Architecture / Material / Metal

material / metal / alloy

aes: In ancient Rome or Greece: copper, tin, or any alloy of these metals.
albronze: Any of various alloys containing a high percentage of copper with from 5% to 11% aluminum and varying amounts of iron, nickel, and manganese.
alloy: A substance composed of two or more metals, or of a metal and a nonmetal, intimately mixed, as by fusing or electrodeposition.
antimony: A brittle, crystalline, silvery white metallic element used chiefly in alloys. Symbol: sb.
base metal: The principal metal of an alloy or a piece underlying a coating of another metal. 2. The principal metal to be welded, brazed, soldered, or cut, as distinguished from filler metal.
common alloy: An aluminum alloy capable of gaining strength by cold-working.
electrum: A natural alloy of gold and silver, sometimes employed in the decorations of ancient temples and palaces.
fusible alloy: Any of various metal alloys having a melting point below 300 degrees F (70 degrees C), used as solder and in various safety devices.
fusible metal: Any of various metal alloys having a melting point below 300 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius), used as solder and in various safety devices. Also called fusible alloy.
galvanize: To coat metal, especially iron or steel, with zinc, especially to immerse in molten zinc to produce a coating of zinc-iron alloy.
German silver: An alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc.
heat-treatable alloy: An aluminum alloy capable of gaining strength by heat treatment.
latten: An early English alloy, resembling brass.
magnesium: A silver-white metal, used in alloys of light weight.
Monel metal: Trade name for an alloy of nickel and copper having high resistance to corrosion.
Muntz metal: An alloy of from 55% to 61% copper with from 39% to 45% zinc. Also called alpha-beta brass.
pewter: An alloy of four parts of tin and one of lead.
terne metal: An alloy of about 80% lead and 20% tin, used for plating.
tungsten: A heavy, brittle, gray-white metallic element having a high melting point and used in electrical elements and for hardening alloys. Symbol: W.
vanadium: A malleable, ductile, grayish metallic element used in forming alloys. Symbol: V.
yellow metal: An alloy of three parts of copper and two of zinc, malleable when hot. It has taken the place of copper for sheathing, because cheaper and more easily rolled.

material / metal / aluminum

alclad: An aluminum product clad with an aluminum alloy that is anodic to the core alloy, thus protecting it physically and electrlyitically against corrosion.
alumina: A natural or synthetic oxide of aluminum, used in aluminum production, ceramics, and electrical insulation. Also called aluminum oxide.
aluminium: Lightweight material that is often painted rather than left in its natural color.
aluminum: Lightweight material that is often painted rather than left in its natural color.
aluminum oxide: A natural or synthetic oxide of aluminum, used in aluminum production, ceramics, and electrical insulation.
bauxite: The principal ore of aluminum, consisting of 45% to 60% aluminum oxide, ferric oxide, and various other impurities.
Duralumin: Trade name for an alloy of aluminum used in construction, largely in rolled sheets.
non-heat-treatable alloy: An aluminum alloy capable of gaining strength by cold-working. Also called common alloy.

material / metal / brass

alpha-beta brass: An alloy of from 55% to 61% copper with from 39% to 45% zinc.
aluminum brass: An alloy of about 75% copper, 2% aluminum, small amounts of other elements, with the balance zinc.
brass: An alloy of copper and zinc, with decorative and wearing qualities. Movable parts of much hardware are of brass. 2. A generic term given inscription plates countersunk in the face of tombs, and the like.
brass work: See metal work.
common brass: An alloy of about 65% copper and 35% zinc.
mastin: See mestling.
mestling: Mastin, mastline, or yellow metal, eg. Brass or latten, used in medieval sepulchral ‘brasses’.
naval brass: An alloy of about 60% copper and 40% zinc.
red brass: An alloy of from 77% to 86% copper with the balance zinc.

