Alloy - Indian Laws - General

Alloy As per Dictionary of Metallurgy by A.D. Merriman thus : Alloy - It is a substance possessing metallic properties and composed of two or more elements of which at least one must be a metal. The term is usually reserved for those cases where there is an intentional addition to a metal for the purpose of improving certain properties. Though pure metals may possess certain useful properties, they seldom possess the strength required for industrial application. Copper is practically the only matter used in bulk in the commercially pure state. In the case of most metals, alloying elements are added to increase the hardness, strength and toughness of the basic metals and to obtain properties which are not found in any of those metals. In Merriman s book it is stated that Master alloy is the name given to an alloy of mixture of elements that is used for introducing desired elements into molten metals in the foundry. ........ and are often used in the ladle to obtain good control over the final product. Also called Foundry Alloy. The book does not mention brass as a master alloy. Indeed, zinc which is a constituent of brass is not mentioned even as one of the constituents of a master alloy. In Materials Handbook by George S. Brady, it is stated : The commercial utility of alloys arises from the fact that the pure metals are often too soft, weak or rare to be used along. Thus, copper, a soft metal, when alloyed with the brittle metal zinc, forms a strong, hard alloy brass, that has wide usage. A master alloy or a foundry alloy is an alloy used for adding elements in the foundry. According to Brussels Tariff Nomenclature, Master alloys are generally in the form of small blocks or cakes divided for easy breaking, brittle sticks, or pellets, and have the appearance of crude foundry products. In Henderson s `Metallurgical Dictionary `Master alloy is treated synonymously with `Foundry alloy and `Hardener . At page 163 of the book the following statement occurs : Hardener (preliminary alloy; foundry alloy; master alloy; rich alloy) An alloy, rich in one or more alloying elements, that is added to the melt, this procedure permitting closer composition control than is possible with the addition of pure metals; an alloy designed to facilitate adding to a base metal, to make a complete composition, those additive elements that, due to refractoriness or susceptibility to exidation, do not, as pure metals, readily alloy with the base metal. In Foundry alloy which is equated with Master alloy is described as an alloy of specific composition as, for example, a ferro-alloy, used for making cupola, ladle, or furnace additions . In Osborne s `Encyclopaedia of the Iron and Steel Industry `Hardeners are described as Master alloys prepared for the purpose of adding small quantities of the desired alloying elements to molten metals . According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, The most common way of preparing alloys is by the melting together of the constituent metals. If the melting points of the metals differ widely, or if one is relatively very reactive, it may be convenient to prepare first a master alloy, portions of which are then melted with the remaining metals. KHANDELWAL METAL ENGINEERING WORKS VERSUS UNION OF INDIA - 1985 (6) TMI 178 - SUPREME COURT