Iron is one of the most abundant metals on Earth, originating from nuclear fusion reactions during the formation of the universe. It played a key role in the development of early life on Earth and remains essential to many living organisms. Steel is an alloy of iron with carbon, and was one of the earliest engineered materials, with traces found in ancient Egypt. The production of steel typically involves heating iron ore along with other materials like coal in large furnaces to remove impurities. Common metals used in fabrication include various grades of steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, tin, zinc, and titanium, each with their own unique properties and applications.

1. Materiality of Metal
Sculpture
Manami Ishimura

2. Content
• What is Iron?
• The origin of Iron
• Earth and Iron
• Life and Iron
• Iron vs. Steel
• History of Steel
• Production Route for Steel
• Types of Metal for Fabrication

3. What is Iron?
• Iron accounts for about 30% of
the earth's weight.

4. The origin of Iron
• The origin of iron goes back to the birth of the universe. The
universe is thought to have been born from a big explosion called
the Big Bang that occurred 13.8 billion years ago.
• After about 380,000 years, when the temperature of the universe
dropped to about 3000 degrees Celsius, electrons were attracted
to the nucleus and attracted to form hydrogen and helium atoms.
• Then, the attractive force pressed the atoms against each other to
generate heat, which produced energy due to the rise in
temperature. There, the bonds of protons and neutrons proceed,
and elements other than hydrogen helium were produced one
after another. That was nuclear fusion. In this way, while increasing
the mass, it approached a stable element, progressed to nickel,
and then underwent atomic decay to produce iron.

5. Earth and Iron
• At the time of the birth of the
earth, acid rain melted iron on the
surface of the earth as iron ions
and flowed into the sea.
• Oxygen supplied into the sea by
photosynthetic cyanobacteria,
which was born about 3 to 2.5
billion years ago, combined with
iron and deposited as iron oxide.
• Due to the uplift of the seabed, a
layer containing iron deposits
appeared on the surface and the
mine was completed.

6. Life and Iron
• Iron easily binds to organic matter and
contributed to the evolution of living
things. Iron, combined with oxygen,
travels through the body of living
organisms, carrying oxygen throughout
the body and producing energy.
• In the case of humans, an adult weighing
70 kg contains 4-5 g of iron (one nail).
• Iron plays an important role in
detoxifying excess active oxygen
while effectively utilizing oxygen in the
body as energy. The greater the
action of enzymes that detoxify active
oxygen, the longer the lifespan of
living organisms.

7. https://www.universetoday.com/153633/life-on-earth-needed-iron-will-it-be-the-same-on-other-worlds/

8. Iron vs. Steel
• The maximum carbon
concentration at which
carbon is saturated in
iron in the individual
state is about 2%, and
those below that are
called steel, and those
above that are called
cast iron.

9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=137&v=vd4ikd6TkgU&feature=emb_logo

10. History of Steel
• Steel is found in Mesopotamia around
5000-3000 BC and in iron meteorites
excavated from ancient Egyptian burial
mounds. Ornaments were made using
the iron meteorite.
• Since a lot of impurities contained in
iron ore remain in the steel as they are,
you can tap them to remove the
impurities. When the temperature was
raised and carbon could be liquefied so
that it could easily dissolve, these
impurities could be separated and
removed by specific gravity, eliminating
the need for tapping.

11. Production Route for Steel
https://www.sustainableinsteel.eu/p/531/production_routes_for_steel.html

12. Types of Metal for Fabrication
• Iron
• Steel
• Galvanized steel
• Stainless Steel
• Brass
• Aluminum
• Bronze
• Copper
• Tin
• Zinc

13. Iron *Weldable
• Iron is a highly abundant and
immensely popular type of metal.
Unalloyed iron is an unstable
element that easily reacts with
the oxygen from the air and forms
iron oxide. In order to make it
more stable, it is commonly
alloyed with other elements to
create steel. Almost 90 percent of
the metals produced are ferrous
metals.

