The most durable metal. High strength metals

There are many metals in the world that are identical in terms of hardness, but not all of them are widely used in industry. There may be several reasons for this: rarity and therefore high cost, or radioactivity, which prevents its use for human needs. Among the hardest metals, there are 6 leaders who conquered the world with their characteristics.

The hardness of metals is usually measured on the Mohs scale. The method of measuring hardness is based on the assessment of resistance to scratches by other metals. Thus, it was determined that uranium and tungsten have the highest hardness. However, there are metals that are more used in various spheres of life, although their hardness is not the highest on the Mohs scale. Therefore, when revealing the topic of the hardest metals, it would be wrong not to mention the well-known titanium, chromium, osmium and iridium.

When asked what is the hardest metal, any person studying chemistry and physics at school will answer: "Titanium". Of course, there are alloys and even nuggets in pure form that surpass it in strength. But among those used in everyday life and production, titanium has no equal.

Pure titanium was first obtained in 1925 and at the same time was declared the hardest metal on Earth. It immediately began to be actively used in completely different areas of production - from parts of missiles and air transport to dental implants. Several of its main properties have become the merit of such popularity of the metal: high mechanical strength, resistance to corrosion and high temperatures, and low density. On the Mohs scale of hardness of metals, titanium has a grade of 4.5, which is not the highest indicator. However, its popularity and involvement in various industries makes it the first hardest among the commonly used ones.

Titanium is the hardest metal commonly used in manufacturing

More details about the use of titanium in industry. This metal has a wide range of uses:

• Aviation industry - aircraft glider parts, gas turbines, skins, load-bearing elements, landing gear parts, rivets, etc .;
• Space technology - plating, details;
• Shipbuilding - ship plating, pump and pipeline parts, navigational instruments, turbine engines, steam boilers;
• Mechanical engineering - turbine condensers, pipes, wear-resistant elements;
• Oil and gas industry - pipes for drilling, pumps, pressure vessels;
• Automotive industry - in the mechanisms of valves and exhaust systems, transmission shafts, bolts, springs;
• Construction - exterior and interior cladding of buildings, roofing materials, light fixtures and even monuments;
• Medicine - surgical instruments, prostheses, implants, housings for cardiological devices;
• Sports - sports equipment, travel accessories, bicycle parts.
• Consumer goods - jewelry, decorative items, garden tools, watches, kitchen utensils, electronics housings and even bells, and are also added to paints, whitewash, plastic and paper.

You can see that titanium is in demand in completely different areas of industry due to its physical and chemical properties. Even though it is not the hardest metal in the world on the Mohs scale, products made from it are much stronger and lighter than steel, wear less and are more resistant to irritants.

Titanium is considered the hardest of the actively consumed metals.

The hardest metal in its natural form is considered to be a bluish-white metal - chrome. It was discovered back in the late 18th century and has been widely used in production ever since. On the Mohs scale, the hardness of chromium is 5. And for good reason - they can cut glass, and when combined with iron, it can even cut metal. Chromium is also actively used in metallurgy - it is added to steel to improve its physical properties. The range of uses for chromium is very diverse. It is used to make barrels of firearms, medical and chemical processing equipment, household items - kitchen utensils, metal pieces of furniture, and even hulls of submarines.

Highest pure hardness - chrome

Chromium is used in various fields, for example, for the production of stainless steel, or for surface coating - chrome plating (technology, cars, parts, dishes). This metal is often used in the manufacture of firearm barrels. Also, this metal can often be found in the production of dyes and pigments. Another area of ​​its use may seem surprising - it is the production of dietary supplements, and in the creation of technological equipment for chemical and medical laboratories, chromium cannot be dispensed with.

Osmium and iridium - representatives of platinum group metals, have almost the same density. In their pure form in nature, they are incredibly rare, and most often - in an alloy with each other. Iridium by its nature has a high hardness, which is why it is difficult to metal work, both mechanical and chemical.

