If someone dropped several pounds of thin sheet metal and told you to make something of it, what would you do? Thin sheet metal has many applications that we never realize at first until another individual mentions it. Thin sheet metal also comes in a variety of types like stainless steel, brass and copper, and even thin steel sheets, to name a few.
The Automobile Industry
Every vehicle you come across, including the one you drive yourself, had to use thin sheet metal. This is because thin sheet metal is, not only durable, but also incredibly pliable even keeping its strength after its been shaped into the body of an automobile.
The Roof Above Your House
Weather can seriously damage your home. One such liquid notorious for worming its way into your home is water. One only has to take a quick look at the Grand Canyon to see the effects and persistent nature of water. Your house has corners and spaces that water can rest in, and over time, will eventually make its way into your home. However, thin sheet metal can be used to create rain gutters, roof flashing and conductor pipes.
Rain gutters and conductor pipes work the same way by diverting large quantities of water away from your home, but do so in different locations. A rain gutter is placed along the length of any and all roofing; conductor pipes are placed in the ground. Both in conjunction with each other can help relieve your foundation of all that rainwater that would have otherwise seeped into your basement and causing further damage.
On a side note, contractors can utilize sheet metal to create ducts for HVAC systems and even has fire resistance properties.
The Metals Birds In The Sky
If someone asked you why planes weren’t made with wood, the answer to that question would be simple: wood rots and decays. To be fair, metal can corrode. However, metals can be combined to make stronger, durable and corrosion resistant; you cannot mix wood. For example, aluminium is common in airplanes for its lightweight, yet durable, properties. It’s even stronger than wood!
Types Of Steel
You wouldn’t realize it at first, but metal has so many categories and subcategories that can any person’s head spin. For example, Type 321 is a type of stainless steel that integrates chromium-nickle and titanium. This type of combined metals gives it a higher resistant to intergranular corrosion, a kind of corrosion that is very reminiscent of cracking ice. Under Type 321 then has other subcategories with similar composition but to varying degrees, like ASM 5510.