There are different recycled materials in the world and serves as a component for some products like home appliances, industrial machinery, cars, and construction material. A good number of these components are metals which are used in the manufacturing of several products. We have two types of metals: ferrous and non-ferrous metals. For the benefit of this post, the focus is on ferrous alloys only.
You’d get insights on ferrous metals and the reasons why it’s a useful element in the production process of manufacturing companies. The common forms of ferrous metals would be highlighted with details of their unique components. Furthermore, its peculiar properties in its different would be identified as well.
Definition of ferrous metal
Ferrous metals are elements with iron and magnetic properties which offer little contention to rust. Most ferrous metals are good conductors of electricity which makes it a suitable element in the manufacture of electronics. The metals are durable and possess malleable strength like cast iron and steel. The metal can be extracted from iron ore in the earth’s crust which contains compounds like iron oxide.
Ferrous metals are mainly composed of iron, and they are used in the manufacturing of commercial and domestic tools, shipping containers, industrial pipes, construction, rails, tools, nuts and bolts, machinery, aircraft, drills, and electrical appliances. Iron and steel remain the most common forms of ferrous metals.
Ferrous metals include the following:
- Steel
- Alloy steel
- Carbon steel
- Cast iron
- Wrought iron
The features of carbon and alloy steel
Steel is a ferrous metal, and about 40% of steel production in the world is made from scrap because it’s cheaper to make use of recycled steel rather than to produce new steel through the mining process. Furthermore, recycling steel gulps less energy in comparison to forming steel from raw materials. The physical properties of steel aren’t lost during the recycling process so it can be used again. About 500 million tons of steel is formed from scrap materials and manufactured using different melting furnaces like electric-arc, induction, open-hearth, crucible, and Bessemer converter.Continue Reading