Ferrous metals: deposits, storage. Metallurgy of ferrous metals

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Metals are materials that never lose their relevance. They are widely used in everyday life and in industry. Of course, today they have come up with a lot of different alternative substances, on the basis of which materials are obtained that are not inferior in quality to metals. However, they cannot be completely replaced. It's hard to imagine fences and gates, bars, manhole covers, tools and much more from something else.

Although plastic, glass, silicone, polyethylene and polypropylene have firmly entered the modern life of a person, it is difficult to replace the fundamental parts of structures, numerous parts of cars and other vehicles with any alternative to metals. She just doesn't exist.

Metals in the Periodic Table

In the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, metals occupy a leading position. Of the 117 positions known today, more than 90 belong to metals. All these elements have a number of characteristic features that allow them to be attributed to the group of metals:

1. Capable of conducting electricity.
2. Have thermal conductivity.
3. Ductile, ductile, can be rolled into sheets and wire (not all).
4. Have a silver sheen (except copper and gold).

In addition to general properties, each similar element has a number of specific ones, which makes it so popular.

Typology

All metals as simple substances can also be divided into three classes:

1. Black.
2. Colored.
3. Precious.

Non-ferrous metals include everything except precious and iron. That is, it is copper, mercury, palladium, chromium, nickel, zinc, magnesium, calcium, aluminum, lead, tin, and so on.

Precious metals include the following:

• silver;
• gold;
• platinum.

Ferrous metals - what are they?

This class includes:

• iron and all its alloys;
• manganese;
• chrome;
• vanadium;
• titanium;
• actinides and uranium (thorium, plutonium, neptunium and others);
• tungsten;
• alkali metals.

That is, from the whole variety of these substances, ferrous metals account for a smaller part. And mostly not the most common (with the exception of iron) are in the earth's crust and bowels.

But despite the fact that ferrous metals are represented by such a small number of elements, they are very common and voluminous in production and processing. The mass of products, parts, accessories is made of iron and its alloys.

Metallurgy of ferrous metals is quite extensive and in demand all over the world. The extraction and processing of iron is one of the advanced technical and economic tasks of manycountries of the world, including Russia.

Deposits of ferrous metals on the planet

Iron in terms of mining is in first place among all metals. Its mass content in nature, including in the earth's crust, is in the billions. At the same time, according to experts, today man has explored only one hundred billion tons.

If we talk about the world deposits of ferrous metals, primarily iron, it should be noted that they are on all continents, in all parts of the world, except for the points of the Far North. At the same time, the distribution by country is approximately the following (in descending order):

• Russia (about forty percent of all world reserves);
• Brazil;
• Australia;
• Canada;
• USA;
• China;
• India;
• Sweden.

Deposits in Russia

In Russia, ferrous metals are contained in almost all large-scale federal districts.

1. Central Federal District (Kursk magnetic anomaly) - over 59%.
2. Ural Federal District - 14%.
3. Siberian District - 13%.
4. Far East - 8%.
5. North-Western Federal District - 4%.
6. Privolzhsky - 0.5%.

In each of the above districts there is an enterprise where ferrous metallurgy is carried out. Russia is a clear leader in the world in this indicator, and, judging by the reserves, this will continue for a very long time.

Extraction of material

The production of ferrous metal involves several complex stage processes. First, ferrous metals do not occur in native form, but are part of the corresponding ores (manganese, iron, and so on). Therefore, before obtaining metal, it is necessary to extract rock from the earth - ore.

This process is carried out by the mining industry. At the same time, ores containing iron can be rich and saturated or poor in metal. Therefore, after the extraction of the ore layer, its piece is taken for chemical analysis. If the quantitative content of the metal is over 57-60%, then the work continues. If it is lower, then they stop or move to another territory to search for richer ore. Otherwise, this process is simply not economically viable.

The next stage, which includes the production of ferrous metal, is the processing of the extracted ore at a special plant. This process is called metallurgy. It can be of several types:

1. Hydrometallurgy - the technology for extracting and processing ore is based on the use of water. At the same time, in the process of leaching, metals from the composition of the ore pass into solution, and from there they are extracted in pure form by electrolysis. Energetically and materially, this method is more expensive, therefore it is used only for special metals.
2. Pyrometallurgy is the basis of the technique of using fire. Ore heat treatment processes in blast furnaces using coked coal. The most common way to process ore andextraction of metals. Used in ferrous metallurgy.
3. Biometallurgy. Based on the action of living organisms, it is just beginning to be put into practice, it is being developed by biotechnologists. The bottom line is the ability of some microorganisms to extract metals from the composition of ores during their life.

Processing

At the processing plant, mined ores containing ferrous metals are carefully processed. All these processes are reflected in the table below.

