2.3 Ferrous and Non- ferrous metals

• Ferrous and non-ferrous metals
• Types of ferrous metals (low/mild/high carbon steel, cast iron)
• Properties of metals (physical and mechanical)
• Producing iron from its ore; forms of material supply

• distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous metals
• explain the properties of metals found in a metal workshop
• describe the process of producing iron from its ore
• illustrate the forms of material supply in a metal workshop
• appreciate the use of ferrous and non-ferrous metals in day-to-day life

“How do ferrous and non-ferrous metals differ, and why does it matter?”

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1. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The great division of metals into ferrous (containing iron) and non-ferrous (no iron), the types of ferrous metals, the physical and mechanical properties of metals, how iron is produced from its ore, the forms metal is supplied in, and why choosing the right metal matters.
2. Sorting metals with a magnet
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The curriculum sort: a magnet splits iron and steel from copper, aluminium, tin, lead and zinc.
3. Why ferrous metals rust
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Rust is iron combining with oxygen and water. That is why ferrous work is painted, oiled or zinc-coated.
4. Mild steel
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Low-carbon (mild) steel is the everyday ferrous metal: soft, tough, cheap, easy to cut, bend and weld.
5. Medium-carbon steel
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Between mild and high-carbon: stronger than mild steel, used for shafts, axles and high-tensile bolts.
6. High-carbon steel
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   High-carbon steel is hard, can be hardened, and is used for tools, springs and cutting edges - not for gates.
7. Cast iron
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Cast iron is high-carbon, hard and brittle: poured in a mould, used for jikos, engine blocks and manhole covers.
8. Aluminium
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Aluminium is a light, non-magnetic, rust-free metal for pots, window frames, cables and aircraft.
9. Copper
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Copper is the reddish non-ferrous conductor: wires, pipes, and the base of brass and bronze.
10. Tin, lead and zinc
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Three soft non-ferrous metals used more as coatings, solder and protection than as bars.
11. Physical properties of metals
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Colour, density, melting point, conductivity and magnetism: what the metal is like before you load it.
12. Mechanical properties of metals
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    How metals behave under force: strength, hardness, toughness, malleability, ductility, brittleness, elasticity.
13. Hardness and toughness
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Hardness resists scratch and wear; toughness resists breaking under shock. Tools need both in the right mix.
14. Malleability and ductility
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Malleable metals hammer into sheet; ductile metals draw into wire. Mild steel and copper do both; cast iron does neither.
15. Iron ore
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Iron starts as rock: iron ore is iron combined with oxygen. Smelting must steal that oxygen.
16. The blast furnace
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    A tall furnace: charge in the top, hot-air blast, molten iron and slag tapped at the bottom.
17. From pig iron to steel
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    Pig iron is brittle and high-carbon. Steel is made by lowering and controlling that carbon, then shaping.
18. Sheet, bar, rod and tube
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The common supply forms: flat sheet and plate, solid bar, thin rod and wire, hollow tube.
19. Angle, channel and I-section
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Structural sections put metal where it resists bending: L-angle, U-channel and I-beam.
20. Matching metal to the job
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The inquiry: ferrous versus non-ferrous, then properties, form and recycling - choose so the part lasts and scrap is sorted.