Use of metals in Everyday life began at the dawn of human development, and the first metal was copper, since it is available in nature and can be easily processed. It is not without reason that archaeologists during excavations find various products and household utensils made of this metal. In the process of evolution, people gradually learned to combine various metals, obtaining increasingly durable alloys suitable for making tools, and later weapons. Nowadays, experiments continue, thanks to which it is possible to identify the strongest metals in the world.
- high specific strength;
- resistance to high temperatures;
- low density;
- corrosion resistance;
- mechanical and chemical resistance.
Titanium is used in the military industry, aviation medicine, shipbuilding, and other areas of production.
The most famous element, considered one of the strongest metals in the world, and under normal conditions is a weak radioactive metal. In nature, it is found both in a free state and in acidic sedimentary rocks. It is quite heavy, widely distributed everywhere and has paramagnetic properties, flexibility, malleability, and relative ductility. Uranium is used in many areas of production.
Known as the most refractory metal in existence, it is one of the strongest metals in the world. It is a solid transitional element of a shiny silver-gray color. It has high strength, excellent refractoriness, and resistance to chemical influences. Due to its properties, it can be forged and drawn into a thin thread. Known as tungsten filament.
Among the representatives of this group, it is considered a high-density transition metal with a silvery-white color. It occurs in nature in its pure form, but is found in molybdenum and copper raw materials. It is characterized by high hardness and density, and has excellent refractoriness. It has increased strength, which is not lost due to repeated temperature changes. Rhenium is an expensive metal and has a high cost. Used in modern technology and electronics.
Brilliant silver white metal with a slightly bluish tint, belongs to the platinum group and is considered one of the most durable metals in the world. Similar to iridium, it has a high atomic density, high strength and hardness. Since osmium is a platinum metal, it has properties similar to iridium: refractoriness, hardness, brittleness, resistance to mechanical stress, as well as to the influence of aggressive environments. Found wide application in surgery, electron microscopy, chemical industry, rocketry, electronic equipment.
It belongs to the group of metals and is a light gray element with relative hardness and high toxicity. Thanks to your unique properties Beryllium is used in a wide variety of production areas:
- nuclear energy;
- aerospace engineering;
- metallurgy;
- laser technology;
- nuclear energy.
Due to its high hardness, beryllium is used in the production of alloying alloys and refractory materials.
Next on the list of the ten strongest metals in the world is chromium - a hard, high-strength metal of a bluish-white color, resistant to alkalis and acids. It occurs in nature in its pure form and is widely used in various industries science, technology and production. Chromium is used to create various alloys that are used in the manufacture of medical as well as chemical technological equipment. When combined with iron, it forms an alloy called ferrochrome, which is used in the manufacture of metal-cutting tools.
Tantalum deserves bronze in the ranking, as it is one of the strongest metals in the world. It is a silvery metal with high hardness and atomic density. Due to the formation of an oxide film on its surface, it has a leaden tint.
The distinctive properties of tantalum are high strength, refractoriness, resistance to corrosion, and resistance to aggressive environments. The metal is a fairly ductile metal and can be easily machining. Today tantalum is successfully used:
- in the chemical industry;
- during the construction of nuclear reactors;
- in metallurgical production;
- when creating heat-resistant alloys.
The second place in the ranking of the most durable metals in the world is occupied by ruthenium, a silvery metal belonging to the platinum group. Its peculiarity is the presence of living organisms in the muscle tissue. The valuable properties of ruthenium are high strength, hardness, refractoriness, chemical resistance, and the ability to form complex compounds. Ruthenium is considered a catalyst for many chemical reactions, acts as a material for the manufacture of electrodes, contacts, and sharp tips.
The ranking of the most durable metals in the world is headed by iridium - a silver-white, hard and refractory metal that belongs to the platinum group. In nature, the high-strength element is extremely rare and is often combined with osmium. Due to its natural hardness, it is difficult to machine and is highly resistant to impact. chemical. Iridium reacts with great difficulty to exposure to halogens and sodium peroxide.
This metal is playing important role in everyday life. It is added to titanium, chromium and tungsten to improve resistance to acidic environments, used in the manufacture of stationery, used in jewelry for creating jewelry. The cost of iridium remains high due to its limited presence in nature.
The first metal that humanity began to use for economic purposes was copper: it is easy to process, it is found quite often in nature, so it is not surprising that it served as the material for the first metal knives and axes. A little later people discovered that by adding tin to copper, a much stronger alloy, bronze, could be obtained. And when they mastered iron, it turned out that in its pure form it is not much stronger than copper, but when combined with carbon it acquires much better strength properties. Medieval alchemists, in addition to the search for the philosopher's stone, they also experimented with alloys, trying to determine which is the hardest metal in the world, but all experiments confirmed: alloys are stronger than pure metal, no matter what it is. But what is the situation today?
