2.8.2

Alloys

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Alloys

An alloy is a mixture of different metals.

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Use of alloys

  • Alloys are useful because they tend to be harder than pure metals
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Pure metals

  • Pure metals have atoms that are arranged in layers.
  • These layers can slide over each other.
  • This makes them soft and also malleable.
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Alloys are strong

  • Alloys have metal atoms of different sizes, that are mixed up with each other.
  • This means the atoms are not arranged in layers and it becomes distorted.
  • It is harder for them to slide over each other.
    • This makes them stronger.
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Steel

  • Steel is an alloy.
  • It is made by adding carbon to iron.
  • This makes steel harder than pure iron.
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Common alloys include:

  • Brass – Copper and Zinc – Used for making coins
  • Bronze – Copper and Tin – Making bells
  • Rose Gold – Gold and Copper – Jewellery
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The elements that make up an alloy

  • Alloys often have physical and chemical properties from those elements that made them up.
  • They may become denser and they may have higher melting points.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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