Osmium and iridium have the highest density

It is relatively recently that iridium has been actively used in industry. Previously, it was used with caution, since its physicochemical characteristics were not fully understood. Now iridium is even used in the manufacture of jewelry (as inlays or in alloy with platinum), surgical instruments and parts for heart stimulants. In medicine, the metal is simply irreplaceable: its biological products can help to overcome oncology, and its irradiation with a radioactive isotope can stop the growth of cancer cells.

Two-thirds of the iridium mined in the world goes to the chemical industry, and the rest is distributed among other industries - spraying in the metallurgical industry, consumer goods (fountain pen elements, jewelry), medicine in the production of electrodes, elements of pacemakers and surgical instruments, as well as for improving the physicochemical and mechanical properties of metals.

Moss hardness of iridium - 5

Osmium is a silvery white metal with a bluish sheen. It was discovered a year later than iridium, and now it is often found in iron meteorites. In addition to its high hardness, osmium is distinguished by its high cost - 1 gram of pure metal is estimated at 10 thousand dollars. Another feature is its weight - 1 liter of molten osmium is equal to 10 liters of water. True, scientists have not yet found an application for this property.

Because of its rarity and high cost, osmium is only used where no other metal can be used. They have not found widespread use for it, and there is no point in searching until the supply of metal becomes regular. Osmium is now used to make tools that require high precision. Products made from it hardly wear out and have significant durability.

The hardness index of osmium reaches 5.5

One of the most famous elements and one of the hardest metals in the world is uranium. It is a light gray metal with low radioactivity. Uranium is considered one of the heaviest metals - its specific gravity is 19 times that of water. It also has relative ductility, ductility and flexibility, and paramagnetic properties. On the Moss scale, the hardness of the metal is 6, which is considered a very high indicator.

Previously, uranium was almost never used, but was found only as ore waste in the extraction of other metals - radium and vanadium. Today, uranium is mined in deposits, the main sources are the Rocky Mountains of the United States, the Republic of the Congo, Canada and the Union of South Africa.

Despite the radioactivity, uranium is actively consumed by mankind. It is most in demand in the nuclear power industry - it is used as fuel for nuclear reactors. Also, uranium is used in the chemical industry and in geology - to determine the age of rocks.

Did not miss the incredible specific gravity and military engineering. Uranium is regularly used to create cores for armor-piercing projectiles, which, due to their high strength, do an excellent job with the task.

Uranium is the hardest metal, but it is radioactive

Topping our list of the hardest metals on Earth is brilliant silver-gray tungsten. On the Mohs scale, tungsten has a hardness of 6, like uranium, but, unlike the latter, it is not radioactive. Natural hardness, however, does not deprive it of its flexibility, therefore tungsten is ideal for forging various metal products, and its resistance to high temperatures allows it to be used in lighting fixtures and electronics. The consumption of tungsten does not reach high volumes, and the main reason for this is its limited amount in the deposits.

Due to its high density, tungsten is widely used in weaponry for the production of heavyweights and artillery shells. In general, tungsten is actively used in military engineering - bullets, counterweights, ballistic missiles. The next most popular use of this metal is aviation. Engines, parts of electrovacuum devices are made from it. Tungsten cutting tools are used in construction. It is also an indispensable element in the production of varnishes and light-resistant paints, fire-resistant and waterproof fabrics.

Tungsten is considered the most refractory and durable

Having studied the properties and areas of consumption of each metal, it is difficult to say unequivocally what is the hardest metal in the world, if we take into account not only the indicators of the Mohs scale. Each of the representatives has a number of advantages. For example, titanium, which does not have an ultra-high hardness, has firmly taken the first place among the most used metals. But uranium, the hardness of which reaches the highest mark among metals, is not so popular due to its weak radioactivity. And tungsten, which does not emit radiation and has the highest strength and very good compliance indicators, cannot be actively used due to limited resources.

Several scientific disciplines (materials and metal science, physics, chemistry) study the properties and characteristics of metals. There is a generally accepted classification. However, each of the disciplines in their study relies on special specialized parameters that are in the sphere of its interests. On the other hand, all sciences studying metals and alloys adhere to the same point of view that there are two main groups: ferrous and non-ferrous.

