The development of civilization could not have happened so rapidly if man had not found a way to mine and process various metals. And if at first this was facilitated by successful discoveries of natural nuggets lying directly on the surface of the soil, then soon the list of non-ferrous metals that people managed to “tame” began to expand significantly. The first experiments and a more detailed study of the properties of new elements showed that all substances have different properties, and their use for the same purposes is impossible. In addition, limited reserves and mining difficulties became the factors that made non-ferrous metals more valuable and expensive than ferrous.
What are non-ferrous metals?
Some people believe that non-ferrous metals are exclusively precious gold, silver and platinum, but this view is erroneous. First of all, all these metals cannot be included in the above list of non-ferrous metals, because they are in different groups both in terms of properties, methods and methods of mining, prevalence, and application (except for the purely jewelry industry). Non-ferrous metals can be considered all that do not contain Fe, that is, iron.
In nature, there are a huge number of such substances, each of which has unique properties and fully justifies their production. Among the most famous: copper, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, nickel, tin, lead, chromium, zirconium and more than a dozen materials that are used in narrow-profile industries. It’s not impossible to find analogues, but artificial creation in the conditions of highly scientific laboratories is an overwhelming work and a dream of scientists from all over the world and for all ages. It is enough to recall the alchemical works and experiments described both in the scientific works of ancient years, and in historical works, literature and many legends that do not have reliable evidence.
Fire, water and copper pipes
So what is the advantage of metals that are not related to the more common and cheaper iron? Why are they often mined in very difficult conditions, and a huge number of entrepreneurs of different calibers do not hesitate to collect non-ferrous scrap bit by bit? The fact is that these materials have unique physical and chemical properties. Mostly they are distinguished by increased softness and ductility, excellent energy conductivity, and although there are quite a lot of metals that people can mine, each of them is used for completely different purposes.
As a matter of fact, not every material can be used in a pure, undiluted form, the list of non-ferrous metals subject to the so-called alloying is very long. They mix together, forming new compounds that can be used in the space industry, medicine and many other areas of human life. Sometimes it’s enough not to make a specific part or element of the device from an expensive and unique non-ferrous metal, but only to spray. The physical and chemical properties of such a thin coating will be enough to achieve the desired goals.
Not all that glitters is gold
Gold is the most famous non-ferrous metal. This is not surprising, its popularity is so high that they paid for goods for a long time, it was the basis for a variety of jewelry and, by and large, it became a measure of people's well-being. Several decades ago, settlements between countries took place in the gold equivalent, and even now the gold and foreign exchange reserves of the budget of any state are an indicator of the level of the economy as a whole and the wealth of the population in particular.
Moreover, gold is a rare metal, but easy to process. Its main advantage is its magnificent malleability, thanks to which jewelers create beautiful jewelry and products from yellow material. However, in nature there is little pure gold, and it is very difficult to mine, in connection with this, various additives are often added to it, which slightly change the color and softness of the gold in the final result. The list of non-ferrous metals is diverse, and each additive is used for different purposes, the main materials are:
Each of these metals changes the initial color of the resulting material, which can be with a greenish, pink, white tint. The strength of the mixed metal is also important, because gold itself is so soft that it can be easily scratched, cut with a knife with proper effort, bite with a tooth. All of these methods are a simple and affordable way for everyone to test the product for authenticity.
In addition to the jewelry industry, gold is used in the chemical industry, electronics, space and aircraft construction, and in oil production.
Precious metals
Among the most expensive metals, the above is by no means the most expensive, it is only in the fourth position in the rating. The list of non-ferrous metals according to their value reads as follows (exchange prices per 1 gram):
Rarely, which of these chemical elements is used in its pure form, and not everyone is used to create masterpieces of jewelry art. Often, high-precision production of individual components of complex parts exposed to high or low temperatures, aggressive chemicals, etc. is supposed. Non-ferrous scrap from this group is a high-precision, complex, but profitable activity that occurs at the state level or through monopolistic organizations. The military industry understands specialized equipment, missiles, where pieces of parts are collected bit by bit for subsequent processing.
Application
Many may wonder why these materials are so expensive. And having obtained a gram of precious metal, what can be done with it in practice? The answer is simple: without certain skills and equipment - nothing.
So, palladium is used for minting souvenir and collection moments, which are a means of investing capital. But for more practical purposes, it is used to create medical equipment. Ruthenium is useful as one of the elements for water purification, and iridium strengthens alloys for products that will be subject to incredibly high temperatures.
Many of the non-ferrous metals are used as a means of earning and preserving capital, participating in market auctions both on quite official exchanges, and being one of the means for shadow transactions and mutual settlements.
Copper alloys
Copper is one of the most popular materials in the manufacture of electrical wiring, water pipes, and electronics. It is very refractory, conducts heat and electricity well, while it is not strong enough and does not lend itself well to casting. To eliminate this drawback, various impurities are added to the pure metal, which make copper itself more durable. The tin, which is obtained as a result, is not subject to corrosion and wear, thanks to such properties the scope of its application is incredibly wide.
Another common additive is zinc, a certain percentage of this metal makes it possible to obtain brass. In such a composition, the content of the dopant is very important, the higher the percentage of the additive, the harder the metal, but also more susceptible to corrosion damage.
But the copper-nickel alloy is often used in the manufacture of jewelry, the additive gives a more pleasant color and strength to the products.
Aluminum alloys
Aluminum is one of the leaders among non-ferrous metals. Such popularity is due to the low cost of mining, ease of processing, the relative ease of metal, the possibility of using recyclables.
As with other metals, various additives are added to pure aluminum during alloying, in addition, the alloys themselves can have different manufacturing techniques, being divided into those that are hardened for heat treatment, not hardened, and there is also a separate, third category, which allows casting of necessary parts and products.
Non-ferrous metal rental suggests that the material after processing takes the form of rods, wires of different cross-sections and purposes, sheets, pipes, ingots and bushings.