bronzes
Silicon Bronzes
Aluminum Bronzes
Berylium Bronzes

3. Cupronickels – alloys of copper and nickel

4. Nickel silvers – alloys of copper, nickel, zinc

Brass  Cu – Zn Phase diagram (Cu rich portion)
1. Brasses

 Brasses are alloys of copper and zinc

 α – FCC Solid solution of Cu and Zinc

 β – BCC solid solution of Cu and Zinc -- Disordered solid solution

 β’ – Ordered solid solution -- Cu atoms at centers, Zn atoms at corners of unit cell

 Variations in composition (% Zn) will result in change in color, strength, ductility,

machinability, corrosion resistance
 Addition of Zn increases ductility along with strength
 Best combination of strength and ductility is achieved with 70 Cu − 30 Zn

 Commercial brasses are divided in two groups,

brasses for cold working (α brasses)
brasses for hot working (α + β brasses)
 α brasses – Contain < 36 % Zn

 Contain 20 – 36 % Zn  Contain 5 – 20 % Zinc

 Good strength and ductility, hence  Exhibit better corrosion resistance
suitable for drastic cold working operations  Not susceptible to dezincification
 Prone to corrosion in marine  Low strength (since % Zn is less)
environments – DEZINCFICATION
Removal of Zinc from alloy
 Cartridge brass
(70 Cu – 30 Zn)

Applications:
Radiator cores, tanks, head light reflectors,
Lamp fixtures, socket shells, rivets, springs,
locks, keys, engraving plates, tumblers

Gliding metal Commercial bronze Red brass Low brass

(95 Cu – 5 Zn) (90 Cu – 10 Zn) (85 Cu – 15 Zn) (80 Cu – 20 Zn)

Coins, Medals, Jewelry, marine Sockets, condenser Musical

Emblems, hardware, rivets, tubes, plumbing instruments,
tokens screws pipe, nameplates medallions
 α + β brasses – Contain 36 – 46 % Zn
From the phase diagram, it is clear that the room temperature phase is α + β’.
However, β’ is a hard, brittle and difficult to work. At high temperatures, β’  β, which is
plastic.
Hence, the α + β brasses can only be hot – worked.
 α + β brasses
Muntz metal (60 Cu – 40 Zn)
Excellent hot working properties. Rapid cooling from β region suppresses formation of α.
Room temperature microstructure is supersaturated solution of β.
Applications: Condenser tubes, architectural work, valve stems, brazing rods

Free – Cutting brass (61.5 Cu – 35.5 Zn – 3 Pb)

Best machinability of any brass combined with good mechanical and corrosion – resistant
properties.
Applications: Hardware, gears, automatic high- speed screw machine parts

Forging brass (60 Cu – 38 Zn – 2 Pb)

Best hot working properties of any brass.
Applications: Hot forgings, hardware, plumbing parts

Naval brass (60 Cu – 39.25 Zn – 0.75 Sn)

Increased resistance to salt water corrosion.
Applications: Propeller shafts, piston rods, valve stems, marine hardware
Bronze  Cu – Sn Phase diagram (Cu rich portion)
2. Bronze
The term Bronze was originally applied for the copper – tin  Tin Bronze
However, Cu – Al  Aluminum Bronze
Cu – Si  Silicon Bronze
Cu – Be  Beryllium Bronze
Tin Bronze
 Also referred as phosphor bronzes since phosphorous
is always present as deoxidiser in casting
 Usual range of Sn : 1 – 11 %
 From the phase diagram,
two eutectoid reactions can be seen
β  α + γ at 586 °C

γ  α + δ at 520 ° C

Room temperature stable phase is (α + ε).

