flarione.ru → Lending

What metal is the strongest in the world. The strongest metal in the world

When we're talking about about hard and durable metal, then in his imagination a person immediately draws a warrior with a sword and in armor. Well, or with a saber, and definitely from Damascus steel. But steel, although durable, is not pure metal, it is obtained by alloying iron with carbon and some other additive metals. And, if necessary, the steel is processed to change its properties.

Lightweight, durable silver-white metal

Each of the additives, be it chromium, nickel or vanadium, is responsible for a certain quality. But titanium is added for strength - the hardest alloys are obtained.

According to one version, the metal got its name from the Titans, the powerful and fearless children of the Earth goddess Gaia. But according to another version, the silvery substance is named after the fairy queen Titania.

Titanium was discovered by German and English chemists Gregor and Klaproth independently of each other, six years apart. This happened at the end of the 18th century. The substance immediately took its place in Mendeleev’s periodic table. Three decades later, the first sample of titanium metal was obtained. And the metal was not used for quite a long time due to its fragility. Exactly until 1925 - it was then, after a series of experiments, that pure titanium was obtained by the iodide method. The discovery was a real breakthrough. Titan turned out to be technologically advanced, and designers and engineers immediately paid attention to it. And now metal is obtained from ore mainly by the magnesium-thermal method, which was proposed in 1940.

If you touch upon physical properties titanium, we can note its high specific strength, strength at high temperatures, low density and corrosion resistance. The mechanical strength of titanium is two times higher than that of iron and six times higher than that of aluminum. At high temperatures, where light alloys no longer work (magnesium and aluminum based), titanium alloys come to the rescue. For example, an airplane at an altitude of 20 kilometers reaches a speed three times higher than the speed of sound. And the temperature of its body is about 300 degrees Celsius. Only titanium alloy can withstand such loads.

The metal ranks tenth in terms of prevalence in nature. Titanium is mined in South Africa, Russia, China, Ukraine, Japan and India. And this is far from full list countries

Titanium - durable and light metal in the world

The list of possibilities for using metal is respectable. These are the military industry, osteoprostheses in medicine, jewelry and sports products, circuit boards mobile phones and much more. Rocket, aircraft, and shipbuilding designers constantly praise titanium. Even the chemical industry has not left the metal unattended. Titanium is excellent for casting because the contours when cast are precise and have a smooth surface. The arrangement of atoms in titanium is amorphous. And this guarantees high tensile strength, toughness, excellent magnetic properties.

Hard metals with the highest density

Some of the hardest metals are also osmium and iridium. These are substances from the platinum group; they have the highest, almost identical, density.

Iridium was discovered in 1803. The metal was discovered by a chemist from England, Smithson Tennat, while studying natural platinum from South America. By the way, “iridium” is translated from ancient Greek as “rainbow”.

The hardest metal is quite difficult to obtain, since it is almost absent in nature. And often the metal is found in meteorites that fell to the ground. According to scientists, on our planet the content of iridium should be much higher. But due to the properties of the metal - siderophilicity - it is located at the very depths of the earth's bowels.

Iridium is quite difficult to process both thermally and chemically. The metal does not react with acids, even combinations of acids at temperatures less than 100 degrees. At the same time, the substance is subject to oxidation processes in aqua regia (this is a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids).

Interest as to the source electrical energy, represents the isotope of iridium 193 m 2. Since the half-life of the metal is 241 years. Iridium has found widespread use in paleontology and industry. It is used in making pen quills and determining the age of different layers of the earth.

But osmium was discovered a year later than iridium. This solid metal was found in the chemical composition of a precipitate of platinum, which was dissolved in aqua regia. And the name “osmium” comes from the ancient Greek word for “smell.” The metal is not subject to mechanical stress. Moreover, one liter of osmium is several times heavier than ten liters of water. However, this property has not yet been used.

Osmium is mined in American and Russian mines. Its deposits are also rich in South Africa. Quite often the metal is found in iron meteorites. Of interest to specialists is osmium-187, which is exported only from Kazakhstan. It is used to determine the age of meteorites. It is worth noting that just one gram of the isotope costs 10 thousand dollars.

