Chapter 38: Metals and alloys: an introduction

This chapter introduces metals and alloys as a type of construction material, including discussions of their background and use in construction, their mechanical and physical properties, microstructural factors that influence properties, and recycling and sustainability issues associated with metals and alloys. It references chapters in the Metals and Alloys Section of the Manual of Construction Materials and gives a brief overview of the coverage in order to point readers towards those chapters. The chapter serves as a starting point to a practitioner researching the properties and usefulness of metals and alloys to construction applications.