Signs of metals

The following main mechanical properties are distinguished:

• Hardness - determines the ability of one material to resist the penetration of another, harder.
• Fatigue is the amount as well as the cycle time that a material can withstand without altering its integrity.
• Strength. It consists in the following: if you apply a dynamic, static or alternating load, then this will not lead to a change in the shape, structure and size, violation of the internal and external integrity of the metal.
• Plasticity is the ability to maintain integrity and the resulting shape during deformation.
• Elasticity is deformation without breaking the integrity under the influence of certain forces, as well as after getting rid of the load, the ability to return to its original shape.
• Resistance to cracks - under the influence of external forces in the material, they are not formed, and the external integrity is also preserved.
• Wear resistance is the ability to maintain external and internal integrity during prolonged friction.
• Viscosity - maintaining integrity under increasing physical stress.
• Heat resistance - resists change in size, shape and destruction when exposed to high temperatures.

Classification of metals

Metals include materials with a combination of mechanical, technological, operational, physical and chemical characteristic properties:

• mechanical confirm the ability to resist deformation and destruction;
• technological evidence of the ability to different types of processing;
• operational reflect the nature of the change during operation;
• chemical show interactions with various substances;
• physical ones indicate how the material behaves in different fields - thermal, electromagnetic, gravitational.

According to the metal classification system, all existing materials are divided into two volume groups: ferrous and non-ferrous. Technological and mechanical properties are also closely related. For example, the strength of a metal can be the result of proper processing. For these purposes, the so-called hardening and "aging" is used.

Chemical, physical and mechanical properties are closely interrelated, since the composition of the material sets all its other parameters. For example, refractory metals are the most durable. Properties that manifest themselves in a state of rest are called physical, and under the influence of the outside - mechanical. There are also tables for the classification of metals by density - the main component, manufacturing technology, melting temperature and others.

Black metals

Materials belonging to this group have the same properties: impressive density, high melting point and dark gray color. The first large group of ferrous metals includes the following:

Non-ferrous metals

The second largest group has a low density, good plasticity, low melting point, predominant colors (white, yellow, red) and consists of the following metals:

• Lungs - magnesium, strontium, cesium, calcium. In nature, they are found only in strong compounds. They are used to obtain light alloys for various purposes.
• Noble ones. Examples of metals: platinum, gold, silver. They are highly resistant to corrosion.
• Low-melting - cadmium, mercury, tin, zinc. They have a low melting point and are involved in the production of various alloys.

The low strength of non-ferrous metals does not allow them to be used in their pure form, therefore they are used in industry in the form of alloys.

Copper and copper alloys

In its pure form, it has a pinkish-red color, low resistivity, low density, good thermal conductivity, excellent plasticity, and corrosion resistance. It is widely used as a conductor of electric current. For technical needs, two types of copper alloys are used: brass (copper with zinc) and bronze (copper with aluminum, tin, nickel and other metals). Brass is used for the manufacture of sheets, tapes, pipes, wires, fittings, bushings, bearings. Flat and round springs, membranes, various fittings, and worm gears are made of bronze.

Aluminum and alloys

It is a very light metal with a silvery white color and high corrosion resistance. It has good electrical conductivity and plasticity. Due to its characteristics, it has found application in the food, light and electrical industries, as well as in aircraft construction. Aluminum alloys are very often used in mechanical engineering for the manufacture of particularly critical parts.

Magnesium, titanium and their alloys

Magnesium is not resistant to corrosion, but there is no lighter metal used for technical needs. Basically, it is added to alloys with other materials: zinc, manganese, aluminum, which are perfectly cut and are strong enough. The alloys with the light metal magnesium are used in the manufacture of camera bodies, various devices and engines. Titanium has found its application in the rocket industry, as well as mechanical engineering for the chemical industry. Titanium alloys have low density, excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. They lend themselves well to pressure processing.

