ARC134

Building Materials –iron & steel

 Iron
Iron is a widely used material for its strength and toughness

Iron ores

Pig iron

Ferrous metals
Cast iron, wrought iron, steel
 Iron ores
are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted.
The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright
yellow, deep purple, to rusty red
Chief Iron ores
Hematite (red ferric oxide, F2O3 and 70% iron)

Limonite( brown hematite, 2Fe2O3.3H2O and

60% of Iron)

Magnetite( Black Oxides of Iron,Fe3O4 and 73%

of iron)

Siderate (Grey or brown carbonate of Iron,

Fe2CO3 and 40% of Iron)

Iron Pyrites( Yellow sulphide of iron, FeS2) and

45% of iron)
Pig Iron

• Obtained by heating
and melting oxides of
iron in a blast furnace
at a temperature of
about 3000◦F.The
process is called
smelting.
• Two processes
generally take place in
the blast furnace-

1. Reduction (De-
oxidations of Iron ores)
2. Gangue ( Separation of
Iron ores from the
impurities like clay, sand
etc.)
Pig Iron

1. Reduction (De-oxidations of Iron ores)

• CO is implied to liberate oxygen from Iron oxides to form CO2 at 3000◦F temp.

2. Gangue ( Separation of Iron ores from the impurities like clay, sand etc.)
• CaCO3 is added to the Iron ores along with charcoal in a blast furnace
• Lime (CaO) forms silicates and aluminates at about 2000◦F. These are called slag.
• Slag is lighter than iron, so it collects on the top of molten metallic iron and flows
out into a separate container.
Composition
of Pig Iron

Composition
of Slag
Use of slag
• Making of blast furnace cement
• Railway ballast
• Road metals
• Coarse aggregate for concrete
• Fertilizer as it contains sulphates and phosphates

Wrought Iron
• It is manufactured by melting the whiter variety of pig iron in a pudding
furnace. Wrought iron is the purest form of iron containing less than .12
percent of carbon.
Cast Iron
• It is manufactured by re-melting grey pig iron in a cupola furnace and
running it into molds of shape required

Properties
• Strong in compression but weak in tension
• Brittle and does not absorb shock
• Does not posses the properties of ductility and malleability
• Shrinkage varies from .5 to 3 percent depending upon the casting

Use
• Low cost of production and can be cast to any shape
• CI pipes, covers , columns with their caps and bases, struts , carriage
Wheels, parts of machinery and other structures subjected to compression
• Gates, railings , expanded metals, window frame, gratings and other
ornamental works
Steel
• Steel is an iron-carbon alloy having a carbon content less than 2 percent and
generally below 1.5 percent
• It is malleable as cast iron and exhibits properties of toughness and strength
• Contains substantial quantities of manganese

Pre-stressing Steel
• High tensile steel is almost universal material for producing pre-stress and
supplying the tensile force in pre-stressed concrete.
• Such steel can take any of the three forms:
1. Wires
2. Strands
3. Bars
The Four Types of Steel
Steel is graded as a way of classification and is often categorized into four groups—Carbon,
Alloy, Stainless, and Tool.
•Carbon Steels only contain trace amounts of elements besides carbon and iron. This
group is the most common, accounting for 90% of steel production. Carbon Steel is divided
into three subgroups depending on the amount of carbon in the metal: Low Carbon
Steels/Mild Steels (up to 0.3% carbon), Medium Carbon Steels (0.3–0.6% carbon), and High
Carbon Steels (more than 0.6% carbon).
•Alloy Steels contain alloying elements like nickel, copper, chromium, and/or aluminum.
These additional elements are used to influence the metal’s strength, ductility, corrosion
resistance, and machinability.
•Stainless Steels contain 10–20% chromium as their alloying element and are valued for
their high corrosion resistance. These steels are commonly used in medical equipment,
piping, cutting tools, and food processing equipment.
•Tool Steels make excellent cutting and drilling equipment as they contain tungsten,
molybdenum, cobalt, and vanadium to increase heat resistance and durability.