Alloying
The process of melting and combining a primary metal with additional metallic or non-metallic elements to create a material with enhanced physical properties.
Governing formula
Substitutional or Interstitial Solid Solutions
SI unit
Weight % or Atomic %
In depth
Alloying improves yield strength, corrosion resistance, and hardness through solid solution strengthening, where solute atoms distort the solvent crystal lattice to impede dislocation motion.
Examples in the real world
Adding Carbon (~0.2–2%) to Iron to create Steel, or adding Chromium (~18%) and Nickel (~8%) to form Stainless Steel.