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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Alloy
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1992-09-02
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Any metal blended with some other metallic or
nonmetallic substance to give it special
qualities, such as resistance to corrosion,
or greater hardness, or tensile strength.
Useful alloys include bronze, brass,
cupronickel, duralumin, German silver,
gunmetal, pewter, solder, steel, and
stainless steel. The most recent alloys
include the superplastics, alloys that can
stretch 100% at specific temperatures,
permitting, for example, their injection into
moulds as easily as plastic. Among the oldest
alloys is bronze, whose widespread use
ushered in the Bronze Age. Complex alloys are
now widespread, for example in dentistry,
where a cheaper alternative to gold is made
of chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, and
titanium.