Top 10 hardest metals in games. Which metal is considered the most durable. Highest density hard metals

If by strength it is customary to understand the ability of solids to resist destruction and maintain the shape of a product, then the following metals can be attributed to super-strong and durable metals.

Name titanium was appropriated by Martin Klaproth, a German explorer who discovered a new metal not by his chemical qualities, and in honor of the mythological heroes of the children of the earth - the titans.

Finding titanium in nature is in 10th place, most of all it is concentrated in minerals. Without this metal, the latest discoveries in the field of rocket, ship and aircraft construction would be impossible. Titanium is used in all areas of industry, in the manufacture of medical implants and body armor with Food Industry and agriculture.

2nd place

Light gray tungsten , literally translated as wolf cream, is the most refractory metal, therefore it is indispensable in the manufacture of heat-resistant surfaces and products. The filament in a conventional light bulb is made of tungsten filament.

That metal is used in ballistic missiles, in the manufacture of projectiles and bullets, in gyroscopic ultra-high-speed rotors.

3rd place

Tantalum it is almost impossible to modify, because it begins to melt at a temperature of 3015 degrees Celsius, and boils at a boiling point of 5300 degrees. To an ordinary person such heat is even impossible to imagine. The bluish-gray metal is the most indispensable in modern medicine; it is used to make wires and sheets that cover damaged bones.

Opened in 1817 molybdenum, steel-gray metal is practically not found in its pure form. The refractoriness of this metal, the melting point of which exceeds 2620 degrees, is striking. The greatest application of molybdenum is found in the military industry, where gun and armored steels are made.

5th place

Aviation and mechanical engineering, nuclear power and astronautics use niobium, very similar in properties to tantalum metal. Niobium is practically not affected by any substances, neither salts nor acids, it is difficult to melt, and it is difficult to oxidize, which is what made the unique metal so popular.

6th place

The heaviest metal on earth iridium possesses the most persistent anti-corrosion properties; even aqua regia cannot melt it. The addition of iridium to other alloys increases their ability to resist corrosion.

7th place

Beryllium is one of the rare metals that are mined in the earth. Its unique qualities, such as high thermal conductivity and fire resistance, have made this metal indispensable in the manufacture of nuclear reactors. Beryllium alloys rightfully occupy a leading position in the aerospace and aviation industries.

8th place

Light blue chrome , which is also one of the most durable metals, due to its unique properties when added to alloys, steels make them harder and more resistant to corrosion. Chrome parts have a beautiful appearance that does not change over time.

9th place

The Saxons treat their legends with care, the name of the hero of one of them, Kobold, was immortalized in the name of the metal - cobalt ... Quite often, when mining ore, prospectors mistook the gray-pink metal for silver.

Refractory metal, as an additive, increases the heat resistance, hardness and wear resistance of steel. Due to its unique qualities, cobalt is indispensable in metal-cutting machines.

Hafnium - light gray metal, unique in its qualities, is mined from zirconium ore. Solid, refractory hafnium has a unique feature, the fact is that its temperature-capacity dependence is abnormal and does not fall under any laws of physics.

Hafnium is used in nuclear power and in optics, for strengthening various alloys and making glass for X-ray, it is difficult to imagine military production without it.

The use of metals in Everyday life began at the dawn of the development of mankind, and the first metal was copper, since it is available in nature and is easily processed. No wonder archaeologists during excavations find various products and household utensils from this metal. In the process of evolution, people gradually learned to combine various metals, obtaining more and more durable alloys, suitable for the manufacture of tools, and later weapons. In our time, experiments are continuing, thanks to which it is possible to identify the most strong metals in the world.

Our rating opens with titanium - a high-strength hard metal that immediately attracted attention. The properties of titanium are: high specific strength; resistance to high temperatures; low density; corrosion resistance; mechanical and chemical resistance

9 Uranus
The most famous element, considered one of the strongest metals in the world, and under normal conditions is a weak radioactive metal. In nature, it is found both in a free state and in acidic sedimentary rocks. It is quite heavy, ubiquitous and has paramagnetic properties, flexibility, malleability, and relative ductility. Uranium is used in many areas of production.