material / metal / bronze

aerugo: Verdigris on old bronze, the patina.
aluminum bronze: Any of various alloys containing a high percentage of copper with from 5% to 11% aluminum and varying amounts of iron, nickel, and manganese. Also called albronze.
architectural bronze: An alloy of about 57% copper, 40% zinc, 2.75% lead, and 0.25% tin.
bronze: An alloy of copper and tin, frequently including other elements; widely used for sculpture castings and for the most durable metalwork.
bronzing: Surface covering of a metallic powder carried in a liquid vehicle.
commercial bronze: An alloy of about 90% copper and 10% zinc.
gold bronze: An alloy of about 90% copper, 5% zinc, 3% lead, and 2% tin.
manganese bronze: An alloy of about 55% copper, 40% zinc, and up to 3.5% manganese.
patination: A greenish brown crust which forms on bronze. 2. Any thin oxide film which forms on a metal; often multi-colored. 3. A film, similar in color, which forms on a material other than metal. 4. Such effects artificially induced, or imitated.
phosphor bronze: A hard, corrosion-resistant alloy of about 80% copper, 10% tin, 9% antimony, and 1% phosphorus.
phosphor-bronze: An alloy metal in which copper, tin, and very little phosphorus are fused; it can be extremely ductile, tough, or very hard.
Roman bronze: A copper-zinc alloy to which a small quantity of tin has been added to give it greater corrosion resistance and hardness.
silicon bronze: An alloy of 97% copper, 5% zinc, 3% lead, and 2% tin.
verdigris: The green patina (oxide) on weathered copper, brass, or bronze. It is the handsome equivalent on copper of iron’s rust, both resulting from oxidation.
white bronze: A bronze made lighter in color by a larger proportion of tin.

material / metal / cadmium

cadmium: A white, ductile metallic element resembling tin, used in plating and making certain alloys.

material / metal / chrome

chrome: To coat or plate a metal surface with a compound of chromium. Also called chromeplate.
chromeplate: To coat or plate a metal surface with a compound of chromium.
chromium: A grayish white metal, resistant to corrosion and widely used as a plating.

material / metal / copper

copper: One of the metallic elements – a reddish, extremely ductile metal in wide use for wire, flashing, eaves gutters, downspouts, etc.

material / metal / corrugate

corrugate: To form into alternate ridges and furrows (corrugations), as in preparing certain forms of sheet metal, wire lathing, etc., for use in building.
corrugated: Formed in to alternate ridges and valleys in parallel, giving greater rigidity to thin plates, usually of galvanized steel for roofing or side walls.
corrugated iron: Cheap galvanized corrugated steel sheeting for roofing.
corrugated metal: Metal which in thin plates has been drawn or rolled into parallel ridges and furrows…

material / metal / gold

gilded: Decorated with a thin application of gold or gold paint
gilding: Gold leaf, gold flakes, brass, etc., applied as a surface finish. 2. The surface so produced.
gold foil: See gold leaf.
gold leaf: Very thin sheets of beaten or rolled gold, used for gilding and inscribing on glass; usually contains a very small percentage of copper and silver. Sometimes heavy gold leaf is classified as gold foil.
goldleaf: Very thin sheets of beaten or rolled gold, used for gilding and inscribing on glass; usually contains a very small percentage of copper and silver. Sometimes heavy gold leaf is classified as gold foil.

material / metal / iron

cast iron: Iron produced by casting molten ore into molds of a wide variety of shapes and sizes; used for structural members, freestanding ornament and components of building facades.
cast-iron: Iron, shaped in a mold, brittle, hard, cannot be welded; in the 19th century it was used in American commercial architecture, with cast-iron units used to form entire facades.
galvanized iron: These materials coated by immersion in molten zinc. The word is improperly used, for galvanizing means electroplating.
iron: Stamped iron used as metal ceilings.
ironwork: Wrought iron or cast iron; usually decorative, often elaborate.
malleable cast iron: Cast iron which has been deprived of some of its carbon by heating to a red heat, together with some chemical compound having a strong affinity for carbon, and then allowing it to cool slowly. Such castings are not brittle in these sense that ordinary cast iron is brittle.
malleable iron: Also see iron.
pig iron: Crude iron that is drawn from a blast furnace and cast into pigs in preparation for conversion into cast iron, wrought iron, or steel.
rolled iron: Iron pressed while in a heated state into sheets or bars or any form by passing between heavy steel rollers in a rolling mill.
wrought iron: More easily wrought and less brittle than cast iron, it now serves for railings and decoration. It was once used for structural beams and railroad rails, before the more refined steel was invented.