However, the transformation from δ to ε is slow. Hence,
for practical purposes, the solidification happens through
the dotted line.
Room temperature stable phase is
(α + δ)  for Sn 7 – 11%
α  for Sn < 7 %

Properties:
High strength, toughness, high corrosion resistance

Applications:
Bushings, clutch disks, springs, lock washers
 Silicon Bronze
 Solubility of Si decreases with temperature
 From the phase diagram,
eutectoid reaction
κα+γ at 554 °C
Is sluggish (slow). Therefore, Si < 5 %  single
phase α

Properties:
 Si bronzes are strongest of work –
hardenable Cu alloys
 Have mechanical properties comparable to
steel and corrosion resistance comparable to
copper

Applications:
Pressure vessels, tanks, marine construction
 Aluminum Bronze
 Maximum solubility of Al in α solid solution is 9.5
% at 565 °C
 Eutectoid reaction,
β  α + γ2 at 565 °C

 Commercial Al bronzes – 4 – 11 % Al
Single phase α  < 7.5 % Al
Two phase microstructure α + γ2  7.5 – 11 % Al

Properties:
Single phase (α) – good strength, corrosion
resistance, good cold working
Applications: Condenser tubes,
corrosion – resistant vessels, nuts and bolts
in marine environments
Properties:
(α + β) phase – can be heat treated to obtain
structures similar to steel
Applications: Propeller hubs, blades, pump parts,
bearings, bushings
Cupronickels
 Alloys of Cu and Ni containing up to 30 % Ni
 Cu – Ni – Isomorphous alloy system – complete solubility of Cu and Ni. Hence, Cupronickels
cannot be hardened by heat treatment. They can only be cold – worked
 Have high resistance to corrosion
 Condenser, distiller, heat exchanger tubes for naval vessels and coastal power plants

Nickel silvers
 Ternary alloys – Cu – Ni – Zn
 Cu (50 – 70 %) Ni (5 to 30 %) Zn (5 – 40 %)

 Nickel silvers containing > 60 % are single phase alloys – ductile and easily workable
 Addition of Ni to Cu – Zn alloys gives a pleasing silver – blue color and good corrosion
resistance
 Rivets, screws, nameplates, costume jewelry

 Nickel silvers containing 50 – 60 % Cu are two phase (α + β) alloys

 Springs, hardware, surgical equipment
Aluminum
Light weight – Electrical conductors (11 KV wires)
better strength to weight ratio – aircraft bodies
good corrosion resistance – Cooking utensils, food storage cans
good formability – Rolled, forged, drawn to any shape

Aluminum Alloys
 Al – Cu alloys
 Maximum solubility of Cu in Al is 5.65 % at 548 °C , which decreases to 0.45 percent at 300 °C

 Thus, these alloys can be hardened by heat treatment

 Solution annealing at 548 °C followed by rapid cooling – supersaturated solution of κ + θ

 θ  Cu Al2 / AGE precipitate, which gradually comes out with time – AGING /HARDENING
Heavy – duty forgings, aircraft fittings, truck frames
Al – Mn alloys
 Mn is limitedly soluble in Al. Maximum solubility of Mn in α solid solution is 1.82 at
temperature of 658 °C

 Although solubility decreases with temperature, these alloys are not age – hardenable

 Good formability, very good resistance to corrosion, good weldability

Utensils, food and chemical handling, storage cans, pressure vessels, piping
 Al – Si alloys
 Si is limitedly soluble in Al. Maximum
solubility of Si in α solid solution is 1.65 at
temperature of 578 °C

 Although solubility decreases with

temperature, these alloys are not age –
hardenable

 Good castability, very good resistance to

corrosion

Automotive pistons, food – handling

equipment, marine fittings
 Titanium
 Process of production of Ti sponge was discovered in 1938

 Ti – high melting point (1668 °C)

 Excellent corrosion resistance up to 550 °C

 Bio compatible material

Pure Ti applications: Piping, Valves, tanks, compressor cases

Titanium Alloys
 Development of Ti alloys with strength at elevated temperatures – can be used as
substitute for Ni – base and Co – base alloys used in military equipment

 Also, Ti alloys have high strength to weight ratio – ideal for aircraft parts

 Bio compatible and corrosion resistant – Ti alloys are the latest metallic bio materials
 Titanium Alloys
Ti has two phases α and β (Ex. Recall for Iron, we have α, γ, and δ). Therefore, the alloying
elements are also divided into α – stabilizers and β – stabilizers.

