Metals

Metals have been of interest to people since the Middle Ages. They are divided into two main groups , ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals . Iron and its alloys with chromium, carbon, manganese and a number of other metals form the group of ferrous metals. To the group of non-ferrous metals include - copper, lead, zinc, tin, nickel, aluminum and magnesium. Metals are widely used in construction and household. SmartMetalGroup.com offers a wide variety of ferrous and non-ferrous metals at great prices .

Field of application of metals

Metallurgy is a field of science and technology that covers processes for producing metals from ores and other materials, producing alloys, giving the desired shape to metal blanks by pressing treatment. It should be noted that iron, which is extracted from the ore in pure form, is used in few places. Its main mass is melted down and processed into steel. Steel is probably one of the most popular metals that is used almost everywhere. Traditionally, metallurgy is divided into black and non-ferrous metallurgy .

Black metallurgy

Ferrous metallurgy is one of the largest and most important industries. Its importance is primarily determined by the fact that sheet steel is the main construction material. The specifics of using ferrous metallurgy have changed over time. Thus, the geography of ferrous metallurgy has historically been under the influence of two types of orientation: in stone ore basins (that is how large metallurgical bases arose in the USA, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China) and iron ore basins.
The main importers of iron ore are: EU countries, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The main steel producing countries in the world now are: Japan, Russia, USA, China, Ukraine and Germany.

Non-ferrous metallurgy

Non-ferrous metallurgy is inferior to ferrous metallurgy in terms of production, its production being 20 times less. It also refers to the number of old industries, as well as at the beginning of the technological revolution experienced a major update, mainly in the structure of production. So, if before the Second World War the smelting of heavy non-ferrous metals - copper, lead, zinc, tin - dominated, in the 60-70 years aluminum was in first place, and the production of "metals of the 20th century" also began to expand: cobalt, titanium, lithium, beryllium and others. Unlike heavy ores, ores of light non-ferrous metals, especially aluminum, in the content of useful components resemble iron ore, and are completely transportable, so it is profitable to transport them over long distances. Exports are 1/3 of the bauxite that is mined in the world, and this is due to the fact that about 85% of the world's reserves of bauxite are related to their origin with widespread in the tropics and subtropics. That is why bauxite reserves are very small or absent in most countries of Western Europe, Japan, Canada, as well as in the USA. All of them have to rely mainly on imported raw materials.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is the future of the metal industry. These are not loud words. After all, " stainless steel " products have a long service life, do not interact with moisture, corrosive environments and other harmful effects. Stainless steel contains a high percentage of chromium (12%). It also creates an oxide coating on the surface, which protects the metal from corrosion. The uniqueness of this layer is in the ability to self-heal. Chemical or mechanical effects during operation can damage the integrity of the coating. However, chromium oxide is activated under the influence of oxygen (air) and the protection of the metal is restored.

Metallurgy as a type of heavy industry - is one of the most important sectors of the economy of any developed country, it is closely related to engineering, machinery, equipment construction and the military industry.