Group 01 Ferrous Metal

FERROUS METAL

WHAT IS FERROUS METAL?

Ferrous metal is a classification of metal composed of iron. It is mostly found in things we usually see and use every day.  It is also the most abundant of all commercial metals, it is found in things used in the house like knives, utensils and other kitchen materials, and tools and hardware we use around the house. It can also be found in constructions, industrial containers, large-scale piping, railroads and transportation.  These primarily are used for its durability. It covers a broad range of structures and it is the most abundant in commercial metals.

The word ferrous is derived from a Latin word ferrum which means “containing iron”. There are characteristics of ferrous metal these are mild steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and wrought iron.  In history, “Ferrous metallurgy involves processes and alloys based on iron. It began far back in prehistory. The earliest surviving iron artifacts, from the 4th millennium BC in Egypt, were made from meteoritic iron-nickel. It is not known when or where the smelting of iron from ores began, but by the end of the 2nd millennium BC iron was being produced from iron ores from China to Africa south of the Sahara. The use of wrought iron (worked iron) was known by the 1st millennium BC. During the medieval period, means were found in Europe of producing wrought iron from cast iron (in this context known as pig iron) using finery forges. For all these processes, charcoal was required as fuel.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrous_metallurgy)

CHARACTERISTICS OF FERROUS METAL

With high amount of carbon used in creating ferrous metal, it is vulnerable to rust when generally exposed to elements and moisture.  Wrought iron and stainless steel are two of the exception since the first resists rust due to purity and the latter has chromium which protects rusts.

This type of metal is also used in motor and electrical applications because of its magnetic properties.

KINDS OF FERROUS METAL

STEEL

Widely used in engineering, construction and manufacturing industries.  Steel is made by heating and melting iron ore in furnaces. The steel can is tapped from the furnaces and poured into molds to form steel bars.

CARBON STEEL

Used in manufacturing of machine tools, drills, blades, taps, and springs and can keep a sharp cutting edge.

ALLOY STEEL

 This is composed of chromium, nickel and titanium for strength and durability. This is also used in construction, machine tools and electrical components.

CAST IRON

Made from iron, carbon, and silicon, this kind of ferrous metal is brittle and hard and resistant to wear. Engine blocks, manhole covers, water pipes, machine tools, automobile tools and stoves are its examples.

WROUGHT IRON

This kind has little content of carbon and is purely composed of iron. It has excellent resistance to corrosion and oxidation but low in hardness and fatigue strength. This is used in fencing and railings, nails, barbed wire chains and ornaments.

                Ferrous metals are widely recycled all over the world and are very useful. In fact most of the ferrous scrap metal tends to be in good supply rather than the non-ferrous metal (due to somewhat harder to come by and more difficult to create) which is why non-ferrous metal has a higher demand than the ferrous metal.  The prices of the ferrous metal tend to be lower compared to the non-ferrous metals, it’s because the ferrous metal namely steel and iron alloys are constantly being recycled in high volume all over the globe, and the price for these material stay fairly constant on a month-to-month basis, dropping or raising only slightly.

Citation: 

Cold-Form Steel Design Yu, Wei-wen (4th ed.). (2010) 

Coal and Steel in Western Europe Pounds, Norman John Greville & Parker, William (1957). Bloomington, Ind. Indiana University Press

All Metal and Forge Group 2013-2016 L.A. Weiss., from http://www.steelforge.com/literature/ferrousnon-ferrous-materials-textbook/ferrous-metals/

Wikipedia Ferrous Metallurgy from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrous_metallurgy

Year 10 Manufacturing (Resistant Materials) Ferrous and Non-Ferrous MetalsTable from http://www.design-technology.org/CDT10metalslesson.htm

Castle Metals Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Metals and their Uses 2016 A.M Castle & Co. July 31, 2012 from http://www.castlemetalseurope.com/blog/ferrous-nonferrous-metals-uses/

Alton Materials The differences between ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal 2013 Prairie State Salvage & Recycling Inc. DBA Alton Materials. March 12, 2013 from http://www.altonmaterials.com/the-differences-between-ferrous-and-non-ferrous-scrap-metal/

Metal Supermarkets THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FERROUS AND NON-FERROUS METAL 2016 Metal Supermarkets IP Inc. September 23,2015 from https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/the-difference-between-ferrous-and-non-ferrous-metal/

Photos:

Ferrous Metal Collage

Recycling International.  (2016, May 17). Steal Scrap. Retrieved from http://www.recyclinginternational.com/system/files/news/1605/steel_scrap.jpg

Tucson Iron & Metal. (2015). ThinkstockPhotos-97784681. Retrieved from http://www.tucsoniron.com/wp-content/uploads/ThinkstockPhotos-97784681.jpg

Lynn Rosack. (2008, Oct. 8). 2a0de2cc747776cce901e71d54bfe1a6. Retrieved from Worth Point: http://www.worthpoint.com/files/58/2a0de2cc747776cce901e71d54bfe1a6.jpg

Lauren. (2013, March 29). Castiron. Retrieved from Direct Metals Recycling: http://directmetalsrecycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/castiron.jpg

Steel

Prime Products. (2012). Mild Steel Angle Bars. Retrieved from http://www.primeproducts.co.in/en/menu/products/mild-steel-beams/

Carbon Steel

Pearlite Steel Differences between Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel Pipe. (2016). Seamless Tubes Tubing2. Retrieved from http://pearlitesteel.com/carbon-steel-vs-stainless-steel/

Alloy Steel 

Excel Metal & Engg Industries. Alloy Steel Pipes. Retrieved from Mindiamart: http://2.imimg.com/data2/EF/BW/MY-2632460/alloy-steel-pipes-tubes-250x250.jpg

Cast Iron

Indiamart Cast Iron Bars 1996-2016 IndiaMART InterMESH Ltd. Retrieved from http://dir.indiamart.com/impcat/continuous-cast-iron-bar.html

Wrought Iron

Rural Blacksmith Wrought Iron Steve Kellog. Retrieved from http://ruralblacksmith.blogspot.com/2010/06/wrought-iron.html

CONTRIBUTION:

Amar, Jrose (contributed pictures and references, proof-read the article)

Calape, Rhea (contributed references from websites)

Cantillas, Christine Mae (composed the blog)

Manalo, Leile Glad (contributed references from websites and books)

Taboada, Faith Rosemel (contributed references from websites and books)