An
alloy is a combination, either in
solution or
compound, of two or more
elements, at least one of which is a
metal, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. An alloy with two components is called a binary alloy; one with three is a ternary alloy; one with four is a quaternary alloy. The result is a metallic substance with properties different from those of its components.
Alloys are usually designed to have properties that are more desirable than those of their components. For instance,
steel is stronger than
iron, one of its main elements, and
brass is more durable than
copper, but more attractive than
zinc.
Unlike pure metals, many alloys do not have a single
melting point. Instead, they have a melting range in which the material is a mixture of
solid and
liquid phases. The temperature at which melting begins is called the
solidus, and that at which melting is complete is called the
liquidus. Special alloys can be designed with a single melting point, however, and these are called
eutectic mixtures.
Sometimes an alloy is just named for the base metal, as 14 karat (58%)
gold is an alloy of gold with other elements. The same holds for
silver used in
jewellery, and
aluminium used structurally.
Alloys include:
See also
Category:Inorganic compounds
Category:Metallurgy
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