8 Tungsten

Known as the most refractory metal in existence, it is one of the toughest metals in the world. It is a solid transitional element of a shiny silver-gray color. Possesses high strength, excellent refractoriness, chemical resistance. Due to its properties, it lends itself to forging, and stretches into a thin thread. Known as tungsten filament.

Among the representatives of this group, it is considered a high-density transition metal of a silvery-white color. In nature, it occurs in its pure form, but it is found in molybdenum and copper raw materials. It is characterized by high hardness and density, and has excellent refractoriness. Possesses increased strength, which is not lost at multiple temperature drops. Rhenium is an expensive metal and has a high cost. Used in modern technology and electronics.

A shiny, silvery-white metal with a slightly bluish sheen, it belongs to the platinum group and is considered one of the most durable metals in the world. Like iridium, it has a high atomic density, high strength and hardness. Since osmium belongs to platinum metals, it has properties similar to iridium: refractoriness, hardness, brittleness, resistance to mechanical stress, as well as to the influence of aggressive media. Found wide application in surgery, electron microscopy, chemical industry, rocketry, electronic equipment.

5 Beryllium
It belongs to the group of metals, and is a light gray element with relative hardness and high toxicity. Due to its unique properties, beryllium is used in various fields of production: nuclear power; aerospace engineering; metallurgy; laser technology; nuclear power. Due to its high hardness, beryllium is used in the production of alloying alloys and refractory materials.

4 Chrome
The next in the ten most durable metals in the world is chromium - a hard, high-strength metal of bluish-white color, resistant to alkalis and acids. It is found in nature in its pure form and is widely used in various branches of science, technology and production. Chromium Is used to create various alloys that are used in the manufacture of medical as well as chemical technological equipment... In combination with iron, it forms an alloy of ferrochrome, which is used in the manufacture of metal-cutting tools.

Tantalum deserves bronze in the rating, as it is one of the most durable metals in the world. It is a silvery metal with high hardness and atomic density. Due to the formation of an oxide film on its surface, it has a lead tint. The distinctive properties of tantalum are high strength, refractoriness, corrosion resistance, and aggressive media. The metal is a fairly ductile metal and is easy to machine. Today tantalum is successfully used: in the chemical industry; in the construction of nuclear reactors; v metallurgical production; when creating heat-resistant alloys.

2 Ruthenium

The second place in the ranking of the most durable metals in the world is occupied by ruthenium - a silvery metal belonging to the platinum group. Its peculiarity is the presence of living organisms in the muscle tissue. The valuable properties of ruthenium are high strength, hardness, refractoriness, chemical resistance, and the ability to form complex compounds. Ruthenium is considered a catalyst for many chemical reactions, acts as a material for the manufacture of electrodes, contacts, sharp tips.

1 Iridium
The rating of the most durable metals in the world is headed by iridium - a silvery-white, hard and refractory metal that belongs to the platinum group. In nature, a high-strength element is extremely rare, and is often combined with osmium. Due to its natural hardness, it is difficult to machine and highly resistant to chemicals. Iridium reacts with great difficulty to exposure to halogens and sodium peroxide. This metal is playing important role in everyday life. It is added to titanium, chromium and tungsten to improve resistance to acidic environments, is used in the manufacture of stationery, and is used in jewelry to create jewelry. The cost of iridium remains high due to its limited presence in nature.

The world around us is fraught with many more mysteries, but even phenomena and substances known to scientists for a long time do not cease to amaze and delight. We admire the bright colors, enjoy the tastes and use the properties of all kinds of substances that make our life more comfortable, safer and more enjoyable. In search of the most reliable and strong materials, man has made many exciting discoveries, and here is a selection of just 25 such unique compounds!

25. Diamonds

If not everyone, then almost everyone knows for sure about this. Diamonds are not only some of the most revered gemstones, but also one of the hardest minerals on Earth. On the Mohs scale (a scale of hardness in which a rating is given by the reaction of a mineral to scratching), diamond is listed on the 10th line. There are 10 positions on the scale in total, and the 10th is the last and hardest degree. Diamonds are so hard that they can only be scratched with other diamonds.

