Iron+&+Steel

IRON & STEEL
The __iron__ is strong in compression, but weaker than steel in tension. Meanwhile, __steel__ is strong in compression and tension, but loose strength in extremely high temperatures. Those materials before 1800 was used to masonry, from decoration, doors, windows, etc., but in 1779 cast iron was used for first time in the structure of the building, was used to build a bridge. But, with the time the characteristics of iron was discovered and was introduced in the architecture with columns and after with the skeletal structure. This fact don’t last very much, the cast iron was replaced from steel because their uniformly strong, elastic, workable, and its high resistance in all stress.

// “…the old cast iron buildings died out. I'm not really sure whether the new skyscrapers killed them or the new esthetics” // By: John Lienhard

It was obviously that iron it was over after the steel, because steel it has more advantage than iron. For example; steel is strong in compression and tension but iron it is strong only in compression. And too many other benefits that steel has over the iron become a steel like new material at the construction with metals.


 * Wrought Iron ** 

The wrought iron is a material of iron which is wrought and hammers when the material it is a high temperature, and become hard when the material put cold. The wrought iron is hard, ductile and alloyed with other materials. The wrought iron in the 19 th  century was used in the structure of buildings, but with the past of the years the wrought iron is used to decoration, to make grate, to use secondary in the construction.


 * Do you think metals are "cold" materials? **

I can’t say that metals are cold materials only; the metals have proceeded to be a metal. First the metal be a high temperatures and subjected abruptly a cold temperatures to become hard the metal. So the Metal has two different stage, the first is when the material is hot and the second stage is when the material become hard through cold temperatures.