Technological process	The essence of the process	Result
1. Ore beneficiation	Separation of part of the ore containing metal from waste rock. Can happen in one of three ways: magnetic (based on the ferromagneticity of iron); gravity (base - different densities of waste and rich rock); flotation (based on the use of water with a foaming agent).	Get a clean, ferrous-metal-rich substrate, which is sent for further processing.
2. Agglomeration	The process of sintering ore. It is carried out in order to obtain a pure substance, without impurities of gases and dust, and so on.	Get three types of processed ore: sinter ore (baked at high temperatures without access to air); separated (purified by separation); pellet (mass containing iron fluxes).
3. Domain process	Coking of ore in a blast furnace atuse as a fuel and reducer of iron from its oxides of coal.	Get pure iron, optionally already alloyed with carbon to form steel.

This is how iron and its alloys are obtained. In this case, the maximum material costs are spent on the preparation and use of coke (coal). It is he who is a reducing agent for iron, a fuel, a source of heat, a supplier of carbon. Therefore, in the described process, a rather large amount of it is used, hence the high cash costs.

Storage conditions

Ferrous metals primarily include iron and its alloys. It should be understood that this is a very corrosion resistant material. Therefore, the storage of ferrous metal requires compliance with certain rules, especially when it comes not to structures and products, but to the so-called scrap of ferrous metals (waste, broken products, sheets, rods, fittings, and so on):

1. The room in which the material is located must be completely closed from moisture (rain, snow). The less moisture, the longer the shelf life.
2. The warehouse area should be large, you can not store sheet structures of ferrous metals close to each other, as this will provoke early corrosion.
3. All available material should be sorted by brand and size.

If these simple rules are observed, it will be possible to restrain the processes of destruction of the structure of metals for as long as possible.

Ferrous alloys

Kit is customary to refer to iron alloys as such, which are divided into several types:

1. Steel. Ferrous metal fused with carbon gives this result.
2. Cast iron. The initial cast iron, which is obtained in blast furnaces during the processing of ore, is completely unsuitable as a material for the production of appliances and household items. He's too fragile. It must be subjected to further processing in the form of saturation with iron and carbon in order to obtain an excellent durable material. Other elements are also added to improve corrosion resistance and performance.
3. Ferroalloys (silicocalcium, ferrochromium, ferrosilicon, silicomanganese). The main purpose of these alloys is to improve the technical characteristics of the final material.

Steel

The main place among all ferrous metal alloys is given to steel. Today we have learned how to achieve very significant results in the production of this material with predetermined important properties. This kind of alloy is the most important for the industry that ferrous metals have given. What steels are distinguished?

1. Low carbon - used to make various tools.
2. Stainless (they are used to make pipes, refractory parts, cutting tools, welded equipment, and so on).
3. Ferrito Chrome.
4. Martensitic chrome.
5. Alloyed.
6. Nickel.
7. Chrome.
8. Chrome vanadium.
9. Tungsten.
10. Molybdenum.
11. Manganese.

It is obvious from the names thatit is these components that are added to the mixture of iron and carbon in a certain ratio. This affects a significant change in the properties of the resulting materials.

Secondary Metals

Unfortunately, as much as we would like, things cannot last forever. Over time, everything becomes unusable - it breaks, beats, grows old and goes out of fashion. This is also the case with ferrous metal structures. Steel, cast iron and other products, spare parts simply cease to be needed.

Then they are handed over to special enterprises involved in the processing of raw materials that have become unusable. Now these are black secondary metals. This is the name of metal products made of ferrous metals that are out of order and unnecessary in everyday life.

Those enterprises that collect scrap must comply with certain rules for its storage, removal and sale. The legislation of our country on this issue is established by GOST. Ferrous metals, as well as non-ferrous, are under strict control of the law.

Recycled metals can be recycled and put back into production. It is for sale for such purposes that intermediary entrepreneurs buy black scrap metal.

Today, ferrous metals are treated with due respect, they occupy a leading position in the market for their products.

Mechanical use

Steel and cast iron items, parts, various devices are widely used in mechanical engineering. They are in demand not only forautomobile, but also in chemical, aviation production, as well as in shipbuilding. All this is due to the special strength of these materials, their heat resistance and corrosion resistance. Ferrous metals are becoming the base material for the production of many types of products. Among the most common are:

• gear side covers;
• bearings;
• valves;
• fittings;
• bushings;
• pipes;
• cylinders of cars and other vehicles;
• gear wheels;
• chain links on tractors;
• brake drums;
• carriages;
• casings and so on.

This list is endless, because there are really a lot of ferrous metal products and their alloys.

Application in other industries

There are several main areas in which ferrous metals are used:

1. Chemical industry.
2. Engineering.
3. Production of special purpose furniture.
4. Release of dishes.
5. Production of structural parts.

This is certainly not a complete list, but only the most common areas that account for the vast majority of steel products.