Use of Materials

Duralumin
It is an important and interesting wrought alloy.
Its composition is as follows:
Copper = 3.5 4.5%; Manganese = 0.4 0.7%;

Magnesium = 0.4 0.7%, and the remainder is

aluminium.
This alloy possesses maximum tensile strength
(upto 400 MPa) after heat treatment and age
hardening. After working, if the metal is allowed
to age for 3 or 4 days, it will be hardened. This
phenomenon is known as age hardening.
It is widely used in wrought conditions for
forging, stamping, bars, sheets, tubes and rivets.

IES-1993
Duralumin Alloy contains aluminium and
copper in the ratio of
%Al
%Cu
(a) 94 4
(b) 90 8
(c) 88 10
(d) 86 12

IES-1992
Which of the following statement is
incorrect about duralumin?
(a) It is prone to age hardening
(b) It can be forged
(c) It has good machining properties
(d) It is lighter than pure aluminium

Magnalium
It is made by melting the aluminium with 2 to

10% magnesium in a vacuum and then

cooling it in a vacuum or under a pressure of
100 to 200 atmospheres.
It also contains about 1.75% copper. Due to
its light weight and good mechanical
properties, it is mainly used for aircraft and
automobile components.

Hindalium
It is an alloy of aluminium and magnesium

with a small quantity of chromium.

Copper-zinc alloys (Brass)

The most widely used copper-zinc alloy is brass.
There are various types of brasses, depending

upon the proportions of copper and zinc.

This is fundamentally a binary alloy of copper
with zinc each 50%.
By adding small quantities of other elements,
the properties of brass may be greatly changed.
Applications of Cu alloys include: costume
jewellery, coins, musical instruments,
electronics, springs, bushes, surgical and dental
instruments, radiators, etc.
Contd

The addition of zinc strengthens the material and

incidentally changes the colour to a yellow or gold

effect.
The ratio of copper and zinc can be varied for
advantages and the addition of other elements
gives still more variety of combinations of properties
such as machinability, strength, hardness, ductility
(hot or cold), conductivity and corrosion resistance
as well as many others.
Lead additions are used to improve machinability.
The lead is insoluble in the solid brass and
segregates as small globules that help the swarf to
break up in to small pieces and may also help to
lubricate the cutting tool action.

IES-1992
Addition of which of the following
improves machining of copper?
(a) Sulphur
(b) Vanadium
(c) Tin
(d) Zinc

IES-1992
Cartridge brass can be
(a) Cold rolled into sheets
(b) Drawn into wires
(c) Formed into tubes
(d) Any of the above.

Copper-tin alloys (Bronze)

The alloys of copper and tin are usually

termed as bronzes.
The useful range of composition is 75 to 95%
copper and 5 to 25% tin.
The metal is comparatively hard, resists
surface wear and can be shaped or rolled into
wires, rods and sheets very easily.
In corrosion resistant properties, bronzes are
superior to brasses.

Contd

The hardness and strength of bronze increase with

an increase in tin content.

The ductility is also reduced with the increase in tin
percentage above 5.
When aluminium is also added (4 to 11%), the
resulting alloy is termed aluminium bronze, which
has a considerably higher corrosion resistance.
Bronzes are comparatively costly compared to
brasses due to the presence of tin which is an
expensive metal.
The colour of aluminium bronze is similar to that of
22 carat gold and it is frequently called imitation
gold.

IES 2011

Aluminium Bronze is also known as :

(a) Muntz metal
(b) White metal
(c) Duraluminium
(d) Imitation gold

Phosphor bronze
When bronze contains phosphorus, it is called

phosphor bronze.
Phosphorus increases the strength, ductility and
soundness of castings.
This alloy possesses good wearing qualities and
high elasticity.
A common type of phosphor bronze has the
following composition according to Indian
standards Copper = 8790%, Tin = 910%, and
Phosphorus = 0.13%.
The material is specified for pump parts, gears,
springs, power screw nuts and bearings.

