Common characteristics of alloys:

Alloys are commonly stronger than pure metals, while they commonly offer decrease electrical and thermal conductivity. Strength is the very significant criterion by that several structural materials are judged. Thus, alloys are used for engineering construction. Steel, possibly the most general structural metal, is a good instance of an alloy.  It is an alloy of iron and carbon, along with other elements to provide it certain desirable properties.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, it is sometimes possible for a material to be composed of various solid phases. Strengths of these materials are enhanced through permitting a solid structure to become a form composed of two interspersed phases. While the material in question is an alloy, that is possible to quench the metal from a molten state to form the interspersed phases. A categories and rate of quenching determines the last solid structure and therefore, its properties.

Types 304 Stainless steel

Type 304 stainless steel (containing 18%-20% chromium and 8%-10.5% nickel) is used in process water piping, the tritium production reactor tanks, and original process heat exchangers. That alloy resists most types of corrosion.