The hardest
All the most durable “pure” metals were discovered by man quite late. The reason is simple: they are much less common than the iron or copper we are used to. There are several methods for determining the hardness of materials: Mohs, Vickers, Brinell and Rockwell, the data of which differ slightly. On the Mohs scale, for example, iron has a value of only 4, and the highest hardness of diamond is 10. And a dozen metals whose hardness is 5 units or higher look like this:
- iridium – 5;
- ruthenium – 5;
- tantalum – 5;
- technetium – 5;
- chromium – 5;
- beryllium – 5.5;
- osmium – 5.5;
- rhenium – 5.5;
- tungsten – 6;
- uranium – 6.
Most of this “magnificent ten” are extremely rare in nature (for example, the annual production of ruthenium in the world is about 18 tons, and rhenium is about 40 tons) or have radioactivity, making their use in everyday life difficult. And all of them have a very significant cost, with the possible exception of chromium. It is the high hardness and relatively low price of this metal that made it popular in the manufacture of durable alloys.
Use of the hardest metals
Due to the fact that most of the hardest metals are very rare in nature, their strength qualities remain unclaimed or are in extremely limited demand, for example, for coating components and parts of mechanisms subjected to the greatest load. But using rhenium or ruthenium additives in the manufacture of tool steel or armor, you see, is stupid. There simply aren’t enough of these metals for everything. Therefore, chromium turned out to be in great demand. It is the most important alloying additive, improving both the strength and corrosion resistance of alloys.
Some of the solid metals are used in very small quantities in medicine, in the creation of space technology, as catalysts and in some other areas. In these cases, it was not their hardness that was in demand, but other accompanying qualities. Tungsten, for example, as the most refractory metal on the planet (melting point +3422 Celsius), has found application in the creation of incandescent filaments lighting fixtures. It is added in small quantities to alloys that must withstand high temperatures for long periods of time - for example, in the metallurgical industry.
Uranus
Uranium, like tungsten, is the hardest metal on Earth, but uranium is much more common on our planet, and therefore has found much wider application. And its radioactivity did not interfere with this. The best known use of uranium is as a “fuel” in nuclear power plants. It is also used in geology to determine age rocks and in the chemical industry.
Strength properties and high specific gravity uranium (it is 19 times heavier than water) were useful in the creation of armor-piercing ammunition. In this case, it is not pure metal that is used, but its depleted version, almost entirely consisting of the weakly radioactive isotope uranium-238. Heavy cores made of this metal perfectly penetrate even well-armored targets. How harmful are the residual effects of using such ammunition? environment and to humans, is not yet known for certain, since too little statistical material has been accumulated on this issue.
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Metals accompany humanity almost all of its conscious life. This began, of course, with copper, since it is the most amenable to processing material and available in nature.
Evolution helped people develop significantly technically and over time they began to invent alloys that became stronger and stronger. In our time, experiments continue, and new durable alloys appear every year. Let's consider the best of them.
Titanium
Titanium is a high-strength material that is in high demand in many industries. The most common area of application is aviation. This is due to the successful combination of low mass and high strength. Also, the properties of titanium are high specific strength, resistance to physical influences, temperatures and corrosion.
Uranus
One of the most durable elements. IN natural conditions it is a weak radioactive metal. It can be found in a free state, is very heavy and is widely distributed everywhere due to its paramagnetic properties. Uranium is flexible, has high malleability and relative ductility.
Tungsten
The most refractory metal currently known. It has a silver-gray color and is a so-called transitional element. The properties of tungsten allow it to resist chemical attack and be forgeable. The most famous area of application is used in incandescent lamps.
Rhenium
Silver-white metal. It can be found in nature in its pure form, but there is also molybdenum raw material in which it is also found. Distinctive feature Rhenium refractoriness. It belongs to expensive metals, so its cost is also off the charts. Home area applications – electronics.
Osmium
Osmium is a silvery-white metal that has a slight blue tint. It belongs to the platinum group and has an unusually strong similarity to iridium in such properties as refractoriness, hardness and brittleness.
Beryllium
This metal is an element that has a light gray tint and is highly toxic. Having such unusual properties, the material has found wide application in the field of nuclear energy and laser technology. The high strength of beryllium allows it to be used in the manufacture of alloying alloys.