24. Catching webs of a spider of the species Caerostris darwini

Photo: pixabay

Believe it or not, the Caerostris darwini (or Darwin's spider) web is stronger than steel and harder than Kevlar. This web was recognized as the hardest biological material in the world, although now it has a potential competitor, but the data has not yet been confirmed. The spider fiber was tested for such characteristics as breaking deformation, impact strength, tensile strength and Young's modulus (the property of a material to resist stretching, compression under elastic deformation), and in all these indicators, the spider web showed itself in an amazing way. In addition, Darwin's spider web is incredibly light. For example, if we wrap our planet with Caerostris darwini fiber, the weight of such a long thread will be only 500 grams. There are no such long networks, but the theoretical calculations are simply amazing!

23. Airbrush

Photo: BrokenSphere

This synthetic foam is one of the lightest fibrous materials in the world and is a network of carbon tubes only a few microns in diameter. Airbrush is 75 times lighter than polystyrene, but at the same time much stronger and more flexible. It can be compressed to a size 30 times smaller than its original appearance, without any harm to its extremely elastic structure. Thanks to this property, airbrushed foam can withstand a load of 40,000 times its own weight.

22. Palladium metallic glass

Photo: pixabay

A team of scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Berkeley Lab) has developed the new kind metal glass, which combines an almost perfect combination of strength and ductility. The reason for the uniqueness of the new material lies in the fact that its chemical structure successfully conceals the fragility of existing glassy materials and at the same time maintains a high endurance threshold, which ultimately significantly increases the fatigue strength of this synthetic structure.

21. Tungsten carbide

Photo: pixabay

Tungsten carbide is an incredibly hard material with high wear resistance. Under certain conditions, this compound is considered very fragile, but under heavy load, it exhibits unique plastic properties, manifested in the form of slip bands. Due to all these qualities, tungsten carbide is used in the manufacture of armor-piercing tips and various equipment, including all kinds of cutters, abrasive discs, drills, cutters, drill bits and other cutting tools.

20. Silicon carbide

Photo: Tiia Monto

Silicon carbide is one of the main materials used in the production of battle tanks. Known for its low cost, outstanding infusibility and high hardness, this compound is often used in the manufacture of equipment or gear that must deflect bullets, cut or grind other durable materials. Silicon carbide makes excellent abrasives, semiconductors and even inserts in Jewelry imitating diamonds.

19. Cubic boron nitride

Photo: wikimedia commons

Cubic boron nitride is a superhard material similar in hardness to diamond, but it also has a number of distinctive advantages - high temperature stability and chemical resistance. Cubic boron nitride does not dissolve in iron and nickel even under the influence of high temperatures, while diamond under the same conditions enters into chemical reactions rather quickly. In fact, it is beneficial for its use in industrial grinding tools.

18. Ultra-high-molecular-weight high-density polyethylene (UHMWPE), fiber brand "Dyneema"

Photo: Justsail

Polyethylene with a high modulus of elasticity has an extremely high wear resistance, a low coefficient of friction and a high fracture toughness (low temperature reliability). Today it is considered the most durable fiber in the world. The most amazing thing about this polyethylene is that it is lighter than water and can stop bullets at the same time! Ropes and ropes made of Dyneem fibers do not sink in water, do not need lubrication and do not change their properties when wet, which is very important for shipbuilding.

17. Titanium alloys

Photo: Alchemist-hp (pse-mendelejew.de)

Titanium alloys are incredibly ductile and exhibit amazing tensile strength. In addition, they have high heat and corrosion resistance, which makes them extremely useful in areas such as aircraft, rocket, shipbuilding, chemical, food and transport engineering.

16. Liquidmetal alloy

Photo: pixabay

Developed in 2003 by the California Institute of Technology, this material is renowned for its strength and durability. The name of the compound is associated with something fragile and liquid, but at room temperature it is actually unusually hard, wear-resistant, not afraid of corrosion and, when heated, transforms like thermoplastics. The main areas of application so far are watches, golf clubs and flooring. mobile phones(Vertu, iPhone).

