Metal products form the main base of infrastructure support for utilities, act as raw materials for the engineering industry and construction. In each of these areas, the use of such elements is associated with high responsibility. Installation and communication structures are affected by both chemical and mechanical loads, which necessitates a primary analysis of the properties of the material. To understand the operational parameters, a concept such as metal energy is used, which determines the behavior of an individual element or structure in certain operating conditions.
Free energy
Many processes in the structure of metal products are determined by the characteristics of free energy. The presence of ions with such potential in the material leads to their transfer to other media. For example, in the course of interaction with solutions containing similar ions, metal elements enter the contact mixture. But this happens in cases where the free energy of metals exceeds that in solution. As a result, a positive lining of the double electric field can form due to free electrons remaining near the metal surface. Strengthening this field also acts as a barrier to the passage of new ions - thus creating a phase boundary that impedes transitions of elements. The process of such a movement continues until the maximum potential difference is reached in the newly formed field. The peak boundary is determined by the balance of potential differences in solution and metal.
Surface energy
When new molecules hit the metal surface, the development of free zones occurs. In the process of moving, the molecules occupy microcracks on the surface and the sections of the separation of small grains are segments of the crystal lattice. According to this scheme, a change in free surface energy occurs, which decreases. In solids, one can also observe the processes of facilitating plastic flow on surface areas. Accordingly, the surface energy of metals is determined by the forces of attraction of the molecules. Here it is worth noting the magnitude of the surface tension, which depends on several factors. In particular, it is determined by the geometry of the molecules, their strength and the number of atoms in the structure. The location of the molecules in the surface layer also matters.
Surface tension
Typically, tension processes occur in heterogeneous media that differ in the interface of immiscible phases. But it should be noted that along with the tension, other surface properties are also manifested, due to the parameters of their interaction with other systems. The combination of these properties determines most of the technological parameters of the metal. In turn, metal energy, from the point of view of surface tension, can determine the coalescence parameters of droplets in alloys. Technologists, therefore, identify the characteristics of refractories and fluxes, as well as their interaction with a metal medium. In addition, surface properties affect the speed of thermotechnological processes, including gas evolution and foaming of metals.
Energy Zoning and Metal Properties
It has already been noted that the configuration of the distribution of molecules along the structure of the metal surface can determine individual characteristics of the material. In particular, the specific reflection of many metals, as well as their opacity, is determined by the distribution of energy levels. The accumulation of energies in free and occupied levels contributes to the endowment of any quantum with two energy levels. One of them will be in the valence zone, and the other in the conduction sites. It cannot be said that the electron energy distribution in the metal is stationary and does not involve changes. Elements of the valence band, for example, can absorb light quanta by migrating to the conduction band. As a result, light is absorbed, not reflected. For this reason, metals have an opaque structure. As for the brightness, it is caused by the process of light emission when electrons activated by radiation return to low energy levels.
Internal energy
This potential is formed by the energy of ions, as well as the thermal motion of conduction electrons. Indirectly, this quantity is characterized by the intrinsic charges of metal structures. In particular, for steel, which is in contact with electrolytes, its own potential is automatically established. Many adverse processes are associated with changes in internal energy . For example, corrosion and deformation phenomena can be determined by this indicator. In such cases, the internal energy of the metal causes the presence of micro- and macro-disturbances in the structure. Moreover, the partial dissipation of a given energy under the influence of the same corrosion ensures the loss of a certain fraction of the potential. In practice, the operation of metal products negative factors of changes in internal energy can manifest themselves in the form of structural damage and a decrease in ductility.
Electron energy in metal
When describing a set of particles that interact with each other in a solid, quantum-mechanical ideas about the energy of electrons are used. Typically, discrete values are used that determine the nature of the distribution of these elements over energy levels. In accordance with the requirements of quantum theory, electron energy is measured in electron volts. It is believed that in metals the electron potential is two orders of magnitude higher than the energy calculated by the kinetic theory of gases at room temperature. In this case, the energy of electron exit from metals and, in particular, the velocity of elements does not depend on temperature.
Ion energy in metal
Calculation of ion energy allows you to determine the characteristics of the metal in the processes of melting, sublimation, deformation, etc. In particular, technologists identify indicators of tensile strength and elasticity. For this, the concept of a crystal lattice is introduced, in the nodes of which there are ions. The energy potential of an ion is usually calculated taking into account its possibility of a destructive effect on a crystalline substance with the formation of composite particles. The kinetic energy of electrons knocked out of metals during a collision can also affect the state of ions. Since under the conditions of increasing the potential difference in the medium of the electrodes to a thousand volts, the particle displacement velocity increases significantly, the accumulated potential is sufficient to split the counter molecules into ions.
Communication energy
Metals are characterized by mixed types of bonding. Covalent and ionic bonds do not have a sharp distinction and often overlap. So, the process of metal hardening under the influence of alloying and plastic deformation is explained just by the flow of the metal bond into covalent interaction. Regardless of the type of these bonds, they are all defined as chemical processes. Moreover, each connection has energy. For example, ionic, electrostatic, and covalent interactions can provide a potential of 400 kJ. The energy of the metal during interaction with different media and under mechanical loads will also depend on a specific value. Metal bonds can be characterized by different strength indicators, but in any manifestation they will not be comparable with similar properties in covalent and ionic media.
Properties of metal bonds
One of the primary qualities that characterize the energy of bonds is saturation. This property determines the state of the molecules and, in particular, their structure and composition. In a metal, particles exist in discrete form. Previously, the theory of valence bonds was used to understand the operational properties of complex compounds , but in recent years it has lost its significance. With all its advantages, this concept does not explain a number of properties of great importance. Among them, one can note absorption spectra in compounds, magnetic properties, and other characteristics. But when calculating the surface energy in metals, one can reveal such a property as flammability. It determines the ability of metal surfaces to ignite without detonating activators.
Metal condition
Most metals are characterized by a valence configuration with electronic structure. Depending on the properties of this structure, the internal state of the material is also determined. Based on these indicators and taking into account the bonds, conclusions can be drawn about the values of the melting temperature of a particular metal. For example, soft metals, including gold and copper, are characterized by a lower melting point. This is due to a decrease in the number of unpaired electrons in atoms. On the other hand, soft metals have high thermal conductivity, which, in turn, is explained by the high mobility of electrons. By the way, a metal that stores energy under conditions of optimal ion conductivity provides high electrical conductivity due to electrons. This is one of the most important performance characteristics that are determined by the metal condition.
Conclusion
The chemical properties of metals largely determine their technical and physical qualities. This allows specialists to focus on the energy performance of the material, from the point of view of the possibility of its use in certain conditions. In addition, the energy of the metal can not always be considered as independent. That is, the intrinsic potential may vary depending on the nature of the interaction with other environments. The most expressive are the bonds of metal surfaces with other elements, exemplified by migration processes, when free energy levels are filled.