Well, osmium is used in industry. And not in its pure form, but in the form of a hard alloy with tungsten. Produced from the substance of incandescent lamps. Osmium is a catalyst in the production of ammonia. Cutting parts for surgical needs are rarely made from metal.

The hardest pure metal

The hardest of the purest metals on the planet is chromium. He lends himself perfectly machining. The bluish-white metal was discovered in 1766 in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg. The mineral was then called “Siberian red lead.” Its modern name is crocoite. A few years after the discovery, namely, in 1797, the French chemist Vauquelin isolated a new metal from the metal, already refractory. Experts today believe that the resulting substance is chromium carbide.

The name of this element is derived from the Greek “color”, because the metal itself is famous for the variety of colors of its compounds. Chromium is quite easy to find in nature and is common. You can find the metal in South Africa, which ranks first in production, as well as in Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Russia and Madagascar. There are deposits in Turkey, Armenia, India, Brazil and the Philippines. Experts especially value certain chromium compounds - chromium iron ore and crocoite.

The hardest metal in the world is tungsten

Tungsten is a chemical element that is the hardest when compared to other metals. Its melting point is unusually high, higher only for carbon, but it is not a metallic element.

But the natural hardness of tungsten at the same time does not deprive it of flexibility and pliability, which allows you to forge any necessary parts from it. It is its flexibility and heat resistance that makes tungsten an ideal material for smelting small parts of lighting fixtures and TV parts, for example.

Tungsten is also used in more serious areas, for example, weapons manufacturing - for the manufacture of counterweights and artillery shells. Tungsten owes this to its high density, which makes it the main substance of heavy alloys. The density of tungsten is close to that of gold - only a few tenths make up the difference.

On the website you can read which metals are the softest, how they are used, and what is made from them.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen

From childhood we know that the strongest metal is steel. We associate everything iron with it.

Iron man, iron lady, character of steel. When we pronounce these phrases, we mean incredible strength, strength, hardness.

For a long time, steel was the main material in production and armament. But steel is not metal. More precisely, it is not entirely pure metal. This is with carbon, in which other metal additives are present. By using additives, e.g. change its properties. After this, it is processed. Steelmaking is a whole science.

The strongest metal is obtained by introducing appropriate alloys into steel. This could be chromium, which imparts heat resistance, nickel, which makes the steel hard and elastic, etc.

In some areas, steel has begun to replace aluminum. Time passed, speeds increased. Aluminum couldn't stand it either. I had to turn to titanium.

Yes, yes, titanium is the strongest metal. To give steel high strength characteristics, titanium began to be added to it.

It was discovered in the 18th century. Due to its fragility, it was impossible to use. Over time, having obtained pure titanium, engineers and designers became interested in its high specific strength, low density, resistance to corrosion and high temperatures. Its physical strength exceeds the strength of iron several times.

Engineers began adding titanium to steel. The result is the most durable metal, which has found application in ultra-high temperature environments. At that time, no other alloy could withstand them.

If you imagine an airplane flying three times faster than you can imagine how the covering metal heats up. The sheet metal of the aircraft skin in such conditions heats up to +3000C.

Today, titanium is used unlimitedly in all areas of production. These are medicine, aircraft manufacturing, ship production.

It is clear that titanium will have to move in the near future.

Scientists from the USA, in the laboratories of the University of Texas in Austin, discovered the thinnest and most durable material on Earth. They called it graphene.

Imagine a plate whose thickness is equal to the thickness of one atom. But such a plate is stronger than diamond and transmits a hundred times better electric current than computer chips made of silicon.

Graphene is a material with damaging properties. It will soon leave the laboratory and rightfully take its place among the most durable materials in the Universe.

It is even impossible to imagine that a few grams of graphene would be enough to cover a football field. This is metal. Pipes made of such material can be laid manually without the use of lifting and transport mechanisms.

Graphene, like diamond, is the purest carbon. Its flexibility is amazing. This material bends easily, folds perfectly and rolls perfectly.

Manufacturers of touch screens, solar panels, cell phones, and finally, super-fast computer chips.

Metals accompany humanity almost all of its conscious life. This began, of course, with copper, since it is the most amenable to processing material and available in nature.

Evolution helped people develop significantly technically and over time they began to invent alloys that became stronger and stronger. In our time, experiments continue, and new durable alloys appear every year. Let's consider the best of them.