15. Nanocellulose

Photo: pixabay

Nanocellulose is isolated from wood fiber and is a new kind of wood material that is even stronger than steel! In addition, nanocellulose is also cheaper. The innovation has great potential and in the future may seriously compete with glass and carbon fiber. The developers believe that this material will soon be in high demand in the production of military armor, super-flexible screens, filters, flexible batteries, absorbent aerogels and biofuels.

14. Teeth of "sea saucer" snails

Photo: pixabay

Earlier, we have already told you about Darwin's spider web, which was once recognized as the most durable biological material on the planet. However, recent research has shown that the sea saucer is the most durable biological substance known to science. Yes, these teeth are stronger than Caerostris darwini's web. And this is not surprising, because tiny sea creatures feed on algae growing on the surface of rugged rocks, and to separate food from rock, these animals have to work hard. Scientists believe that in the future we will be able to use the example of the fiber structure of the teeth of sea saucers in the engineering industry and start building cars, boats and even aircraft increased strength, inspired by the example of simple snails.

13. Maraging steel

Photo: pixabay

Maraging steel is a high strength and high alloy alloy with superior ductility and toughness. The material is widespread in rocketry and is used to make all kinds of tools.

12. Osmium

Photo: Periodictableru / www.periodictable.ru

Osmium is an incredibly dense element and, due to its hardness and high melting point, is difficult to machine. This is why osmium is used where durability and strength are most valued. Osmium alloys are found in electrical contacts, rocketry, military projectiles, surgical implants, and many more.

11. Kevlar

Photo: wikimedia commons

Kevlar is a high tenacity fiber found in car tires, brake pads, cables, prosthetic and orthopedic products, body armor, protective clothing fabrics, shipbuilding and unmanned aircraft... The material has become almost synonymous with strength and is a type of plastic with incredibly high strength and elasticity. The tensile strength of Kevlar is 8 times higher than that of steel wire, and it begins to melt at a temperature of 450 ℃.

10. Ultra-high-molecular-weight high-density polyethylene, fiber brand Spectra

Photo: Tomas Castelazo, www.tomascastelazo.com / Wikimedia Commons

UHMWPE is essentially a very durable plastic. Spectra, grade UHMWPE, is, in turn, a lightweight fiber of the highest wear resistance, 10 times superior in this indicator to steel. Like Kevlar, spectrum is used in the manufacture of body armor and protective helmets. Along with UHMWPE, the Dynimo spectrum brand is popular in the shipbuilding and transport industries.

9. Graphene

Photo: pixabay

Graphene is an allotropic modification of carbon, and its crystal lattice, just one atom thick, is so strong that it is 200 times harder than steel. Graphene looks like cling film, but tearing it is almost impossible task. To pierce the graphene sheet through, you have to stick a pencil into it, on which you will have to balance a load with the weight of an entire school bus. Good luck!

8. Paper from carbon nanotubes

Photo: pixabay

Thanks to nanotechnology, scientists have made paper that is 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. Sheets made from carbon nanotubes are 10 times lighter than steel, but most surprisingly, they are as much as 500 times stronger in strength! Macroscopic nanotube plates are the most promising for the manufacture of supercapacitor electrodes.

7. Metallic micro-lattice

Photo: pixabay

Here is the lightest metal in the world! The metal micro-lattice is a synthetic porous material that is 100 times lighter than foam. But don't be fooled by its looks, these micro-lattices are incredibly strong at the same time, which makes them have great potential for use in all kinds of engineering fields. They can be used to make excellent shock absorbers and thermal insulators, and the metal's amazing ability to contract and return to its original state allows it to be used for energy storage. Metal microgrids are also actively used in the production of various parts for aircraft. American company Boeing.

6. Carbon nanotubes

Photo: User Mstroeck / en.wikipedia

Above, we have already talked about ultra-strong macroscopic plates made of carbon nanotubes. But what kind of material is this? In fact, these are graphene planes rolled into a tube (9th point). The result is an incredibly lightweight, resilient and durable material for a wide range of applications.

