Chemistry
What is an alloy? How do the properties of an alloy differ from it's constituents?
Metallurgy
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Answer
An alloy is a homogeneous mixture of two or more metals or of one or more metals with certain non-metallic elements.
The properties of alloys are often greatly different from those of the components.
- Gold is too soft to be used without a small percentage of copper.
- The corrosion and oxidation resistance of steel is markedly increased by adding 15 to 18% of chromium and often a few percent of nickle (stainless steel).
- The presence of carbon up to 1.5% greatly affects the properties of steel.
- A low percentage of molybdenum improves the toughness and wear resistance of steel.
Alloys are made to change the property of their major constituent to achieve a specific objective.
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