Titanium

Titanium is a high-strength material that is in high demand in many industries. The most common area of application is aviation. This is due to the successful combination of low mass and high strength. Also, the properties of titanium are high specific strength, resistance to physical influences, temperatures and corrosion.

Uranus

One of the most durable elements. IN natural conditions it is a weak radioactive metal. It can be found in a free state, is very heavy and is widely distributed everywhere due to its paramagnetic properties. Uranium is flexible, has high malleability and relative ductility.

Tungsten

The most refractory metal currently known. It has a silver-gray color and is a so-called transition element. The properties of tungsten allow it to resist chemical attack and be forgeable. The most famous area of application is used in incandescent lamps.

Rhenium

Silver-white metal. It can be found in nature in its pure form, but there is also molybdenum raw material in which it is also found. Distinctive feature Rhenium refractoriness. It belongs to expensive metals, so its cost is also off the charts. The main area of application is electronics.

Osmium

Osmium is a silvery-white metal that has a slight blue tint. It belongs to the platinum group and has an unusually high similarity to iridium in such properties as refractoriness, hardness and brittleness.

Beryllium

This metal is an element that has a light gray tint and is highly toxic. Having such unusual properties, the material has found wide application in the field of nuclear energy and laser technology. The high strength of beryllium allows it to be used in the manufacture of alloying alloys.

Chromium

The bluish-white tint makes chrome stand out from the crowd. It is resistant to alkalis and acids. In nature it can be found in its pure form. Chrome is often used to create various alloys, which later find application in the field of medicine and chemical equipment.

It is worth noting that ferrochrome is an alloy of chromium and iron. It is used in the manufacture of metal cutting tools.

Tantalum

It is a silvery metal with high hardness and density. A lead tint on metal is formed due to the appearance of an oxide film on the surface. The metal lends itself well to processing.

Today, tantalum is successfully used in the construction of nuclear reactors and metallurgical production.

Ruthenium

A silvery metal that belongs to the platinum group. It has an unusual composition: it contains muscle tissue of living organisms. Another distinctive fact is that ruthenium is used as a catalyst for many chemical reactions.

Iridium

This metal ranks first in our rating. It has a silvery-white color. Iridium also belongs to the platinum group and has the highest hardness of the above metals. In the modern world it is used very often. It is mainly added to other metals to improve their resistance to acidic environments. The metal itself is very expensive, since it is very poorly distributed in nature.

Read also:

What is titanium?

The hardest metal is titanium. Pure titanium was first obtained in 1925. This discovery created a sensation in scientific circles. Industrialists immediately drew attention to the new material and appreciated the benefits of its use. According to the official version, the hardest metal on Earth received its name in honor of the indestructible Titans, who, according to ancient Greek mythology, were the founders of the world.

According to scientists, the total world reserves of titanium today are about 730 million tons. At the current rate of extraction of fossil raw materials, there will be enough for another 150 years. Titanium ranks 10th in natural reserves among all known metals. The world's largest titanium producer is Russian company"VSMPO-Avisma", which satisfies up to 35% of the world's needs. The company is engaged in the full processing cycle from ore mining to the manufacture of various products. It takes up about 90% Russian market for titanium production. About 70% finished products goes for export.

Titanium is a light, silver-colored metal with a melting point of 1670 degrees Celsius. It exhibits high chemical activity only when heated; under normal conditions it does not react with most chemical elements and compounds. It is not found in nature in its pure form. Common in the form of rutile (titanium dioxide) and ilmenite (a complex substance consisting of titanium dioxide and ferrous oxide) ores. Pure titanium is isolated by sintering the ore with chlorine and then displacing the more active metal (usually magnesium) from the resulting tetrachloride.

Industrial applications of titanium

The hardest metal has a fairly wide range of applications in many industries. Amorphously arranged atoms provide titanium with the highest level of tensile and torsional strength, good impact resistance, and high magnetic qualities. The metal is used to make air transport bodies and missiles. It copes well with the enormous loads that cars experience at great heights. Titanium is also used in the production of hulls for submarines, as it can withstand high pressure at great depths.