5. Airbrush

Photo: wikimedia commons

Also known as graphene airgel, this material is extremely lightweight and durable at the same time. In the new form of gel, the liquid phase is completely replaced by the gaseous one, and it is distinguished by sensational hardness, heat resistance, low density and low thermal conductivity. Incredibly, graphene airgel is 7 times lighter than air! The unique compound is able to regain its original shape even after 90% compression and can absorb an amount of oil that is 900 times the weight of airbrush used for absorption. Perhaps, in the future, this class of materials will help in the fight against such environmental disasters as oil spills.

4. Untitled material, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Photo: pixabay

As you read these lines, a team of scientists at MIT is working to improve the properties of graphene. The researchers said they have already succeeded in transforming the two-dimensional structure of this material into three-dimensional. The new graphene substance has not yet received its name, but it is already known that its density is 20 times less than that of steel, and its strength is 10 times higher than that of steel.

3. Carbin

Photo: Smokefoot

Although these are just linear chains of carbon atoms, carbyne has 2 times the tensile strength of graphene, and it is 3 times harder than diamond!

2. Boron nitride wurtzite modification

Photo: pixabay

This newly discovered natural substance is formed during volcanic eruptions and is 18% harder than diamonds. However, it surpasses diamonds in a number of other parameters. Wurtzite boron nitride is one of only 2 natural substances found on Earth that is harder than diamond. The problem is that there are very few such nitrides in nature, and therefore they are not easy to study or apply in practice.

1. Lonsdaleite

Photo: pixabay

Also known as hexagonal diamond, lonsdaleite is made up of carbon atoms, but in this modification, the atoms are arranged slightly differently. Like wurtzite boron nitride, lonsdaleite is a natural substance that is superior in hardness to diamond. Moreover, this amazing mineral is harder than diamond by as much as 58%! Like boron nitride of the wurtzite modification, this compound is extremely rare. Sometimes lonsdaleite is formed when meteorites, which include graphite, collide with the Earth.

A common opinion about hardness is diamond or damask / damascus steel... If the first mineral surpasses all the simple substances that exist on Earth, which nature created, then they owe the amazing properties of blades made of rare steel to the skill of blacksmiths-gunsmiths, additives from other metals. Many technical alloys, used, for example, for the production of superhard cutters in the machine-building industry, for the creation of durable, reliable tools with unique properties, are associated with these additives in the familiar symbiosis of iron with carbon, briefly, traditionally called steel, - chromium, titanium, vanadium, molybdenum, nickel. When readers ask what is the hardest metal in the world, they are bombarded with a flurry of conflicting information on the pages of the sites. In this role, according to the authors of various articles, it is either tungsten or chromium, or iridium with osmium, or titanium with tantalum.

To get through the jungle of not always correctly interpreted, albeit accurate, facts, it is worth turning to the primary source - the system of elements contained both in the composition and in other space objects, left to mankind by the great Russian chemist and physicist D.I. Mendeleev. He possessed encyclopedic knowledge, made many scientific breakthroughs in knowledge about the structure, composition, interaction of substances, in addition to the famous table based on the fundamental periodic law that he discovered, named after him.

The planets closest to the Sun - Mercury, Venus, Mars, together with our planet, are ranked as one - the terrestrial group. The reasons for this are not only among astronomers, physicists and mathematicians, but also among geologists and chemists. The reason for such conclusions among the latter is, among other things, that all of them mainly consist of silicates, i.e. various derivatives of the element silicon, as well as numerous metal compounds from the table of Dmitry Ivanovich.

In particular, our planet for the most part (up to 99%) consists of ten elements:

But man, in addition to the necessary for the survival and development of iron and alloys based on it, has always been much more attracted by precious metals, often respectfully called noble metals - gold and silver, later - platinum.

With it, according to the scientific classification adopted by chemists, the platinum group includes ruthenium, rhodium, palladium and osmium with iridium. All of them also belong to noble metals. According to their atomic mass, they are conventionally divided into two subgroups:

The last two are of particular interest for our pseudo-scientific investigation on the topic of who is the hardest here. This is due to the fact that a large, in comparison with other elements, atomic mass: 190.23 - for osmium, 192.22 - for iridium, according to the laws of physics, implies a huge specific density, and, consequently, the hardness of these metals.

