What is a metal alloy? According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, a metal is “any of various combinations of minerals having the property of hardness, of wearing or malleability, of possessing a great capacity for diffusion and resistance to heat and strain.” Therefore, any metal that contains one or more of those properties is considered to be a metal alloy. Nevertheless they need protecting with a Thermal Plasma Spray from Poeton.
An alloy is a mixture of two metals, or an alloy containing several different metals, which can be united by proper heat treatment or heat compression, or some other process. For instance, combining copper and tin together becomes stainless steel, chrome and zinc alloy, or yellow-green steel and diamond. The composition of a metal alloy can vary greatly from simple chromium alloys (carbon and chromium salts with chromium chloride) to a much more complex metal alloy such as forging or rolled steel.
Metal alloys have metallurgical applications as well as structural uses. Many alloys have distinct mechanical properties, as light weight, strength, etc. For instance, cast aluminum alloys are stronger than pure aluminum because they’re partially made from the aluminum that would otherwise be used to construct a part. What is a metal alloy in this case would then depend on the proportion of aluminum to the rest of the components. Cast iron alloys, which include common items like the American eagle, are typically strong and tough, but aren’t suited to be used as the main structure material of modern aircraft. However, even these materials can contain different alloy compounds, creating new properties not previously known or understood.
