Field of science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metals

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metallurgy</span>

Metallurgy

<p><b>Metallurgy</b> is a domain of <a href="/en/Materials_science" title="Materials science" class="wl">materials science and engineering</a> that studies the physical and chemical behavior of <a href="/en/Metal" title="Metal" class="wl">metallic</a> <a href="/en/Chemical_element" title="Chemical element" class="wl">elements</a>, their <a href="/en/Inter-metallic_alloy" title="Inter-metallic alloy" class="mw-redirect wl">inter-metallic compounds</a>, and their mixtures, which are known as <a href="/en/Alloy" title="Alloy" class="wl">alloys</a>.
Metallurgy encompasses both the <a href="/en/Science" title="Science" class="wl">science</a> and the <a href="/en/Technology" title="Technology" class="wl">technology</a> of metals; that is, the way in which science is applied to the production of <a href="/en/Metal" title="Metal" class="wl">metals</a>, and the engineering of metal components used in products for both consumers and manufacturers. Metallurgy is distinct from the <a href="/en/Craft" title="Craft" class="wl">craft</a> of <a href="/en/Metalworking" title="Metalworking" class="wl">metalworking</a>. Metalworking relies on metallurgy in a similar manner to how <a href="/en/Medicine" title="Medicine" class="wl">medicine</a> relies on medical science for technical advancement. A specialist <a href="/en/Practitioner–scholar_model" title="Practitioner–scholar model" class="wl">practitioner</a> of metallurgy is known as a <a href="/en/Category:Metallurgists" title="Category:Metallurgists" class="wl">metallurgist</a>. </p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Field of science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metals</div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1096954695/mw-parser-output/.tmulti" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{display:flex;flex-direction:row;clear:left;flex-wrap:wrap;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{margin:1px;float:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .theader{clear:both;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;align-self:center;background-color:transparent;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbcaption{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-left{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-right{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-center{text-align:center}@media all and (max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbinner{width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:none!important;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{justify-content:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{float:none!important;max-width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle .thumbcaption{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow>.thumbcaption{text-align:center}}</style><div class="thumb tmulti tright" about="#mwt2"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:279px;max-width:279px"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:277px;max-width:277px"><div class="thumbimage"><span><a href="/en/File:Processing_gold.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Processing_gold.jpg"><img loading="lazy" alt="Processing_gold.jpg" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Processing_gold.jpg/275px-Processing_gold.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1800" data-file-height="1200" data-file-type="bitmap" height="183" width="275" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Processing_gold.jpg/413px-Processing_gold.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Processing_gold.jpg/550px-Processing_gold.jpg 2x"></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/en/Smelting" title="Smelting" class="wl">Smelting</a>, a basic step in obtaining usable quantities of most metals.</div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:277px;max-width:277px"><div class="thumbimage"><span><a href="/en/File:Pouring_gold.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Pouring_gold.jpg"><img loading="lazy" alt="Pouring_gold.jpg" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Pouring_gold.jpg/275px-Pouring_gold.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1800" data-file-height="1200" data-file-type="bitmap" height="183" width="275" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Pouring_gold.jpg/413px-Pouring_gold.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Pouring_gold.jpg/550px-Pouring_gold.jpg 2x"></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/en/Casting_(metalworking)" title="Casting (metalworking)" class="mw-redirect wl">Casting</a>; pouring molten gold into a mold.</div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flex"><div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/en/Gold" title="Gold" class="wl">Gold</a> was processed in <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:La%20Luz%20Gold%20Mine" title="commons:Category:La Luz Gold Mine" class="extiw" target="_blank">La Luz Gold Mine</a> <i>(pictured)</i> near <a href="/en/Siuna,_Nicaragua" title="Siuna, Nicaragua" class="mw-redirect wl">Siuna, Nicaragua</a>, until 1968.</div></div></div></div>

<p>The science of metallurgy is further subdivided into two broad categories: <a href="/en/Chemical_metallurgy" title="Chemical metallurgy" class="wl">chemical metallurgy</a> and <a href="/en/Physical_metallurgy" title="Physical metallurgy" class="wl">physical metallurgy</a>. Chemical metallurgy is chiefly concerned with the reduction and oxidation of metals, and the chemical performance of metals.  Subjects of study in chemical metallurgy include <a href="/en/Mineral_processing" title="Mineral processing" class="wl">mineral processing</a>, the <a href="/en/Extractive_metallurgy" title="Extractive metallurgy" class="wl">extraction of metals</a>, <a href="/en/Thermodynamics" title="Thermodynamics" class="wl">thermodynamics</a>, <a href="/en/Electrochemistry" title="Electrochemistry" class="wl">electrochemistry</a>, and chemical degradation (<a href="/en/Corrosion" title="Corrosion" class="wl">corrosion</a>).<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span>  In contrast, <a href="/en/Physical_metallurgy" title="Physical metallurgy" class="wl">physical metallurgy</a> focuses on the mechanical properties of metals, the physical properties of metals, and the physical performance of metals. Topics studied in physical metallurgy include <a href="/en/Crystallography" title="Crystallography" class="wl">crystallography</a>, <a href="/en/Characterization_(materials_science)" title="Characterization (materials science)" class="wl">material characterization</a>, mechanical metallurgy, <a href="/en/Phase_transition" title="Phase transition" class="wl">phase transformations</a>, and <a href="/en/Metallurgical_failure_analysis" title="Metallurgical failure analysis" class="wl">failure mechanisms</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span></p>  