If dense, heavy gold and lead are soft, plastic substances that are easy to process, then osmium and iridium, discovered at the beginning of the 19th century, turned out to be fragile. Here it is necessary to remember that the measure of this physical property is a diamond, which can be without special efforts to make an inscription on any other solid material of natural or artificial origin, which is also extremely fragile, i.e. it is easy enough to break it. Although, at first glance, it seems almost impossible.

In addition, osmium and palladium have many more interesting properties:

Very high refractoriness.
Resistant to corrosion, oxidation, even when heated to high temperatures.
Resistant to concentrated acids and other aggressive compounds.

Therefore, along with platinum, including in the form of compounds with it, they are used in the production of catalysts for many chemical processes, high-precision instruments, equipment, instruments in medical, scientific, military, space industries activities of mankind.

It is osmium and iridium, and scientists after research believe that this property is approximately equally given by nature, are the hardest metals in the world.

And all would be good, but not very much. The fact is that both their presence in the earth's crust and, accordingly, the world production of these very useful minerals are negligible:

10 -11% is their content in the solid shell of the planet.
The total amount of pure metal produced per year is within: 4 tons for iridium, 1 ton for osmium.
Osmium is roughly the price of gold.

It is clear that these rare-earth, expensive metals, regardless of their hardness, cannot even be used to a limited extent as raw materials for production; except perhaps as additives to alloys, compounds with other metals to impart unique properties.

Who is behind them?

But man would not be himself if he had not found a replacement for iridium with osmium. Since it is impractical, too expensive to use them, then attention was not unsuccessfully turned to other metals that have found their application in different situations, industries for the creation of new alloys, composite materials, the production of equipment, machines and mechanisms for both civil and military applications:

Although the hardest metal in the world, or rather, as many as two - iridium and osmium, have shown their unique properties only in laboratory conditions, as well as as negligible percentage of additives in alloys, other compounds for creating new materials needed by man should be grateful to nature and for this gift. At the same time, there is no doubt that the inquisitive minds of talented scientists, ingenious inventors will come up with new substances with unique properties, as has already happened with the synthesis of fullerenes, which turned out to be harder than diamond, which is already surprising.

Can you imagine what would have happened if our ancestors had not discovered important metals such as silver, gold, copper, and iron? We would probably still live in huts, using stone as our main tool. It was the strength of metal that played an important role in shaping our past and now work as the foundation on which we build the future.

Some are very soft and literally melt in the hands like. Others are so hard that they cannot be bent, scratched or broken without the use of special equipment.

And if you are wondering which metals are the hardest and strongest in the world, we will answer this question, taking into account various estimates of the relative hardness of materials (Mohs scale, Brinell method), as well as such parameters as:

Young's modulus: takes into account the elasticity of an element in tension, that is, the ability of an object to resist elastic deformation.
Yield Strength: Determines the maximum tensile strength of a material, after which it begins to exhibit plastic behavior.
Tensile strength: Ultimate mechanical stress, after which the material begins to break.

This metal has three advantages at once: it is strong, dense and very resistant to corrosion. In addition, this element belongs to the group of refractory metals such as tungsten. To melt the tantalum you will need to build a fire at 3,017 ° C.

Tantalum is mainly used in the electronics sector to make durable, heavy-duty capacitors for phones, home computers, cameras, and even electronic devices in cars.

But it is better not to approach this handsome metal man without protective equipment. Because beryllium is highly toxic and has carcinogenic and allergic effects. If you inhale air containing dust or beryllium vapors, then beryllium disease occurs, which affects the lungs.

However, beryllium is not only harmful, but also beneficial. For example, add only 0.5% beryllium to steel and you get springs that are resilient even when brought to red heat. They can withstand billions of load cycles.

Beryllium is used in the aerospace industry to create heat shields and guidance systems, to create refractory materials. And even the LHC's vacuum tube is made of beryllium.

This naturally occurring radioactive material is very widespread in the earth's crust, but concentrated in certain solid rock formations.

