Intriguing questions 🤔

[First Aspect]

Basically, steel is iron with carbon atoms introduced into the metal's crystalline structure by smelting in a blast furnace together with a high-grade form of coal called coke. The percentage of carbon that's incorporated into the molten iron will depend on the what the resultant steel is to be used for.

What the carbon does, is add toughness and "workability" to the metal, simply by acting as a handbrake in the crystalline structure and stopping the iron atoms sliding over each other too easily. Pure iron is very soft and malleable in its wrought form, and brittle when cast.

More generally, steel is an alloy of iron plus low percentages of other elements, to modify the physical and/or chemical behaviour.

Not being a metallurgist, I have limited insight into the details, or the extent to which the changes can be correlated or predicted, based on what is added. We chemists tended to think of our metallurgist cousins as the kids in remedial school learning how to use a divining rod, so I don't think it's all that susceptible to an ab initio approach.

But very broadly, atoms of another element is smaller or larger than iron and it acts as both a focus for an a terminus of defects that propogate through the crystal structure under stress. Hence modification of mechanical properties.

Chemical changes I was less clear on, but it's basically the same idea - you disrupt the spacing and also the chemical potentials, so water, principally, interacts in a different way. Or not at all, ideally.

An alloy, incidentally, is a solid solution basically. So iron is the solvent.

 

[briantrumpet]

More generally, steel is an alloy of iron plus low percentages of other elements, to modify the physical and/or chemical behaviour.

Not being a metallurgist, I have limited insight into the details, or the extent to which the changes can be correlated or predicted, based on what is added. We chemists tended to think of our metallurgist cousins as the kids in remedial school learning how to use a divining rod, so I don't think it's all that susceptible to an ab initio approach.

But very broadly, atoms of another element is smaller or larger than iron and it acts as both a focus for an a terminus of defects that propogate through the crystal structure under stress. Hence modification of mechanical properties.

Chemical changes I was less clear on, but it's basically the same idea - you disrupt the spacing and also the chemical potentials, so water, principally, interacts in a different way. Or not at all, ideally.

An alloy, incidentally, is a solid solution basically. So iron is the solvent.

Both of these answers are intriguing, in the sense that I've got little idea about what either of you are talking about. But it sounds clever.

 

[First Aspect]

Both of these answers are intriguing, in the sense that I've got little idea about what either of you are talking about. But it sounds clever.

It is very clever.

 

[briantrumpet]

It is very clever.

As I've got no way of knowing if it's clever other than you telling me is, I'll stick with my version, probably to the grave, since I stank at chemistry. Chemistry stinks too. Well, some of it does, if you pick the right chemicals.

 

[VinSumRox]

As I've got no way of knowing if it's clever other than you telling me is, I'll stick with my version, probably to the grave, since I stank at chemistry. Chemistry stinks too. Well, some of it does, if you pick the right chemicals.

All stinks are chemicals

 

[First Aspect]

You are made of chemicals. Ergo, you all smell.

 

[First Aspect]

As I've got no way of knowing if it's clever other than you telling me is, I'll stick with my version, probably to the grave, since I stank at chemistry. Chemistry stinks too. Well, some of it does, if you pick the right chemicals.

Well that's the trick isn't it? Doctors do this all the time. Sounds clever. Could be bollocks. Who knows?

Same with lawyers.

Latin, that's the ticket.

 

[Reynard]

Well, I'm trying to remember my Materials Technology lecture material from 30 years ago... If I've got something a bit squiffy, then apologies. I did *some* metallurgy, but composites is where I'm at.

 

[Pblakeney]

💥

 

[classic33]

The adjective for metal is metallic, but not so for iron, which is ironic.

 

[First Aspect]

The adjective for metal is metallic, but not so for iron, which is ironic.

This should go in the "things you learnt from Alanis Morissette" thread.

 

[ColinJ]

The adjective for metal is metallic, but not so for iron, which is ironic.

What I find intriguing is that 30 seconds ago I solved a cryptic crossword clue and the answer was metallic! It isn't a word that I use much.

 

[presta]

Mine aren't.

My father's aren't, either. I used the smaller one for electronics before I got my first electric iron.

 

[Chris S]

What actually WAS Zippy?

A rugby ball wearing an S&M mask.