14. Steel (Carbon / Galvanized / Stainless)
• Carbon- The addition of carbon to iron alleviates these weaknesses to
some extent. This mixture of iron and carbon, up to certain limits, is
known as carbon steel. Adding carbon to iron makes the iron much
stronger and gives it other great properties.
• Galvanized steel - is basically just steel dipped in zinc. Zinc helps to
prevent from rust. Galvanized steel is not weldable, it is toxic.
• Stainless is basically just steel with a noticeable amount of chromium.
The chromium creates a super-thin barrier when it corrodes which
slows rust. If you scratch off the barrier, a new one will immediately
form.

15. Aluminum
• Aluminum derives primarily from its ore bauxite. It is light, strong,
and functional. It is the most widespread metal on Earth and its use
has permeated applications everywhere. It also doesn’t magnetize
and is easy to machine.
• It’s the most common non-ferrous (not containing iron) metal on the
planet. While it doesn’t rust, it will oxidize.
• Aluminum is weldable but not weldable to other metals such as
ferrous metals.

16. Brass *Non-Weldable (Toxic)
• Brass is actually an alloy of copper and zinc. It also contains trace
amounts of other metallic elements such as aluminum, lead, and
manganese.
• Brass is a great candidate for low friction applications such as locks,
bearings, plumbing, musical instruments, tools, and fittings. It is
indispensable in intrinsically safe applications to prevent sparks and
allow usage in flammable environments.
• Brass is softer than steel and bronze but since it contains lead, it is not
weldable.

17. Bronze
• Bronze is also an alloy of copper. But instead of zinc, bronze contains
tin. Adding other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, silicon,
and aluminum may improve its properties and suitability for a
particular application.
• Bronze is brittle, hard, and resists fatigue well. It also has good
electrical and thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance.
• Bronze has massive historical significance (like in the Bronze Age) and
is easy to pick out. Bronze was the first man-made alloy.
https://www.engineeringchoice.com/types-of-metal/

18. Tin
• Tin is really soft and malleable. It’s used as an alloying element to
make things like bronze (1/8th tin and 7/8ths copper). It’s also the
primary ingredient in pewter (85-99%). When you bend a bar of tin,
you can hear something called a “tin cry”. This is a twanging sound of
the crystal structure reorganizing itself (called twinning).
•

19. Lead *Toxic
• Lead is really soft and malleable, and it’s also very dense and heavy.
It’s got a really low melting point, too. Lead is a highly machinable,
corrosion-resistant metal. Piping and paint represent some use-cases.
• Lead is a neurotoxin that can cause brain damage and behavioral
problems, among other things.

20. Copper
• Copper occurs in nature in its native form. Copper is fully recyclable
without breakdown in quality. Copper is used in electrical wiring. It
can also be shaped into various parts. It can be used in a heat sink. It
is also used in pipes carrying water, because it does not corrode.
When copper is mixed with tin, bronze is made.
https://spectrumchart.blogspot.com/2017/01/chart-289-metal-its-uses.html

21. Titanium
• Titanium is an important engineering metal due to its being strong
and lightweight. It also has high thermal stability even at
temperatures as high as 480 degrees Celsius (900F). Due to these
properties, it finds application in the aerospace industry. Military
equipment is one use case for this metal. Since titanium is also
corrosion-resistant, medical applications also use it. Titanium is also
used in the chemical and sporting goods industry.
• Titanium is biocompatible, meaning that your body won’t fight and
reject it. Medical implants are commonly made from titanium. Its
strength-to-weight ratio is higher than any other metal. This makes it
extremely valuable for anything that flies.

22. Nickel
• Nickel is a really common element that’s used all over. Its most
common application is in making stainless steel, where it boosts the
metal’s strength and corrosion resistance. Actually, almost 70% of the
world’s nickel is used to make stainless steel.

23. Resources
• https://www.engineeringchoice.com/types-of-metal/
• https://spectrumchart.blogspot.com/2017/01/chart-289-metal-its-
uses.html
• 鉄と鉄鋼がわかる本 ISBN4-534-03835-6
• https://theconversation.com/how-changing-levels-of-iron-shaped-
the-evolution-of-life-on-earth-and-why-alien-hunters-should-take-
note-172821
• https://www.sustainableinsteel.eu/p/531/production_routes_for_ste
el.html