Chromium
The bluish-white tint makes chrome stand out from the crowd. It is resistant to alkalis and acids. In nature it can be found in its pure form. Chromium is often used to create various alloys, which are later used in the fields of medicine and chemical equipment.
It is worth noting that ferrochrome is an alloy of chromium and iron. It is used in the manufacture of metal cutting tools.
Tantalum
It is a silvery metal with high hardness and density. A lead tint on metal is formed due to the appearance of an oxide film on the surface. The metal lends itself well to processing.
Today, tantalum is successfully used in the construction of nuclear reactors and metallurgical production.
Ruthenium
A silvery metal that belongs to the platinum group. He's different unusual composition: it includes muscle living organisms. Another distinctive fact is that ruthenium is used as a catalyst for many chemical reactions.
Iridium
This metal ranks first in our rating. It has a silvery white color. Iridium also belongs to the platinum group and has the highest hardness of the above metals. IN modern world it is used very often. It is mainly added to other metals to improve their resistance to acidic environments. The metal itself is very expensive, since it is very poorly distributed in nature.
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The debate continues about which metal should be awarded the title of the most durable and valuable in the world. The reason for the controversy was the difference in their characteristics and features.
A silver-white, extremely refractory metal belonging to the platinum group, it tops our strength ratings. It was opened only in 1803. It is extremely rare in nature; the main source of iridium production is small particles that have fallen on the planet. celestial bodies. The volume of global iridium production does not exceed 3 tons.
According to scientists, there are deposits of it on our planet; they are located in the very depths of the earth’s bowels, which makes their extraction extremely difficult today.
Iridium is added to refractory metals: titanium, tungsten, chromium to increase their resistance to acids, and is used in the production of jewelry and stationery. The potential of iridium is also actively used in industry; spark plugs for internal combustion engines and parts for spacecraft are produced.
Due to rarity the price noble metal extremely high, as of October 2016 it was more than $20 per gram.
One of the strongest metals with high atomic density has a lead tint provided by an oxide film on the surface. It was mined in its pure form only at the beginning of the 20th century.
To obtain 1 ton of tantalum, about 3,000 tons of ore must be processed. The main deposits are located in France, Australia, China and Egypt. Despite its hardness, it has high ductility rates comparable to gold.
It begins to melt at ultra-high temperatures (about 3000 ⁰C), is resistant to chemical reagents and almost all acids, except a mixture of nitric and hydrofluoric acid.
If, after its discovery, tantalum was used exclusively for the production of wire for incandescent lamps, now its resistance to mechanical and thermal influences is appreciated.
It has found wide application in various industries, mechanical engineering and the space industry. Superconductors are made from it and used in the production of bone prostheses and military armor.
The difficulty of tantalum mining ensures it high price, amounting to about $300 per kilogram as of October 2016.
One of the hardest metals, it belongs to the platinum group, therefore it is considered noble, different high temperature melting (2334 ⁰С), rarity, resistance to external influences.
Ruthenium crystals are quite fragile and can be pounded in a mortar without any problems. It is mostly mined in South Africa and has a pleasant blue-gray tint. Ruthenium is isolated from the rock through complex chemical processing, but in its pure form it is practically not used due to its fragility.
Mainly added to compounds with various metals to improve characteristics such as hardness (to platinum and palladium in jewelry), resistance to aggressive environments (titanium), increasing the efficiency of electrical contacts, thermocouples, and is also used for the production of laboratory glassware.
It is not only one of the hardest, but also the most expensive metals, the price exceeds $20 per gram.
A hard metal of a silvery-white color, not found in its pure form, but mined from chromium iron ore. Melts at a temperature of 1907 ⁰C, is resistant to alkalis and acids, and is not subject to corrosion.
Due to its properties, it is widely used in light industry, used for the production of metal-cutting tools and weapons. The price of the metal is unstable and fluctuates over a very wide range.
A hard, durable, lightweight and very toxic metal with a light gray hue. You can die from beryllium vapor poisoning. It has found application in the nuclear industry in the production of neutron reflectors; it is added to alloys to give them additional strength and corrosion resistance.
Also used in the nuclear industry, metallurgy, and aerodynamics. The price of beryllium in 2016 was $5500-6000 per kilogram
A durable and dense metal of silver-blue color, 3 times heavier than lead. It is rarely found in its pure form; as a rule, it is extracted from other representatives of the platinum group, in tandem with iridium, or as part of cosmic bodies that fell to Earth.
It has a strong unpleasant aroma. Found in a number of regions of Russia, Northern and South America. It is separated from other impurities through complex chemical reactions, the duration of which is up to 9 months. Found wide application in various industries.
