What are the advantages of metals and disadvantages of metal?

Answer 1

The advantages of metal are that they are strong so that they can support weight easily. It also lasts longer than wood.

Answer 2

One advantage of non metals is that they don't conduct electricity well. One disadvantage of non metals is that they are much more unstable.

Answer 3

From an engineering perspective, metal has a long list of advantages and disadvanages based on the application it's being used for. We can try and separate it into two very broad categories: structural uses and electrical uses.

STRUCTURAL:

Metal has been used as a structural element since the bronze age several millenia ago. The primary benefit of metal is it's ability to be bent and conformed to fit any given situation. The act of forming metal into a shape is called forging, whereas the act of joining two separate pieces of metal together is called welding.

Metal, due to it's uniform nature, has excellent structural properties along all three axises. Metal is strong in tension, compression and in shear (longitudinal) strength. Concrete, on the other hand, tends to have excellent compressive strength but poor tension and shear strength. Composite materials are superb in tension but very poor in compression and somewhat unpredictable in shear.

All metal rusts (forms oxide layers), although some rust slower than others, unlike stone or composite materials. One need only look at the pyramids of Egypt to see how seemingly eternal stone can be. Composite materials, if kept out of the sun, could last just as long.

Cheap metal tends to be very heavy (think cast iron). Metal can be very light if designed correctly (think comercial or military airplanes) but tend to cost a lot. Composites are slowly replacing metal in the aerospace industry for this reason.

ELECTRICAL:

To conduct electricity, one will almost always use metal wires, typically copper. There are currently no useful substitutes for metal. Exotic methods of electrical conduction do exist, such as graphene or silicon, but they are generally relegated to microscopic tasks.

This is just a sample of the advantages and disadvantages of metal. Ask more specific questions and I'll generate a more specific list for you!

Answer 4

Disadvantages- may be more expensive and not as strong as ferrous metals.Advantages- may be a better electrical conductor, not affected by magnetism, may be corrosion resistant.

Answer 5

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