-
5000 BCE
Smelting
Smelting allowed extracting metal from ore more easy allowing an alloy of metal to be made eg bronze -
Period: 3000 BCE to 1000 BCE
Bronze age
Bronze is the most common metal alloy at this time which is comprised of tin (10%) and copper (90%). This was because alloying tin with copper improved the durability and sharpness as well as tin improved the corrosion resistance. Arsenic was first added to copper to improve quality however it was found to be highly toxic so it was replaced by tin. -
Period: 1000 BCE to
Iron age
So called the iron age because of the abundance of iron. The increase in iron availability was due to the temperature to extract iron is far higher than previously used metals. Iron was stronger than bronze. The improvement of strength can be seen when the iron tipped ploughshare emerged which made the cultivation of heavy clay soils possible. -
Period: to
Modern era
A vast variety more metals are available during this time due to advancements in technology. More metals available include aluminium, titanium and gold. -
Extraction of Aluminium
Aluminium requires great deal of heat and energy to extract it and eventually it was found that electrolytic decomposition was a more efficient way of obtaining this metal. Today it is commonly used in drink cans and cooking foil as it has a low density, high corrosion resistance and malleability and ductility.