material / metal / lead

lead: A metallic element, soft and heavy, with many uses in building. 2. A flexible, insulated conductor for electrically connecting an apparatus to another or to a circuit.

material / metal / manganese

manganese: A hard, brittle metallic element, used chiefly as an alloying agent to increase the hardness and toughness of steel. Symbol: Mn.

material / metal / nickel

nickel: A mineral used widely, as in chromium, for electroplating upon other metals, as in plumbing fixtures.

material / metal / pipe

double-extra-strong pipe: A structural steel pipe having a wall thickness greater than that of extra-strong pipe, designated as Pipe (nominal inside diameter) XX-Strong.
extra-strong pipe: A structural steel pipe having increased wall thickness for greater strength, designated as Pipe (nominal inside diameter) x-strong.
pipes: Metal pipes, used for a structural purpose, such as in Postmodern construction.
standard pipe: A structural steel pipe of standard weight and wall thickness, designated as Pipe (normal inside diameter) Std.

material / metal / plate

base plate: A steel plate for transmitting and distributing a column load to the supporting foundation material.
bright tin plate: Sheet steel coated with tin. Terne plate is a similar roofing material with a coating over the steel of 20% tin and 80% lead.
butt plate: A horizontal steel plate providing a full bearing area for a smaller column section being jointed to a larger section.
checkered plate: A steel or cast-iron plate having a wafflelike pattern.
filler plate: A steel plate or shim used in splicing steel columns with different flange thickness.
plate: The horizontal framing member at the top of a wall. 2. A rigid, planar, usually monolithic structure that disperses applied loads in a multidirectional pattern, with the loads generally following the shortest and stiffest routes to the supports. 3. A thin, flat sheet or piece of metal, especially one of uniform thickness. 4. Any of the huge movable segments into which the earth’s crust is divided.
tin plate: Bright sheet steel coated with tin.

