History and Future of Metallurgical Engineering Research

Metallurgy
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Instructor
Metallurgy
Introduction
Metallurgy is the scientific study of metals, their production and industrial purification. It distinguishes the formation of metals from their atomic structure to evaluate the different properties. These properties will influence exploration and subsequent industrial production. After mining, they undergo through several processes to remove impurities and make it ready for commercial use (Campell, 2008). Methods will differ depending on the existence of the metal, either in compound form and the position in the reactivity series. Reactivity series shows the position of metal regarding the reaction rate and violence. Development of metallurgy was in line with the industrial and technological revolution. It was set up in line with needs of each sector of the economy because of its efficiency. It is, therefore, important to explore the importance of metallurgy from the history, properties of metals, production and purification of metals.
History
During the Stone Age period, there were weapons and tools developed from stones and copper. These were necessary for the advances in agriculture, weapons, cooking and transport development. Progress in industrial development grew with more demands for the use of copper, iron and steel (University of California, 2015). Iron is significant because of its availability and price, steel and copper are relatively expensive, and their roles in human development are also expensive. With more growth there have been developments in uses of metals (University of California, 2015). Gold, silver and platinum were discovered in stages that changed the surface of development.
During the industrial revolution, there were more developments of industries like steel, iron and copper. Most of these industries were powered by mining of coal that was a source of energy for the sectors. More mining and production of metallic materials were developed to cater for the growing demands and economic expansion. It progressed from gross industrial products, soft and purified iron sheets, and steel pillars for use in bridges and massive constructions and development of trade (University of California, 2015). With more materials coming into the market from metallic industries there were improved ways of producing the metals. These ranged from explorations, mining, and purification. Today the world has complicated methods of mining, advanced technology for purification and extensive uses of metals.
Determination of the utilization of a metal depended on the result to be achieved. There are heavy users, relatively heavy users, and lighter use. Some applications can be expensive too. The property of metal will determine the use to which it is subjected. Some metals are highly reactive and can be used in weaponry; some are less reactive and can be used in non-reactive applications like copper. Other metals are heavy for industrial purposes as some can be purified to simpler forms and be used for more mere duties like iron sheets employed in buildings. The last category is the price of metal; cheaper expensive. Up to date, gold stands as the most expensive metal and its use are limited to expensive products. The properties of metals will dictate their use. How are properties of metals determined and how does this influence their use?
Properties
Scientifically, all elements have an atomic structure. The atom is the smallest building unit of an element or molecule. It is determined by the number of neutrons, electrons and protons (Dean, 2011). Protons are positively charged particles; electrons are negatively charged particles and neutrons have not charged. An atom has two parts too, the inner part and the outer part. The inner part is called the nucleus, and the outer one is called the shell/s. The electrons are in constant motion in the shells (Dean, 2011). The numbers of electrons are distributed in scientific formulae called electron configuration. It is this configuration that will determine whether an atom is stable or not. When an atom has two (duplet) or eight (octate) electrons in its outermost shell, then it is stable. Any atom that possesses a different structure from these is unstable, metals being one of them.
The outer electron formation of metal can either be more than four or less. If it is more than four, then elements with such a structure are called nonmetals. Metals have electron structure of less than 4. For them to be stable, they lose their outer electrons in a reaction or bonding structure (Dean, 2011). Different levels of reactivity and characteristics now come in from the determination of their periods. The period is the number of electron shells a metal has. It can be 2 for lithium, 3 for magnesium and 4 for potassium. The higher the number of electron shells the faster the reaction. On the contrary the smaller the number of electrons in the outermost electron shells the faster the response; sodium has one and reacts faster than magnesium which has two.
The above scientific configuration determines the characteristics of metals. The general characteristics of metals are hardness, density and tensile strength, the conductivity of heat and electricity and malleability. These features determine the mining methods, the industrial purification and use that metals are meant for. It is these concepts that have shaped the development of metallurgy. Most of these features of metals are determined after the industrial purification and processing (Dean, 2011).
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