A Metal is a material

when freshly prepared, polished, or
fractured, shows a lustrous appearance,
and conducts electricity and heat
relatively well.

malleable

they can be hammered into
thin sheets

ductile

can be drawn into
wires

A metal may be a

chemical
element such as iron, or an alloy such as
stainless steel.

Stone Age

These metallurgy techniques began in the
Neolithic stage (towards the end of the stone age) c. 7500 BC
Cold Working
Annealing
Smelting
Lost Wax Casting

Bronze Age

c 4500 BC Being more robust than
copper, bronze enabled people to
create more durable metal objects

Iron Age

Iron artifacts were found as early as
2500 BC

Present Age

Aluminum,
Plastics, Ceramics,
Composites,
Semiconductors,
Super-alloys

Gold

Historically, used for decorative purpose no utilitarian value
• Currently still being used as jewelry but also widely used in electronic products

Copper

• A ductile material, resistant to
corrosion with very high thermal and
electrical conductivity.

Silver

Similar use to gold
decorative jewelry and
measure of wealth
• Phoenicians used silver
for anchors

Lead

• Galena was burnt to obtain
silver
• Used as writing material,
currency and construction
material.

Iron, Smelted

Iron from meteorites were used as early as 3500 BC
(found with 7% Ni)

Mercury

• used as amalgam – used to dissolve
silver and gold.
• Used by Chinese to prolong life, heal
fractures and maintain good health
(now known as a health hazard)

Tin

Used historically with copper to form bronze alloys.

Increases hardness, lowers melting
temperature and improves efficiency during casting.

Material Evidences

artifacts of jars, plates,
arrowheads, axes and other farm
implements, as well as the walls of
prehistoric caves

• Georgius Agricola (1494 to 1555)

De Re Metallica (On the Nature of
Metals)

Vannoccio Biringuccio (1480 to
c.1539)

• De La Pirotechnia (Concerning
Pyrotechnics)

Metallurgy

The art and science of extracting and
refining metals from primary and
secondary sources to characterize,
process, and fabricate for application
and use at a profit and with utmost
consideration of the environment

Minerals

naturally occurring,
• inorganically formed,
• homogenous solid
• definite chemical composition
and an orderly crystalline
structure

Ore

Is a mineral deposit w/c can be
ECONOMICALLY EXPLOITED to become
a source or supply of a particular
material

Concentrate

valuable minerals
obtained from the
recovery processes

Gangue

• Minerals of no value

Ore Dressing

• preparation required before the
extraction process

Recovery or Winning

• Process involving the production or
recovery of pure metal

Grade/Assay

• Metal content or measure of
the concentration of metal.
• Used to ascertain the content
of valuable metal in ore

Cut-off Grade

• lowest grade of mineralized
material considered economic

Native Ores

metal is present in elementary form
• Gold, Copper, Silver

Sulphide Ores

contain metals as sulphide
• CuFeS2, Cu2S,

Oxidized Ores

Valuable mineral may be present as oxide, sulfide, sulphates, silicates,
carbonates

Unit Operations

• individual sequential steps in
producing metal from the ore
involving purely physical
changes

Unit Processes

• individual sequential steps in
producing a metal involving chemical reactions and/or changes in the state of
aggregation

Minerals processing

Metal Purification

Forming Processes

Fabrication Techniques