Antifriction alloys

These alloys are designed to increase the life of friction surfaces. They combine the following characteristics of a metal - good thermal conductivity, low melting point, microporosity, low coefficient of friction. Antifriction alloys include alloys based on lead, aluminum, copper or tin. The most used are:

• babbitt. It is made on the basis of lead and tin. Used in the production of bearing shells that operate at high speeds and under shock loads;
• aluminum alloys;
• bronze;
• cermet materials;
• cast iron.

Soft metals

According to the metal classification system, these are gold, copper, silver, aluminum, but among the softest are cesium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and others. Gold is heavily dispersed in nature. It is found in seawater, the human body, and it can also be found in almost any piece of granite. In its pure form, gold is yellow with a tinge of red, since the metal is soft - it can even be scratched with a fingernail. Under the influence of the environment, gold is quickly destroyed. This metal is indispensable for electrical contacts. Despite the fact that silver is twenty times more than gold, it is also rare.

It is used for the production of tableware, jewelry. The light metal sodium is also widespread, in demand in almost every industry, including the chemical industry, for the production of fertilizers and antiseptics.

The metal is mercury, although it is in a liquid state, therefore it is considered one of the softest in the world. This material is used in the defense and chemical industries, agriculture, and electrical engineering.

Hard metals

There are practically no hardest metals in nature, so it is very difficult to get them. In most cases, they are found in fallen meteorites. Chromium belongs to the refractory metals and is the hardest of the purest metals on our planet, moreover, it is easy to machine.

Tungsten is a chemical element. Considered the hardest when compared to other metals. Has an extremely high melting point. Despite its hardness, any desired parts can be forged from it. Due to its thermal stability and flexibility, it is the most suitable material for melting small elements used in lighting fixtures. Refractory metal tungsten is the main substance of heavy alloys.

Metals in energy

Metals containing free electrons and positive ions are considered good conductors. This is a fairly popular material, characterized by plasticity, high electrical conductivity and the ability to easily donate electrons.

They make power, radio frequency and special wires, parts for electrical installations, machines, for household electrical appliances. The leaders in the use of metals for the manufacture of cable products are:

• lead - for greater resistance to corrosion;
• copper - for high electrical conductivity, ease of processing, corrosion resistance and sufficient mechanical strength;
• aluminum - for light weight, vibration resistance, strength and melting point.

Categories of ferrous secondary metals

Certain requirements are imposed on waste of ferrous metals. Sending the alloys to steelmaking furnaces will require certain processing steps. Before submitting an application for the transportation of waste, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the GOST of ferrous metals to determine its cost. Black secondary scrap is classified into steel and cast iron. If the composition contains alloying additives, then it is classified as category "B". The category "A" includes carbonaceous: steel, cast iron, additives.

Metallurgists and foundry workers, due to the limited primary raw material base, show an active interest in secondary raw materials. The use of ferrous scrap instead of metal ore is a resource and energy saving solution. Secondary ferrous metal is used as a converter smelting cooler.

The range of applications for metals is incredibly wide. Ferrous and non-ferrous materials are used indefinitely in the construction and machine industries. Non-ferrous metals cannot be dispensed with in the energy industry. Rare and precious ones are used to make jewelry. Both non-ferrous and ferrous metals are used in art and medicine. It is impossible to imagine a person's life without them, from household supplies to unique instruments and apparatus.

Since they have the highest density. Among them, the heaviest are osmium and iridium. This is the density index of these metals is almost the same, except for a slight calculation error.

The discovery of iridium took place in 1803. It was discovered by the English chemist Smithson Tennat, examining natural platinum brought from South America. Translated from ancient Greek, the name "iridium" means "rainbow".

Scientific interest as a source of electrical energy is the isotope of a heavy metal - iridium-192m2, since this metal is very large - 241 years. Iridium is widely used in industry and paleontology - it is used for the production of pens for pens, for determining the age of the layers of the earth.