IES-2006
In case of power screws, what is the
combination of materials used for the
screw and the nut?
(a) Cast iron screw and mild steel nut
(b) Carbon steel screw and phosphor bronze
nut
(c) Cast iron screw and cast iron nut
(d) Aluminium screw and alloy steel nut

IES-1992
The percentage of
phosphor bronze
(a) 0.1
(b)
(c) 11.1
(d)

phosphorous in
is
1
98

Gun Metal
It is an alloy of copper, tin and zinc.
It usually contains 88% copper, 10% tin and

2% zinc.
This metal is also known as Admiralty gun
metal.
The zinc is added to clean the metal and to
increase its fluidity.
It is not suitable for being worked in the cold
state but may be forged when at about 600C.
It is extensively used for casting boiler
fittings, bushes, bearings, glands, etc.

IES-2003
Gunmetal, which is used in journal
bearings, contains
(a) 88% Cu, 10% Sn, 2% Zn
(b) 80% Cu, 10% Zn, 10% Al
(c) 85% Cu, 5% Mg, 10% Al
(d) 85% Cu, 5% Sn, 10% Pb

IES-1994
Which of the following pairs are correctly
matched?
1. Silicon steels Transformer stampings
2. Duralumin Cooking utensils.
3. Gun metal................. Bearings
Select the correct answer using the codes given
below.
Codes:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 1 and 2
(c) 1 and 3(d) 2 and 3

IES 2011
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer
using the code given below the lists :

List I

List II

A. Gun Metal

1. Worm wheel

B. Phosphor bronze

2. Cylinder block

C. Gray cast iron

3. Piston

D. Al alloy

4. Bushings

Codes
A B C D A B C D
(a) 3 1 2 4 (b) 4 1 2 3
(c) 3 2 1 4 (d) 4 2 1 3

Monel metal
It is an important alloy of nickel and copper.
It contains 68% nickel, 29% copper and 3%

other constituents like iron, manganese,

silicon and carbon. It is superior to brass and
bronze in corrosion resisting properties.
It is used for making propellers, pump fittings,
condenser tubes, steam turbine blades, sea
water exposed parts, tanks and chemical and
food handling plants.

IES 2011

Admirality Brass is used for

(a) Condenser Tubes
(b) Rivets
(c) Piston rods
(d) Utensils

IES-2006
Match List-I (Composition) with List-II (Application)
and select the correct answer using the code given
below the Lists:
List- I List -II
A. Commercial bronze (10% Zn) 1. Radiator
B. Red brass (15% Zn) 2. Spring metal
C. Aluminium brass ( 22% Zn, 2% Al) 3. Forging and
stamping
D. P-bronze (11 % tin) small amount of P) 4. Power plant
and chemical equipment
Codes: A B C D A B C D
(a) 2 4 1 3 (b) 3 1 4 2
(c) 2 1 4 3 (d) 3 4 1 2

IES-2003
Monel metal is an alloy of
(a) Iron and carbon
(b) Copper and zinc
(c) Aluminium and copper
(d) Copper and nickel

IES-2004
Match List I (Alloy) with List II (Application) and
select the correct answer using the codes given
below the Lists:
List I List II
A. Silicon steel 1. Marine bearings
B. High carbon steel 2. Cutting tools
C. High speed steel 3. Springs
D. Monel metal
4. Transformer laminations
Codes:AB C D A B C D
(a) 1 2 3 4 (b) 4 3 2 1
(c) 4 2 3 1 (d) 1 3 2 4

Inconel
It consists of 80% nickel, 14% chromium, and

6% iron.
This alloy has excellent mechanical properties
at ordinary and elevated temperatures.
It can be cast, rolled and cold drawn.
It is used for making springs which have to
withstand high temperatures and are exposed
to corrosive action.
It is also used for exhaust manifolds of aircraft
engines.

Nichrome
It consists of 65% nickel, 15% chromium and

20% iron.
It has high heat and oxidation resistance.
It is used in making electrical resistance wire
for electric furnaces and heating elements.

Nimonic
It consists of 80% nickel and 20% chromium.
It has high strength and ability to operate

under intermittent heating and cooling

conditions.
It is widely used in gas turbine engines.

