CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF

METALS

All metals and other elements, for that matter

can exist as either gases, liqids or solids!
The state " in #hich a metal exists de$ends
$on the conditions of tem$eratre and
$ressre #hich $re%ail at the time! Ths,
mercr& #ill free'e to form a solid, rather li(e
lead, if cooled to ) * + C and #ill ,oil to form a
gas or %a$or if heated to -./ + C at
atmos$heric $ressre! At the other end of the
scale, tngsten melts at -012 + C and ,oils at
.*-2 + C!
Cr&stalline materials

A crystalline material is one in which

the atoms are sitated in a re$eating or
$eriodic arra& o%er large atomic
distances3 that is, long4range order
exists, sch that $on solidi5cation, the
atoms #ill $osition themsel%es in a
re$etiti%e three4dimensional $attern, in
#hich each atom is ,onded to its
nearest4neigh,or atoms!

All metals, man& ceramic materials,

and certain $ol&mers form cr&stalline
strctres nder normal solidi5cation
conditions! For those that do not
cr&stalli'e, this long4range atomic
order is a,sent3 are (no#n as
noncrystalline or Amorphous
materials
U67T CELL

The atomic order in cr&stalline solids

indicates that small gro$s of atoms
form a re$etiti%e $attern! Ths, in
descri,ing cr&stal strctres, it is
often con%enient to s,di%ide the
strctre into small re$eat entities
called unit cells.
Strctres
The reglar $atterns ado$ted ,& metal atoms #hen
metals solidif&, is termed crystalline structures, and ho#
the& solidif& into sch $atterns!
7n a metallic gas, the $articles consist of single atoms
8metallic gases are said to ,e monatomic with most
non-metallic gases, such as oxygen and nitrogen
consisting of molecles each of #hich contains t#o
atoms #hich are in a state of continos motion! As the
tem$eratre falls, condensation occrs at the ,oiling4
$oint and in the resltant liqid metal the atoms are
9m,led together #ill&4nill&! Since the& are held together
onl& ,& #ea( forces of attraction at this stage, the liqid
lac(s cohesion and #ill :o#!
Since the atoms are no# arranged in a reglar $attern, the& generall&
occ$& less s$ace! Ths, most metals shrin( dring solidi5 cation
METAL STRUCTURES
Most of the im$ortant
metals cr&stallise into one
of three di;erent $atterns
as solidi5 cation ta(es
$lace!
BODY CENTRED CUBIC
CRYSTA STRUCTUE
!BCC"
a. A har# sphere cell
unit cell
$. a re#uce# sphere unit
cell
c. An a%%re%ate o& many
atoms
'CC
The face-centred cubic arrangement can be considered to have atoms
at each corner of a c,e and also one in the centre of each face!
Characteristics of cr&stal
strctre
The t#o im$ortant
charters of cr&stal
strctres are the
1! coor#ination
num$er 4 For metals,
each atom has the same
nm,er of nearest4
neigh,or or toching
atoms, #hich is the
coordination nm,er! For
face4centered c,ics, the
coordination nm,er is
1<
< Atomic $ac(ing factor )