<p>Historically, metallurgy has predominately focused on the production of metals. Metal production begins with the processing of <a href="/en/Ore" title="Ore" class="wl">ores</a> to extract the metal, and includes the mixture of metals to make <a href="/en/Alloy" title="Alloy" class="wl">alloys</a>. Metal alloys are often a blend of at least two different metallic elements. However, non-metallic elements are often added to alloys in order to achieve properties suitable for an application. The study of metal production is subdivided into <a href="/en/Ferrous_metallurgy" title="Ferrous metallurgy" class="wl">ferrous metallurgy</a> (also known as <i>black metallurgy</i>) and <a href="/en/Non-ferrous_metallurgy" title="Non-ferrous metallurgy" class="mw-redirect wl">non-ferrous metallurgy</a> (also known as <i>colored metallurgy</i>).
Ferrous metallurgy involves processes and alloys based on <a href="/en/Iron" title="Iron" class="wl">iron</a>, while non-ferrous metallurgy involves processes and alloys based on other metals. The production of ferrous metals accounts for 95% of world metal production.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-3"><a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span></p>

<p>Modern metallurgists work in both emerging and traditional areas as part of an interdisciplinary team alongside material scientists and other engineers. Some traditional areas include mineral processing, metal production, heat treatment, <a href="/en/Metallurgical_failure_analysis" title="Metallurgical failure analysis" class="wl">failure analysis</a>, and the joining of metals (including <a href="/en/Welding" title="Welding" class="wl">welding</a>, <a href="/en/Brazing" title="Brazing" class="wl">brazing</a>, and <a href="/en/Soldering" title="Soldering" class="wl">soldering</a>).  Emerging areas for metallurgists include <a href="/en/Nanotechnology" title="Nanotechnology" class="wl">nanotechnology</a>, <a href="/en/Superconductivity" title="Superconductivity" class="wl">superconductors</a>, <a href="/en/Composite_material" title="Composite material" class="wl">composites</a>, <a href="/en/Biomaterial" title="Biomaterial" class="wl">biomedical materials</a>, <a href="/en/Electronic_Materials" title="Electronic Materials" class="mw-redirect wl">electronic materials</a> (semiconductors) and <a href="/en/Surface_engineering" title="Surface engineering" class="wl">surface engineering</a>. Many applications, practices, and devices associated or involved in metallurgy were established in ancient China, such as the innovation of the <a href="/en/Blast_furnace" title="Blast furnace" class="wl">blast furnace</a>, <a href="/en/Cast_iron" title="Cast iron" class="wl">cast iron</a>, <a href="/en/Hydraulic" title="Hydraulic" class="mw-redirect wl">hydraulic</a>-powered <a href="/en/Trip_hammer" title="Trip hammer" class="wl">trip hammers</a>, and double acting piston <a href="/en/Bellows" title="Bellows" class="wl">bellows</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-auto_4-0"><a href="#cite_note-auto-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[4]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-temple-r_5-0"><a href="#cite_note-temple-r-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[5]</span></a></span></p>



Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the science and the technology of metals; that is, the way in which science is applied to the production of metals, and the engineering of metal components used in products for both consumers and manufacturers. Metallurgy is distinct from the craft of metalworking. Metalworking relies on metallurgy in a similar manner to how medicine relies on medical science for technical advancement. A specialist practitioner of metallurgy is known as a metallurgist.  The science of metallurgy is further subdivided into two broad categories: chemical metallurgy and physical metallurgy. Chemical metallurgy is chiefly concerned with the reduction and oxidation of metals, and the chemical performance of metals.  Subjects of study in chemical metallurgy include mineral processing, the extraction of metals, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and chemical degradation . Historically, metallurgy has predominately focused on the production of metals. Metal production begins with the processing of ores to extract the metal, and includes the mixture of metals to make alloys. Metal alloys are often a blend of at least two different metallic elements. However, non-metallic elements are often added to alloys in order to achieve properties suitable for an application. The study of metal production is subdivided into ferrous metallurgy and non-ferrous metallurgy .
Ferrous metallurgy involves processes and alloys based on iron, while non-ferrous metallurgy involves processes and alloys based on other metals. The production of ferrous metals accounts for 95% of world metal production. 