ABSTRACT
There are many methods of preparing metals and alloys for use; this chapter briefly describes a few of the more important ones that are used in the production of both metals and metallic elements. Metallurgists look on these not only as ways of shaping materials but also as ways of controlling their microstructure and, consequently, their properties. The chapter outlines the processing routes for most of the more common metals and alloys used in structural engineering. The working of metals and alloys by rolling, forging, extrusion, etc. depends upon plasticity, which is usually much greater at high temperatures, that is, temperatures above their recrystallisation temperature. Because of their ductility at room temperatures, many metals and alloys can be cold worked, that is to say, shaped at temperatures below their recrystallisation temperature. Brazing and soldering, and in some cases gluing, involve joining by means of a thin film of a material.
