Metals and Alloys For PSC

This post lists some of the most significant metals and alloys that job aspirants must study for competitive GK examinations these days. Some of the alloys in the table below, such as brass and bronze, were often asked in previous year Kerala PSC question papers.

Metals, Alloys and their Uses

An alloy is a combination of metal and two or more other elements, which might be metallic or nonmetallic in nature. Some of these alloys, such as gold and silver, exist naturally, but the great majority are man-made.

Pure metals that stand-alone may be ineffective when compared to alloys.

Pure gold, for example, is excessively soft and malleable and ductile. Imagine crafting a ring out of pure gold; it would easily slide between our fingers, therefore jewellery makers combine it with silver or copper to strengthen the metal's endurance and hardness.

Thus, gold offers colour and corrosion resistance, while the other metals add strength.

Below Table lists important metals and alloys for PSC exams:

Alloy	Metal Composition	Uses
Alnico	Aluminium, Nickel & Cobalt	Making Magnets.
Brass	Copper & Zinc	Making Utensils.
Bronze	Copper & Tin	Making Utensils, Coins & Bells.
Bell Metal	Copper & Tin	Casting bells & statues.
Constantan	Copper & Nickel	DC current shunts, electric motor starter resistances & heavy-duty industrial rheostats.
Delta Metal	Copper, Iron & Zinc	Making Aeroplane Blades.
Duralumin	Aluminium & Copper	Making Utensils.
Dutch metal	Copper & Zinc	Making Artificial Ornaments.
Electrum	Gold & Silver	Coinage.
German Silver	Copper, Nickel & Zinc	Making Utensils.
Gunmetal	Copper, Tin & Zinc	Making Guns, Barrels, Gears & Bearings.
Invar	Iron & Nickel	Pendulum Clocks, Precision instruments, clocks, seismic creep gauges, television shadow-mask frames
Manganin	Copper, Manganese & Nickel	Resistors, Ammeter Shunts.
Magnalium	Aluminium & Magnesium	Making Frame of Aeroplanes.
Monel Metal	Copper & Nickel	For base containing container.
Munz Metal	Copper & Zinc	Making Coins.
Nichrome	Nickel, Chromium &Iron	Making heating elements of the iron boxes
Nickel steel	Iron & Nickel	Making electrical wire, automobile parts.
Rose Metal	Bismuth, Tin & Lead	Manufacture of the automatic fuse.
Stainless Steel	Iron, Chromium & Nickel	Making Utensils, Surgical instruments & Cutlery
Sterling Silver	Silver & Copper	Ornaments, Coinage
Solder	Lead & Tin	Soldering
Type Metal	Lead, Tin & Antimony	In printing industry
Wood's Metal	Lead, Tin & Cadmium	In low-melting solder and low-temperature casting

** Brass - പിച്ചള, Bronze - ഓട്‌.

Thanks for reading!!!