Steel | Composition, Properties, Types, Grades, & Facts | Britannica
2024年11月19日 · Steel, alloy of iron and carbon in which the carbon content ranges up to 2 percent (with a higher carbon content, the material is defined as cast iron). By far the most widely used material for building the world’s infrastructure and industries, it is used to fabricate everything from sewing needles to oil tankers.
Concrete | Definition, Composition, Uses, Types, & Facts | Britannica
2024年10月26日 · Concrete, in construction, structural material consisting of a hard, chemically inert particulate substance, known as aggregate (usually sand and gravel), that is bonded together by cement and water. Learn more about concrete, including its history and uses.
Architecture - Iron, Steel, Structures | Britannica
Architecture - Iron, Steel, Structures: The development of construction methods in iron and steel was the most important innovation in architecture since ancient times. These methods provide far stronger and taller structures with less expenditure of material than stone, brick, or wood and can produce greater unsupported spans over openings and ...
Construction | History, Types, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
2024年11月18日 · Early building materials were perishable, such as leaves, branches, and animal hides. Later, more durable natural materials—such as clay, stone, and timber—and, finally, synthetic materials—such as brick , concrete , metals, and plastics —were used.
Construction - Steel, High-Rises, Engineering | Britannica
2024年11月18日 · Construction - Steel, High-Rises, Engineering: While these prodigious structures were the center of attention, a new and more significant technology was developing: the steel-framed high-rise building. It began in Chicago, a city whose central business district was growing rapidly.
Stainless steel | Definition, Composition, Types, & Facts - Britannica
2024年10月24日 · stainless steel, any one of a family of alloy steels usually containing 10 to 30 percent chromium. In conjunction with low carbon content, chromium imparts remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat .
Construction - Industrialization, Materials, Techniques | Britannica
2024年11月18日 · Standard iron building elements soon appeared, pointing the way to the development of metal buildings. Early applications of iron in construction are found several centuries prior to the industrial age.
reinforced concrete - Encyclopedia Britannica
2024年11月30日 · reinforced concrete, concrete in which steel is embedded in such a manner that the two materials act together in resisting forces. The reinforcing steel—rods, bars, or mesh—absorbs the tensile, shear, and sometimes the compressive stresses in a …
Steel - Construction, Automotive, Tools | Britannica
2024年11月19日 · Steel - Construction, Automotive, Tools: The many applications of steel demonstrate best the great versatility of this material. Most often, steel consumers’ needs are met by carbon steels. Good examples are sheets for deep-drawn automobile bodies and appliances made of low-carbon steels, medium-carbon structural steels and plates employed in ...
Materials science - Alloy, Properties, Manufacturing | Britannica
2024年12月1日 · Materials science - Alloy, Properties, Manufacturing: While the goal of the aluminum and plastics industries is to achieve vehicle weight reductions by substituting their products for steel components, the goal of the steel industry is to counter such inroads with such innovative developments as high-strength, but inexpensive, “microalloyed ...