Tutor Hunt Questions
“Why is an alloy of steel stronger than an alloy of iron. Any help would be hugely appreciated.
8 years ago
Science Question asked by Amy
Add a CommentKnow the Answer?
Please enter your response to the question below. The student will get a notification as soon your response has been approved by our moderation team.
3 Answers
Iron itself is not an alloy, an alloy is a metal which is a mix of different metals, an example of this is steel whose primary component is iron.
Pure iron is difficult to use and is very soft, this is because all the atoms are identical and regular so they just slip past each other. When you add different elements to the iron, it interrupts this regularity, (because they are different sizes) which prevents the iron atoms slipping over each other and resulting in a harder metal.
Pure iron is difficult to use and is very soft, this is because all the atoms are identical and regular so they just slip past each other. When you add different elements to the iron, it interrupts this regularity, (because they are different sizes) which prevents the iron atoms slipping over each other and resulting in a harder metal.
Steel is an alloy of iron - a combination of iron and carbon. Iron as a metal reacts with oxygen thereby creating iron oxide which is rust. Steel does not do this, and is much stronger than just iron on its own.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
Steel is an alloy of iron. It is an alloy because it is a mixture of iron (mainly) &other metal (depending on the function of the steel) atoms. It is stronger than pure iron because the metal lattice of the ironsis disrupted by having atomsfof different sizes scattered in it which alters the properties of the alloy.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