One of the hardest metals in the world has two commercially significant uses - nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors... Thus, the end products of the uranium industry are bombs and radioactive waste.

As a pure substance, iron is not as solid as compared to other participants in the rating. But because of minimum costs for mining, it is often combined with other elements to produce steel.

Steel is a very tough alloy made from iron and other elements such as carbon. It is the most commonly used material in construction, mechanical engineering and other industries. And even if you have nothing to do with them, you still use steel every time you cut food with a knife (unless it is ceramic, of course).

Titanium is almost synonymous with toughness. It has an impressive specific strength (30-35 km), which is almost double that of alloy steels.

As a refractory metal, titanium is highly resistant to heat and abrasion, making it one of the most popular alloys. For example, it can be doped with iron and carbon.

If you need a very solid and at the same time very lightweight construction, then there is no better metal than titanium. This makes it the number one choice for a variety of parts in aircraft, rocket and shipbuilding.

This is very much, which, although it is found in nature in its pure form, usually comes in a "makeweight" - an admixture to molybdenite.

If the Iron Man suit were made of rhenium, it could withstand temperatures of 2000 ° C without sacrificing strength. We will keep silent about what would become of Iron Man himself inside the suit after such a "fire show".

Russia is the third country in the world in terms of natural reserves of rhenium. This metal is used in petrochemical industry, electronics and electrical engineering, as well as for the creation of aircraft and rocket engines.

On the Mohs scale, which measures the resistance of chemical elements to scratches, chromium is in the top five, second only to boron, diamond and tungsten.

Chromium is prized for its high corrosion resistance and hardness. It is easier to handle than platinum group metals and is more common, which is why chromium is a popular element used in alloys such as stainless steel.

And one of the hardest metals on earth is used in dietary supplements. Of course, you will not be taking pure chromium internally, but its food compound with other substances (for example, chromium picolinate).

Like its "brother" osmium, iridium belongs to the metals of the platinum group, and by outward appearance resembles platinum. It is very hard and refractory. To melt the iridium, you will need to build a fire above 2000 ° C.

Iridium is considered one of and also one of the most corrosion-resistant elements.

This "tough nut" in the world of metals belongs to the platinum group and has a high density. In fact, it is the densest natural element on Earth (22.61 g / cm3). For the same reason, osmium does not melt up to 3033 ° C.

When alloyed with other platinum group metals (such as iridium, platinum and palladium), it can be used in many different applications where hardness and durability are required. For example, to create containers for storing nuclear waste.

1. Tungsten

The toughest metal found in nature. This rare chemical is also the most refractory metal (3422 ° C).

It was first discovered in the form of an acid (tungsten trioxide) in 1781 by the Swedish chemist Karl Scheele. Further research led two Spanish scientists, Juan José and Fausto d'Elhuyar, to the discovery of an acid from the mineral wolframite, from which they subsequently isolated tungsten using charcoal.

In addition to its widespread use in incandescent lamps, tungsten's ability to work in extreme heat makes it one of the most attractive elements for the arms industry. During World War II, this metal played an important role in initiating economic and political relations between European countries.

Tungsten is also used to make hard alloys and in the aerospace industry to make rocket nozzles.

Tensile strength table of metals

Metal	Designation	Ultimate strength, MPa
Lead	Pb	18
Tin	Sn	20
Cadmium	Cd	62
Aluminum	Al	80
	Be	140
Magnesium	Mg	170
Copper	Cu	220
Cobalt	Co	240
Iron	Fe	250
Niobium	Nb	340
Nickel	Ni	400
	Ti	600
Molybdenum	Mo	700
Zirconium	Zr	950
Tungsten	W	1200

Alloys against metals

Alloys are combinations of metals, and the main reason for creating them is to obtain a stronger material. The most important alloy is steel, which is a combination of iron and carbon.

The higher the strength of the alloy, the better. And ordinary steel is not a "champion" here. Alloys based on vanadium steel seem to be especially promising for metallurgists: several companies produce versions with a tensile strength of up to 5205 MPa.

And the strongest and hardest biocompatible materials at the moment is titanium alloy with gold β-Ti3Au.

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