α alloys α + β alloys β alloys

• Addition of α stabilizers • Contain enough β stabilizing • Addition of β stabilizers such
such as Al elements as Cr, V, Fe

• High Al contents (> 6%)
• Single phase microstructure
• Weldable with good
ductility
• Less strength
• Not heat treatable, can only
be cold – worked
Ex: Ti – 5 Al – 2.5 Sn
Aircraft tailpipe assemblies,
missile fuel tanks
• Two phase (α + β) alloys are
stronger than α alloys
• Can be strengthened by
heat treatment – heated to (α
+ β) field, and quenched
Ex: Ti – 6 Al – 4 V
Aircraft gas turbine blades
and disks, airframe fittings,
airframe parts, aircraft skins,
bio implants
• Can be strengthened by heat
treatment
• Solution treatment, followed
by aging – microstructure is
TiCr2 precipitates and α in β
grains.
•Problem with embrittlement
Ex: Ti – 3 Al – 13 V – 11 Cr
Fasteners, aerospace
components requiring high
strength at high temperatures
 Ceramic Materials
Are any inorganic compounds made of metals and non – metals bounded by strong
attractive forces such as ionic or covalent bonds.
Ex: Glass, refractories, abrasives, clay products, cement
Widely used ceramic materials
 Al2O3: For applications involving high temperature with high strength
Used as insulator in spark plugs, dental use

 Diamond: Hardest natural occurring material. Used as abrasives in grinding and polishing.
Used to make abrasion resistant coating for many applications

 Silica (SiO2): Essential ingredient in glasses and glass ceramics. Used in thermal insulation,
refractories, abrasives. SiO2 is used to make optical fibers for communications. Nano
dispersed Silica can be used in manufacturing rubber tires

 Silicon Carbide (SiC): Outstanding oxidation resistance even at the melting point of steel.
Used as a coating for metals for high temperature protection. Used in abrasive grinding
wheels. Used as a reinforcement – particle / fiber in metal matrix composites

 Silicon Nitride (Si3N4): Has properties similar to those of SiC, but less high temperature
oxidation resistance.
Both SiC and Si3N4 are candidates for automotive and gas turbine engines permitting high
operating temperatures
 Area Applications Ceramic Materials
used
Electrical Capacitor Dilectrics, BaTiO3
Insulators
Magnetic Recording media, Fe3O4
credit cards
Optical Optical fibers Doped SiO2
Automotive Fuel cells, ZrO2,
Spark Plugs Al2O3
Mechanical Cutting tools WC-Co cermets
Biomedical Dentistry Al2O3
Domestic Tiles, sanitary ware, Clay, Alumina,
pottery, Jewelry diamond
 CERMET
What are cermets?

Ceramic plus metal = cermet. It's really that simple! Why would you want to combine a
metal and a ceramic? Metals, though versatile, aren't capable of withstanding the incredibly
high temperatures you typically encounter in airplane jet engines or space rockets.
Ceramics are brilliant at high temperatures and able to resist attack by chemicals and things
like oxygen in the air, but their sheer inertness means they're just pretty boring most of the
time. Brilliant for teapots and false teeth, but fairly hopeless when it comes to doing
interesting things like conducting electricity or heat or bending and flexing. If you want
something that can survive in really tough environments and still behave in interesting
ways, you need to switch your attention to things like alloys, composites—and cermets.
 Cermets

Ceramic – Matrix Metal – Matrix

Metal – Reinforcement Ceramic – Reinforcement
What are cermets used for?

Electrical components are one application. Because they can get extremely hot, they need to
behave like ceramics but, since they also need to conduct electricity, it helps if they work like
metals. Cermets offer a perfect solution in components such as resistors and vacuum tubes
(valves). Crudely, we can think of cermet resistors as a mixture of an insulator (the ceramic
matrix) and a conductor (the metal particles), with the type and relative proportions of the two
"ingredients" (ceramic and metal) determining the ultimate resistance.