material / metal / process

anodize: To give an aluminum oxide coating by electrolytic action.
Bayer process: The process generally employed to refine alumina from bauxite.
blast-furnace slag: Slag left as a residue by the smelting of iron ore in a blast furnace.
bonderize: To coat steel with an anticorrosive phosphate solution in preparation for the application of paint, enamel, or lacquer.
carbon: A nonmetallic element occurring in a pure state as diamond and graphite, or as a constituent of coal and petroleum. Symbol: C.
cathodic protection: The protection of ferrous metals against electrolysis by the attachment of sacrificial anodes. Also called electrolytic protection.
champleve: Enameling on metal areas of different colors separated by a thin edge of metal, somewhat similar to cloisonne.
cinder: The vitrified matter left as a residue from the smelting of a metallic ore.
coke: The solid residue of coal left after destructive distillation, used as a fuel.
cold-draw: To draw metal through a set of dies to reduce its cross-sectional area without preheating, as in the fabrication of wire or tubing.
cold-roll: To roll metal at a temperature below that at which recrystallization occurs, so as to increase its tensile strength or improve its surface finish.
cold-working: The working of metal below the temperature at which recrystallization occurs, as in drawing, pressing, or stamping.
die casting: The process or product of forcing molten metal into a metallic mold under hydraulic pressure to give it a particular shape or form.
drawn finish: A smooth, bright finish produced by drawing metal through a die.
electrolysis: The producing of chemical changes by the passage of an electric current through an electrolyte, with subsequent migration of positively and negatively charged ions to the negative and positive electrodes.
extrusion: The process or product of forming a metal or plastic with a desired cross section by forcing it through a die with a pressure ram.
forge: To form metal by heating and hammering.
galvanic series: A list of metals arranged in order from least noble to most noble. The farther apart two metals are on the list, the more susceptible the least noble one is to corrosive deterioration.
heat treatment: The controlled heating and cooling of a metal to develop certain desirable physical or mechanical properties.
hot-dip galvanizing: The protective coating of ferrous metal by dipping in a bath of molten zinc.
hot-roll: To roll metal at a heat high enough to permit recrystallization.
hot-rolled finish: The dark, oxidized, relatively rough finish obtained by rolling metal while hot.
hot-working: The working of a metal at a temperature high enough to permit recrystallization.
mill finish: The striated finish that cold rolling or extrusion imparts to a metal surface.
mill scale: A loose coating of iron oxide that forms on iron or steel during hot-rolling. Mill scale increases the bond between steel and concrete in reinforced concrete or in structural steelwork encased in concrete for fire protection.
pickle: An acid or other chemical solution in which a metal object is dipped to remove oxide scale or other adhering substances.
recrystallize: To acquire a new granular structure with new crystals because of plastic deformation, as when worked after being heated.
rust: The reddish brittle coating formed on the surface of iron especially when exposed to moisture and air, consisting essentially of hydrated ferric oxide formed by oxidation.
sacrificial anode: An anode that is attached to a metal object subject to electrolysis and is decomposed instead of the object.
slag: The vitrified matter left as a residue from the smelting of a metallic ore. Also called cinder.
smelt: To melt or fuse ore in order to separate the metal constituents.

material / metal / property

anneal: To remove internal stress from metal or glass by heating to a temperature below that of recrystallization and then gradually cooling in a liquid or air, especially to make the material more ductile.
carbide: A very hard material made of carbon and one or more heavy metals, as tungsten carbide, used for cutting edges and dies.
caseharden: To harden the surface of iron through a process of carbonization.
case-harden: To make the outside surface of an iron-based alloy hard by carburization and heat treatment, leaving the interior tough and ductile.
corrosion: The process of gradual decomposition or wearing away by chemical action, as by the action of water on iron, producing rust…
electrolytic projection: The protection of ferrous metals against electrolysis by the attachment of sacrificial anodes.
electroplate: To plate with an adherent metallic coating by electrolysis, usually to increase the hardness, improve the durability, or enhance the appearance of the base metal.
ferrous metal: A metal containing iron as a principal element.
galvanic corrosion: An accelerated corrosive action that takes place when dissimilar metals are in contact in the presence of an electrolyte.
hornblende: A mineral containing iron, silicate of magnesium, calcium, and aluminum; black or greenish black in color.
malleable: Capable of being shaped or formed by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
metal: Any of a class of elementary substances, as gold, silver, or copper, all of which are crystalline when solid and many of which are characterized by opacity, ductility, conductivity, and a unique luster when freshly fractured.
noble metal: A metal, as gold, silver, and mercury, that resists oxidation when heated in air, and solution by inorganic acids.
nonferrous metal: Any metal containing little or no iron.
oil-canning: The slight waviness of a sheet metal surface.
oxidation: The process or result of combining with oxygen to form an oxide.
oxide: A binary compound of oxygen with another element.
patina: A greenish brown crust which forms on bronze. 2. Any thin oxide film which forms on a metal; often multi-colored. 3. A film, similar in color, which forms on a material other than metal. 4. Such effects artificially induced, or imitated.
quench: To rapidly cool a heated metal by immersion in water, especially to increase its hardness.
reduction: The process of bringing to the metallic state by removing nonmetallic constituents, as the electrolytic process used in refining aluminum from alumina.
tinplate: Thin iron or steel sheet plated with tin for protection against oxidation.
tin-plate: Made of sheet steel dipped in molten tin.

