Alloys are mixtures of two or more metals.
Alloy steels are formed when other metals are mixed with iron.
Cutlery is made of stainless steel.
Give two reasons why cutlery is made of stainless steel rather than iron.
Brass is an alloy of copper.
Figure 3 shows the brass pins of an electric plug.
Brass is harder than copper.
Give a reason why using a harder substance for the pins is an advantage.
Magnalium is an alloy of magnesium and aluminium.
It is often used for aircraft parts.
substance | density in g cm-3 | relative strength | resistance to corrosion |
aluminium | 2.7 | low | high |
magnalium | 2.0 | high | very high |
Figure 4
Explain, using the information in Figure 4, why magnalium, rather than pure aluminium, is used for aircraft parts.
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