Babbit metal
The tin base and lead base babbits are widely

used as a bearing material, because they

satisfy
most
requirements
for
general
applications.
The babbit is generally used as a thin layer,
0.05 mm to 0.15 mm thick, bonded to an insert
or steel shell. The composition of the babbit
metals is as follows:
Tin base babbits : Tin 90% ; Copper 4.5% ;
Antimony 5% ; Lead 0.5%.
Lead base babbits : Lead 84% ; Tin 6% ;
Anitmony 9.5% ; Copper 0.5%.

IES 2011

Babbit is an alloy of
(a) Sn, Cu, Sb and Pb
(b) Sn and Cu
(c) Sn, Cu and Pb
(d) Sn, Cu and Sb

IES-1995
Babbit lining is used on brass/bronze
bearings to
(a) Increase bearing resistance
(b) Increase compressive strength
(c) Provide anti-friction properties
(d) Increase wear resistance.

IES-2009
Why are babbit alloys used for bearing
material?
(a) They have excellent embeddability
(b) They are relatively stronger than other
bearing materials
(c) They do not lose strength with increase
in temperature
(d) They have high fatigue strength

IES-2008
Which one of the following is correct?
Babbitt are used for
(a) Gears
(b) Bearings
(c) Bolts
(d) Clutch liners

IES
Tin base white metals are used where
the bearings are subjected to
(a) Large surface wear
(b) Elevated temperatures.
(c) Light load and pressure
(d) High pressure and load.

IES-1998
Match List-I (Alloys) with List-II (Applications)
and select the correct answer using the codes
given below the lists:
List-I List-II
A. Chromel 1. Journal bearing
B. Babbit alloy 2. Milling cutter
C. Nimonic alloy 3. Thermocouple wire
D. High speed steel 4. Gas turbine blades
Code: A B C D A B C D
(a) 3 1 4 2 (b) 3 4 1 2
(c) 2 4 1 3 (d) 2 1 4 3

IES-2005
Match List I (Alloy) with List II (Major
Constituent) and select the correct answer
using the code given below the Lists:
List I List II
A. Babbitt
1. Nickel
B. Invar 2. Tin and lead
C. Gun Metal 3. Aluminium
D. Duralumin 4. Copper
Code: A B C D A B C D
(a) 2 4 1 3 (b) 3 1 4 2
(c) 2 1 4 3 (d) 3 4 1 2

IES 2007
Match List I with List II and select the correct answer
using the code given below the Lists:
List I List II
(Component) (Required Property)
A. Blades of bulldozer 1. High wear resistance and high
toughness
B. Gas turbine blades 2. Low Youngs modulus and high fatigue
strength
C. Drill bit 3. High wear and abrasion resistance
D. Springs of automobiles4. High creep strength and good
corrosion resistance
Code: A B C D A B C D
(a) 3 2 1 4 (b) 1 4 3 2
(b) 3 4 1 2 (d) 1 2 3 4

Columbium/Niobium
Columbium finds much use in large-scale applications,

such as steel for automobile bodies and pipelines. The

use that probably will consume most of the columbium
is microalloying.
Relatively small amount of columbium lend high
strength to steel. The microalloyed, or high-strenght,
low-alloy (HSLA) steels, are used for automobile bodies,
structures of all kinds, and high-pressure pipe,
particulary in the oil and gas industry.
Columbium with oxygen as dominant substiutitional
alloying atoms is used in the nuclear fusion reactor.
Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium,
plutonium, and thorium, in any form, according to the
IAEA

IES 2011

Columbium is a :
(a) Nuclear material
(b) Automobile material
(c) Film material
(d) Foam material

Nimonic 90
A precipitation hardenable nickel-chromium-cobalt

alloy, having high stress-rupture strength and

creep resistance at elevated temperatures up to
about 950 C.
For springs exposed to lower loads, the material
can be used up to 700 C.
Nimonic 90 offers good resistance to corrosion and
is non-magnetic.
Applications include the aircraft industry, gas
turbines, vehicle components and springs in high
temperature environments, and thermal.
Operating temperature: -100 + 550 C

The End