Osmium was discovered by chance in 1804. This hardest metal was found in the chemical composition of the precipitate of platinum dissolved in aqua regia. The name "osmium" comes from the ancient Greek word for "smell". In nature, this metal is almost absent. Most often it is found in the composition. Like iridium, osmium is almost not subject to mechanical stress. One liter of osmium is much heavier than ten liters of water. But this property of this metal has not yet found application anywhere.

The hardest metal, osmium, comes from Russian and American mines. However, South Africa is recognized as the richest deposit. Osmium is often found in iron meteorites.

Osmium-187, exported only by Kazakhstan, is of particular interest. It is used to determine the age of meteorites. One gram of this isotope costs 10 thousand US dollars.

The industry mainly uses a hard alloy of osmium with tungsten (osram) for the production of incandescent lamps. Osmium is also a catalyst in production. It is quite rare that cutting parts for instruments in surgery are made from this metal.

Both heavy metals - osmium and iridium - are almost always found in the same alloy. This is a certain pattern. And to separate them, you need to make a lot of effort, because they are not as soft as, for example, silver.

Many of us have no idea what metal is the hardest.
Steel, although strong, but not a 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.

Titanium- the hardest and most durable metal in the world.

The mechanical strength of titanium is twice that of iron
For example, an airplane at an altitude of 20 kilometers develops a speed three times faster than the speed of sound. And the temperature of its body is about 300 degrees Celsius.
Only titanium alloy can withstand such loads.

* Osmium and iridium are some of the hardest metals.

* Another of the hardest of the purest metals on the planet is chromium.

A little about titanium:
Titanium was discovered by German and English chemists Gregor and Klaproth independently of each other, six years apart. It happened at the end of the 18th century. The substance immediately took its place in the periodic system of Mendeleev. Three decades later, the first sample of titanium metal was obtained. And for a long time, the metal was not used because of 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.

Titanium turned out to be technologically advanced, designers and engineers immediately drew attention to it. And now metal from ore is obtained mainly by the magnesium-thermal method, which was proposed in 1940.

If we touch upon the physical properties of titanium, then we can note its high specific strength, strength at high temperatures, low density and corrosion resistance. The mechanical strength of titanium is twice that of iron and six times that of aluminum. At high temperatures, where light alloys no longer work (based on magnesium and aluminum), titanium alloys come to the rescue. For example, an airplane at an altitude of 20 kilometers develops a speed three times faster than the speed of sound. And the temperature of its body is about 300 degrees Celsius. Only titanium alloy can withstand such loads. In terms of prevalence in nature, the metal is in tenth place. Titanium is mined in South Africa, Russia, China, Ukraine, Japan and India. And this is not a complete list of countries.

Our world is full of amazing facts that are interesting to many people. The properties of various metals are no exception. Among these elements, of which there are 94 in the world, there are the most ductile and malleable, there are also those with high electrical conductivity or with a high coefficient of resistance. This article will focus on the hardest metals and their unique properties.

Iridium takes the lead in the list of metals with the highest hardness. It was discovered at the beginning of the 19th century by a chemist from England Smithson Tennant. Iridium has the following physical properties:

• has a silvery white color;
• its melting point is 2466 ° C;
• boiling point - 4428 о С;
• resistance - 5.3 · 10−8 Ohm · m.

Since iridium is the hardest metal on the planet, it is difficult to process. But it is still used in various industrial areas. For example, small balls are made from it, which are used in nibs for pens. Components for space rockets, some parts for cars, and more are made from iridium.

Very little iridium is found in nature. The finds of this metal are a kind of evidence that meteorites fell in the place where it was discovered. These cosmic bodies contain a significant amount of metal. Scientists believe that our planet is also rich in iridium, but its deposits are closer to the core of the Earth.

The second position on our list goes to ruthenium. The discovery of this inert silver-colored metal belongs to the Russian chemist Karl Klaus, which was made in 1844. This element belongs to the platinum group. It is a rare metal. Scientists managed to establish that there are about 5 thousand tons of ruthenium on the planet. About 18 tons of metal can be mined per year.

