1. Introduction
An alloy is a mixture of metals and another element . Alloys are defined by a metallic bonding
character . An alloy may be a solid solution of metal elements (a single phase) or a mixture of
metallic phases (two or more solutions) . Intermetallic compounds are alloys with a defined
stoichiometry and crystal structure. Zintl phases are also sometimes considered alloys depending
on bond types .
Alloys are used in a wide variety of applications . in some cases , a combination of metals may
reduce the overall cost of the material while preserving important properties . In another cases ,
the combination of metals imparts synergistic properties to the constituent metal elements such
as corrosion resistance or mechanical strength . Examples of alloys are steel , solder , brass ,
pewter , duralumin , phospohor bronze and amalgams .
The alloy constituents are usually measured by mass . Alloys are usually measured by mass .
Alloys are usually classified as substitutional or interstitial alloys , depending on the atomic
arrangement that forms the alloy . They can be further classified as homogenous (consisting of a
single phase) , or heterogeneous (consisting of two or more phases) or intermetallic .
An alloyisa mixture