In the medical industry, metal is used in the manufacture of dentures and dental implants, as well as surgical instruments. The element is added as an alloying additive to some grades of steel, which gives them increased strength and resistance to corrosion. Titanium is well suited for casting as it produces perfectly smooth surfaces. It is also used to make jewelry and decorative items. Titanium compounds are also actively used. Dioxide is used to make paints, whitewash, and is added to paper and plastic.

Organic titanium salts are used as a hardening catalyst in paint and varnish production. Various tools and attachments for processing and drilling other metals are made from titanium carbide. In precision engineering, titanium aluminide is used to produce wear-resistant elements that have a high safety margin.

Most hard alloy The metal was obtained by American scientists in 2011. Its composition included palladium, silicon, phosphorus, germanium and silver. New material was called "metallic glass". It combines the hardness of glass and the plasticity of metal. The latter prevents cracks from spreading, as happens with standard glass. Naturally, the material was not put into widespread production, since its components, especially palladium, are rare metals and are very expensive.

IN at the moment Scientists' efforts are aimed at finding alternative components that would preserve the properties obtained, but significantly reduce the cost of production. Nevertheless, individual parts for the aerospace industry are already produced from the resulting alloy. If alternative elements can be introduced into the structure and the material becomes widespread, then it is quite possible that it will become one of the most popular alloys of the future.

If strength is generally understood as the ability of solids to resist destruction and maintain the shape of a product, then the following metals can be classified as super-strong and durable metals.

Name titanium was assigned by Martin Klaproth, a German researcher who discovered a new metal not for its chemical qualities, but in honor of the mythological heroes of the children of the earth - the titans.

The occurrence of titanium in nature is in 10th place; it is most concentrated in minerals. Without this metal, the latest discoveries in the field of rocket, ship and aircraft construction would not be possible. Titanium is used in all areas of industry, in the manufacture of medical implants and body armor with food industry and agriculture.

2 Place

Light gray tungsten , literally translated as wolf's cream, is the most refractory metal, so it is indispensable in the manufacture of heat-resistant surfaces and products. The filament in a regular light bulb is made of tungsten filament.

That metal is used in ballistic missiles, in the manufacture of shells and bullets, and in gyroscopic high-speed rotors.

3rd place

Tantalum It is almost impossible to modify, because it begins to melt at a temperature of 3015 degrees Celsius, and boils at a boiling point of 5300 degrees. To an ordinary person It’s impossible to even imagine such heat. The bluish-gray metal is the most indispensable in modern medicine; wire and sheets are made from it to cover damaged bones.

Opened in 1817 molybdenum, steel-gray metal is practically never found in its pure form. The refractoriness of this metal is amazing, the melting point of which exceeds 2620 degrees. Molybdenum has found its greatest use in the military industry, where gun and armor steels are made.

5th place

Aviation and mechanical engineering, nuclear power and astronautics use niobium, a metal very similar in its properties to tantalum. Niobium is practically unaffected by any substances, neither salts nor acids, it is difficult to melt and difficult to oxidize, which is what makes the unique metal so in demand.

6th place

Most heavy metal on the ground iridium It has the most durable anti-corrosion properties; even aqua regia cannot melt it. Adding iridium to other alloys increases their ability to resist corrosion.

7th place

Beryllium is one of the rare metals that are mined in the earth. Its unique qualities, such as high thermal conductivity and fire resistance, have made this metal indispensable in the manufacture of nuclear reactors. Beryllium alloys rightfully occupy a leading place in the aerospace and aviation industries.

8th place

Light blue chrome , which is also one of the strongest metals, due to its unique properties, when added to steel alloys, it makes them harder and more corrosion-resistant. The chrome parts have a beautiful appearance, which does not change over time.

9th place

The Saxons treat their legends with care; the name of the hero of one of them, Kobold, was immortalized in the name of the metal - cobalt . Very often, when mining ore, seekers mistook the gray-pink metal for silver.

Refractory metal, as an additive, increases the heat resistance, hardness and wear resistance of steel. Thanks to its unique qualities, cobalt is indispensable in metal-cutting machines.

Hafnium – a light gray metal with unique qualities is mined from zirconium ore. Solid, refractory hafnium has a unique feature; the fact is that its temperature-capacity dependence is anomalous and does not fall under any laws of physics.

Hafnium is used in nuclear energy and optics, for strengthening various alloys and making glass for X-rays; it is difficult to imagine military production without it.