Due to the limited quantity and high cost of ruthenium, it is rarely used in industry. It is used in the following cases:

• its not a large number of added to titanium to improve corrosive properties;
• from its alloy with platinum, electrical contacts are made, which are distinguished by high resistance;
• ruthenium is often used as a catalyst for chemical reactions.

Discovered in 1802 gudu, a metal called tantalum is ranked third on our list. It was discovered by the Swedish chemist A. G. Ekeberg. For a long time it was believed that tantalum is identical to niobium. But the German chemist Heinrich Rose was able to prove that these are two different elements. The scientist Werner Bolton from Germany in 1922 was able to isolate tantalum in its pure form. It is a very rare metal. Most of the tantalum ore deposits have been found in Western Australia.

Due to its unique properties, tantalum is a highly demanded metal. It is used in various fields:

• in medicine, tantalum is used to make wire and other elements that can hold tissues together and even act as a bone substitute;
• alloys with this metal are resistant to aggressive environments, due to which they are used in the manufacture of aerospace technology and electronics;
• tantalum is also used to create energy in nuclear reactors;
• the element is widely used in the chemical industry.

Chromium is also one of the hardest metals. It was discovered in Russia in 1763 in a field in the Northern Urals. It has a bluish-white color, although there are cases that it is considered a ferrous metal. Chromium is not a rare metal. The following countries are rich in deposits:

• Kazakhstan;
• Russia;
• Madagascar;
• Zimbabwe.

There are also chromium deposits in other states. This metal is widely used in various branches of metallurgy, science, mechanical engineering and others.

The fifth position in the list of the hardest metals went to beryllium. Its discovery belongs to the chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin from France, which was made in 1798. This metal has a silvery white color. Despite its hardness, beryllium is a brittle material, which makes it very difficult to process. It is used to create high quality loudspeakers. It is used to create jet fuel, refractory materials. The metal is widely used in aerospace engineering and laser installations. It is also used in nuclear power engineering and in the manufacture of X-ray technology.

Osmium is also included in the list of the hardest metals. It is an element in the platinum group and is similar in properties to iridium. This refractory metal is resistant to aggressive environments, has a high density, and is difficult to process. It was discovered by the scientist Smithson Tennant from England in 1803. This metal is widely used in medicine. Elements of pacemakers are made of it, and it is also used to create a pulmonary valve. It is also widely used in the chemical industry and for military purposes.

The transitional silver metal rhenium comes in at number seven on our list. The assumption about the existence of this element was made by D.I.Mendeleev in 1871, and it was discovered by chemists from Germany in 1925. Already 5 years later, it was possible to establish the extraction of this rare, durable and refractory metal. At that time, it was possible to obtain 120 kg of rhenium in a year. Now the amount of the annual production of metal has increased to 40 tons. It is used for the production of catalysts. It is also used for making self-cleaning electrical contacts.

Silver-gray tungsten is not only one of the hardest metals, it also leads in refractoriness. It can be melted only at a temperature of 3422 ° C. Due to this property, it is used to create incandescent elements. Alloys made from this element have high strength and are often used for military purposes. Tungsten is also used to make surgical instruments. It is also used to make containers for storing radioactive materials.

One of the hardest metals is uranium. It was discovered in 1840 by the chemist Peligo. DI Mendeleev made a great contribution to the study of the properties of this metal. The radioactive properties of uranium were discovered by the scientist A. A. Becquerel in 1896. Then a chemist from France called the detected radiation of the metal Becquerel rays. Uranium is common in nature. The countries with the largest deposits of uranium ore are Australia, Kazakhstan and Russia.

The final place in the top ten hardest metals goes to titanium. For the first time this element in pure form was obtained by the chemist J. J. Berzelius from Sweden in 1825. Titanium is a silvery-white light metal that is highly durable and resistant to corrosion and mechanical stress. Titanium alloys are used in many branches of mechanical engineering, medicine and the chemical industry.