What are metal alloys

There are lots of different metals that are used in construction and other industrial uses and they all have different benefits. Some of them such as copper are great at conducting heat and electricity and others are able to be shaped and are incredibly lightweight, such as Aluminium. When joining metal together at joints using screws and bolts has been the standard option but this can cause your metal items to have areas that can be susceptible to corrosion and leaks so using a Metal bonding adhesive may be a better option.

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As well as the standard natural metals that we have found in ores in the Earth and then melted into liquid ready to be poured into the shaped moulds that we use, we have also found ways in which to make the most of the benefits of different metals by combining them into what is known as ‘alloys’.

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Alloys are essentially metals that have been mixed with another element. This can be another metal or it can be another element entirely. Bronze for example is a mixture of Copper and Tin. When the two metals are combined together then they tend to take on the benefits of each other to create an alloy that is usually stronger than the individual metals that make it.

Lots of research is undertaken to determine which metals would work well together and what the resulting alloy could be. This way the researchers can determine what the potential benefits and therefore uses of the alloy could be.