Marvel Bronze
Steel- The Metal A Generation Takes For Granted
3/24/2010 5:37 PM
About Today's Life
We who live in the age after the prime of such things as the "Baby Boomers", the Apollo Program, the Viet Nam War and the First Gulf War know that we are inheriting a world full of Technology. There are lots of neat little toys to go around and keep us busy and amused. Most of us do not understand all the effort that went into bringing us the wonderful things we have. But most of us know how to load songs onto an i-pod and listen to songs while our parents look on mystified about our use of this 21st Century marvel.
Well, the same could be said, in reverse, about some of the things around us all day long. When we go to work, we see the men unloading the trucks and stacking materials to be used to make the products of today. Be it an audio player device, a desk, an electrical control panel, a crane assembly or a drilling platform, they all need to be supported by a rigid and strong metal structure. The frame work of many of today's products depends on a relatively light weight but strong metal that is dependable once sent into the field to operate under many conditions for years to come. Our grand children will some day ask the question, "Who made this and why did they build it the way they did?" As a member of the team of people who, everyday, face the task of deciding what do we make and how do we do it, part of that task is: what will it be made of? The choices are often wood, plastics or metal. Each has its pros and cons. We can discuss those here, in a selection process of what and why.
What and Why
The choice of a materialstarts with common sense for the design team and some of the things guiding us are what type of product is it, where will it be used, how long does it have to last and are there any standards that it must meet. The first question, "what type of product is it" makes us ask the questions about does it get wet, is it operated inside or outside, does it carry devices that conduct electricity or chemicals. Each answer brings us to conclude what choice of materials is suited to our use. Wood is relatively strong, and might be suited to surround equipment carrying a very low voltage, like a speaker frame. But it may be big and bulky to get the strength needed in a structure holding up a crane in a building. Plastics may be low in weight but we might recognize them as being well suited for the cover of a toy but not something we want supporting a drill platform. Metals have been the stalwart for generations in many structures, frames, cabinets, valve bodies and automobiles or trucks. Also the internal parts like engine blocks and pistons that are subjected to stresses and high temperatures along with a continuous cycle repeating a motion. These require a selection of metal materials because of the properties exhibited by metals in repeated use and application.
There are many metals to choose from and normally a team may already have experience with a prior product where they had successes and some failures along the road of product development. Some groups may have more experience while others may have almost none. Those advanced groups may find this article a little juvenile while the other least experienced groups may be saying "slow down, you are going to fast". Maybe they have been using Wood and Plastics in their products. Still others may be saying, they wish they could save money or weight by going to a plastic part. Well let's see if that is a wise choice or whether or not Metals are your best choice.
Earlier I wrote that there are many metals, the "Atomic Table of Elements" lists the elements in an orderly table arranged by the number of electrons and protons that make that element what it is. Items on the left and right are gases or powders and are not generally where we want to look for a good strong metal. As we look more to the middle of the table we see Titanium, Iron, Nickel and Copper. These are all familiar names, but which one would we use for our application, should we decide to go with a metal in framework of our product. Cost might be one factor that would drive our decision. Titanium is light weight but it can cost a lot compared to copper. Also would it be able to be obtained in the shape we wanted. And lastly, if we could obtain a block of material to make our product, what are the costs of cutting and machining the piece. Would it wear out standard drills and saw blades or would it require special equipment, could the processes take much more time. If the answers seem to be generating too many negative answers maybe the team needs to look elsewhere.
Copper is good, wasn't an earlier civilization built on the use of copper in brass and bronze. Some members of the team may recall their High School days when they had to study about the "Bronze Age". They may recall that the Greeks and Romans used early forms of these metal alloys to make swords and spears, the weapons of mass destruction, at least in the days of sail powered ships. What was that A-word that I just used? What is a metal alloy? Well a simple description is, that an alloy is a combination of two or more metal elements mixed together to produce a third metal which exhibits characteristics of both its components. What is that you might wonder? It's like a Nectarine, something that tastes like a peach but has the consistency of an apple. Great, why would someone want to choose an alloy? Well because alloys of metal take on new characteristics that make them in some cases like "super materials". Before the 20th Century people would make things out of Iron and they worked well, except maybe when it might rain or when the metal object might be hot and accidentally dropped into water. Oops, it cracked when they put it down or when the turned a valve handle to stop the flow of that hot syrup, etc. Or maybe they need to build a tower to hold a water tank and they need it to be 100 foot high. They don't want the legs to bow and bend, nor do they want them to snap. So what is the answer? The answer came in the middle 1800's when men were experimenting with cheaper and better ways to produce Iron products. Any advancement in the strength and lowering of costs could provide a big advantage to whoever might develop new and better alloys of metal. The new metal alloy was called Steel. It was much stronger than Iron, and more durable. It could be used in a lesser thickness and be stronger, thus saving weight and money. Now that we know a little about the introduction of the alloy of steel, we can cover more in my next article, bye for now!
By Wayne Miller, First Star Services Company - Crane Hook Safety Latches;
About the Author
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