What is the strongest metal in the world? This is one of the issues that sounds pretty simple, but it’s actually quite complicated. For metal, direct force-based comparisons do not work. Why? First of all, because there is no single universal scale of force. At best, there are four.
DETERMINATION OF THE STRONGEST METALS: TYPES OF STRENGTH
TENSILE STRENGTH
Tensile strength refers to the ability of a material to withstand tensile strength. In other words, it looks at the amount of force needed to stretch or stretch something. A low tensile material would tear more easily than a high tensile material.
PRESSURE FORCE
Compressive strength refers to the ability of a material to withstand compression. To test the compressive strength, an external force exerts pressure on the material, observing the extent to which the material can withstand shrinkage. The generally accepted compressive strength test is the Mohs hardness test. The test is based on a scale that rates minerals from 1 to 10 or from the finest-hardest.
PROFITABLE POWER
Yield strength refers to the ability of a material to withstand permanent deformation or bending. It is a way of testing the elastic limit of a given material. It is usually determined by a bending test in which the two ends of a beam or bar are gripped and stressed. The intention is to find out how much stress is needed to exceed the material yield point or the point at which the material does not return to its original shape after the stress is removed.
IMPACT FORCE
Impact force refers to the ability of a material to withstand an impact without cracking or breaking. In other words, it is a method of determining how much energy a material can absorb by impact.
COMPARISON OF STRONG METALS
Since the strength of a metal depends on several factors, there is no simple answer to the question, what is the strongest metal? Instead, there are several metals that are known to be among the strongest. I decided to sort them in alphabetical order. Please do not take the order in the following list as the order.
- Carbon steel
- Chromium
- Icon
- Stainless steel
- Titanium
- Tool steel
- Tungsten
Using the different strength types described above, it is easy to see why choosing a single strongest metal is difficult. For example, let’s look at tungsten vs titanium.
Tungsten vs. Titanium
In terms of tensile strength, tungsten is the strongest of all natural metals. But in terms of impact force, it is weak – it is a brittle metal that is known to break on impact. Titanium, on the other hand, has tensile strength, but if we look at titanium in terms of compressive strength, it achieves a much lower score on the Mohs hardness scale.
It’s easy to see that trying to make a direct comparison is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. Whether you look at chrome vs inconel, titanium vs steel or tungsten vs stainless steel. It just doesn’t make much sense.
Part of the problem is that knowing which material is strongest really depends on what is done with it. There may be applications where high yield strength is important, but compressive strength is not a factor. Understanding the application is essential for choosing the right materials. This is a big part of the reason why we focus on consulting with our customers. The conversation is not only about what the customer wants, but also about what he wants and needs to do. Armed with the right information, we can recommend (and often provide) the material that best suits a particular project or application.
