Steel and Other Alloys

Alloys are metals that have had other elements added to them.  Infact, alloys are mixtures of metals and other elements. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon but may have other elements added to change its propetries.

The main reason for making pure metals into alloys is that the alloys are often much stronger and harder than the pure metal.  This is because in a pure metal the layers of atoms slide over each other more easily which means that they bend easily (malleable).  However, in an alloy the atoms of other elements prevent the layers from sliding over one another making the alloy stronger and harder.

Below is a link to information about alloys and why some pure metals are made into alloys.

Here is a good video tutorial about iron and steel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omGKUKwJPB8

BBC GCSE Bitesize (pages 5 and 6)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel/metals/obtaining_using_metalsrev5.shtml

If you'd like to know how alloys form in a bit more detail then you can watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgUmNQD6m5Q