material / metal / shape

angle iron: A bar of iron or steel, in section composed of two “legs” joined by one edge of each, forming the shape of the letter L, a form much used in iron and steel construction, either alone, or combined with plates of the same metal, to form columns, beams, etc.
casting: The end product of pouring molten metal into a temporary mold. 2. A method of shaping a plastic object by pouring the material into a mold and allowing it to harden without the use of pressure.
equivalent round: The diameter of a circle having a circumference equal to the perimeter of a noncircular tube.
expanded metal: Sheet metal slotted and stretched into a stiff, open mesh or lattice, used especially as lath.
gauze: Also see wire gauze.
ingot: A mass of metal cast into a convenient shape for storage or transportation before further processing.
pig: An oblong mass of metal that has been poured while still molten into a mold of sand, especially such a mass of iron from a blast furnace.
pressed metal: Thin sheets of metal molded into decorative designs and used to cover interior walls and ceilings.
RSJ: A rolled steel joint, used as a very versatile supporting member.
sheet metal: Thin sheets of metal that range from 0.006 inch to 0.249 inch thick.
spunware: Circular forms of thin metal produced by spinning.
zee: A rolled metal bar having a Z-shaped cross section with internal right angles. Also called Z-bar.

material / metal / steel

alloy steel: Carbon steel to which various elements, as chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, or vanadium, have been added in a sufficient amount to obtain particular physical or chemical properties.
American standard beam: A hot-rolled structural steel section having an I-shape with sloped inner flange surfaces, designated by the prefix S followed by the size and weight of the member.
American standard channel: A hot-rolled structural steel section having a rectangular C-shape with sloped inner flange surfaces, designated by the prefix C followed by the size and weight of the member.
barjoist: A lightweight, fabricated steel joist having an open web. A K-Series joist has a web consisting of a single bent bar, running in a zigzag pattern between the upper and lower chords. LG- and DLH-Series joists have heavier web and chord members for increased loads and spans.
blackplate: Cold-rolled sheet steel before pickling or cleaning, used for coating with zinc, tin, or terne metal.
bloom: A bar of steel reduced from an ingot to dimensions suitable for further rolling.
blooming mill: A mill for rolling ingots into blooms.
carbon steel: Ordinary, unalloyed steel in which the residual elements, as carbon, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, and silicon, are controlled. Any increase in carbon content increases the strength and hardness of the steel but reduces its ductility and weldability.
cast steel: Cast steel.
chrome steel: Also see chrome steel, steel.
chromium steel: Also see chrome steel, steel.
crucible steel: Cast steel.
deformed bar: A reinforcing bar hot-rolled with surface deformation to develop a greater bond with concrete.
deformed steel bars: Reinforced steel for concrete, twisted or roughened to secure better bond in tension or compression.
flange: A projecting edge, as the flange of a heavy pipe, by which it is bolted to another flanged pipe, forming a flanged joint; or the projecting edge of a steel beam or a truss.
galvanized sheet metal: A steel roofing material covered with a thin coating of zinc, which resists rust.
galvanized steel: These materials coated by immersion in molten zinc. The word is improperly used, for galvanizing means electroplating.
hard steel: A high-carbon steel containing from 0.45% to 0.85% carbon.
high-carbon steel: Also see high-carbon steel.
high-strength low-alloy steel: Any of a group of low-carbon steels containing less than 2% alloys in a chemical composition specifically developed for increased strength, ductility, and resistance to corrosion.
HP-shape: A hot-rolled structural steel section similar to a W-shape but having flanges and web of equal thickness and typically used as a loadbearing pile, designated by the prefix HP followed by the size and weight of the member.
I-section: A section of I-shaped rolled steel used in structural steelwork.
manganese steel: An alloy of steel that, in the form of castings, has great resistance to abrasion; it cannot be machined.