In combination with tungsten it is used to produce incandescent filaments, and with platinum - for pacemakers and surgical instruments. Due to the difficulty of extraction and limited quantity, it has a high price; 100 g of osmium costs about $7,700.
It is a by-product in the production of copper and molybdenum. It is used in modern aircraft construction, the production of high-precision electronics, and in the synthesis of high-octane gasoline.
The expansion of the scope of rhenium application is hampered by the complexity of extraction and dispersion on the surface earth's crust. The same factor provides the metal with a high cost (up to $4000 per kg).
A light gray metal reminiscent of platinum, it is characterized by high density and refractoriness. It is quite common in nature, found in the form of rock compounds called wolframite.
Despite the hardness of tungsten, it can be easily forged at temperatures above 1600 ⁰C, which allows it to be used in heavy industry as a base for refractory metals.
Tungsten elements are used to create televisions and lighting devices. As of October 2016, the price per kilogram of tungsten is $150.
One of the strongest metals in the world, which is a weak radioactive element. Distributed everywhere, found both in pure form and as part of sedimentary rocks.
The process of producing pure uranium is quite labor-intensive, divided into several stages, as a result of which from a ton uranium ore only a few grams of metal are obtained. Used for production nuclear fuel, cores for armor-piercing shells, as well as for painting glass.
The cost of uranium in 2016 is about $60 per kg.
If strength is usually understood as the ability solids resist destruction and maintain the shape of the product, then the following metals can be classified as super-strong and durable metals.
Name titanium was appropriated by Martin Klaproth, a German researcher who discovered a new metal not for its chemical qualities, but in honor of the mythological heroes of the children of the earth - the titans.
The occurrence of titanium in nature is in 10th place; it is most concentrated in minerals. Without this metal it would be impossible newest discoveries in the field of rocket, ship and aircraft construction. Titanium is used in all areas of industry, in the manufacture of medical implants and body armor with Food Industry and agriculture.
2nd place 
Light gray tungsten , literally translated as wolf's cream, is the most refractory metal, so it is indispensable in the manufacture of heat-resistant surfaces and products. The filament in a regular light bulb is made of tungsten filament.
That metal is used in ballistic missiles, in the manufacture of shells and bullets, in gyroscopic high-speed rotors.
3rd place 
Tantalum It is almost impossible to modify, because it begins to melt at a temperature of 3015 degrees Celsius, and boils at a boiling point of 5300 degrees. To an ordinary person It’s impossible to even imagine such heat. The bluish-gray metal is the most irreplaceable in modern medicine, wire and sheets are made from it to cover damaged bones.
Opened in 1817 molybdenum, steel-gray metal is practically never found in its pure form. The refractoriness of this metal is amazing, the melting point of which exceeds 2620 degrees. Molybdenum has found its greatest use in the military industry, where gun and armor steels are made.
5th place 
Aviation and mechanical engineering, nuclear energy and astronautics use niobium, a metal very similar in its properties to tantalum. Niobium is practically unaffected by any substances, neither salts nor acids, it is difficult to melt and difficult to oxidize, which is what makes the unique metal so in demand.
6th place 
The heaviest metal on earth iridium It has the most durable anti-corrosion properties; even aqua regia cannot melt it. Adding iridium to other alloys increases their ability to resist corrosion.
7th place 
Beryllium is one of rare metals, which are mined in the ground. Its unique qualities, such as high thermal conductivity and fire resistance, have made this metal indispensable in the manufacture of nuclear reactors. Beryllium alloys rightfully occupy a leading place in the aerospace and aviation industries.
8th place 
Light blue chrome , which is also one of the strongest metals, due to its unique properties, when added to steel alloys, it makes them harder and more corrosion-resistant. The chrome parts have a beautiful appearance, which does not change over time.
9th place 
The Saxons treat their legends with care; the name of the hero of one of them, Kobold, was immortalized in the name of the metal - cobalt . Very often, when mining ore, seekers mistook the gray-pink metal for silver.
Refractory metal, as an additive, increases the heat resistance, hardness and wear resistance of steel. Thanks to its unique qualities, cobalt is indispensable in metal-cutting machines.
Hafnium – a light gray metal with unique qualities is mined from zirconium ore. Hard, refractory hafnium has unique feature, the fact is that its temperature-capacity dependence is anomalous and does not fall under any laws of physics.
Hafnium is used in nuclear energy and optics, for strengthening various alloys and making glass for X-rays; it is difficult to imagine military production without it.
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