medium steel: A carbon steel containing from 0.25% to 0.45% carbon.
medium-carbor steel: Also see medium-carbon steel.
merchant bars: After puddling, wrought iron is squeezed, hammered, and rolled into muck bar; and these bars are piled together, heated, and rolled into plates, rounds, squares, etc., known as merchant bars.
mild steel: Containing up to 0.25% carbon, of great ductility, as in its use for drawn wire.
miscellaneous channel: A hot-rolled structural steel section similar to a C-shape but designated by the prefix MC followed by the size and weight of the member.
M-shape: A hot-rolled structural steel shape similar to but not classified as a W-shape, designated by the prefix M followed by the size and weight of the member.
nickel steel: Also see steel.
open-web steel joist: A lightweight, fabricated steel joist having an open web. A K-Series joist has a web consisting of a single bent bar, running in a zigzag pattern between the upper and lower chords. LG- and DLH-Series joists have heavier web and chord members for increased loads and spans. Also called bar joist.
rebar: A steel bar for reinforcing concrete, usually specified by a number equivalent to its diameter in eighths of an inch.
silicon: A nonmetallic element having amorphous or crystalline forms, used especially in electronic devices and to strengthen low-alloy steels. Symbol: Si.
soft steel: Containing up to 0.25% carbon, of great ductility, as in its use for drawn wire. Also see mild steel, low-carbon steel.
spring steel: A high-carbon steel containing 0.85% to 1.80% carbon.
S-shape: A hot-rolled structural steel section having an I-shape with sloped inner flange surfaces, designated by the prefix S followed by the size and weight of the member. Also called American standard beam.
stainless steel: An alloy of steel that is resistant to rust and corrosion.
steel: Any of various iron-based alloys having a carbon content less than that of cast iron and more than that of wrought iron, and having qualities of strength, hardness, and elasticity varying according to composition and heat treatment.
steel cage: The frame of the modern building of “steel skeleton” construction…
structural steel: Steel that is hot-rolled or cold-formed in a variety of standard shapes and fabricated for use as load-bearing members or elements.
structural tee: A structural steel section cut from a W-, S-, or M-shape and having a T-shape. It is designated by the prefix WT, ST, or MT, depending on the section from which it is cut, followed by the size and weight of the member.
structural tubing: A hollow structural steel shape of square, rectangular, or circular cross section. It is designated by the prefix TS followed by the side dimensions or diameter and the wall thickness.
weathering steel: A high-strength, low-alloy steel that forms an oxide coating when exposed to rain or moisture in the atmosphere, which adheres firmly to the base metal and protects it from further corrosion. Structures using weathering steel should be detailed to prevent the small amounts of oxide carried off by rainwater from staining adjoining materials.
wide flange: A hot-rolled structural steel section having an H-shape with wide parallel flanges, designated by the prefix W followed by the size and weight of the member.
W-shape: A hot-rolled structural steel section having an H-shape with wide parallel flanges, designated by the prefix W followed by the size and weight of the member. Also called wide flange.

material / metal / tin

tin: A white lustrous metal, used chiefly for coating sheet steel, as in “tin” roofing.
tinwork: Bright sheet steel coated with tin.

material / metal / wire

hardware cloth: A galvanized steel wire cloth with a mesh between 0.25 and 0.50 inches (6.4 to 12.7 mm).
mesh: The number of openings per inch in wire cloth.
wire cloth: A fabric of woven metallic wire, used in screens, sieves, or the like.
wire gauze: Wire cloth of fine texture.
wire rope: A heavy rope made of or containing wire strands twisted around a central core.

material / metal / zinc

sherardizing: A process that coats the surface of iron or steel with a condensation of volatile zinc dust, for protection against corrosion. Named for the inventor, Sherard Cowper-Coles.
spelter: Zinc in ingot form.
zinc: A metallic element often galvanized with iron to prevent rust.
zinc oxide: Also see zinc white.

Also see Architecture index.