Definition of Metallurgical Engineering

In everyday life, any individual aspires to have a vehicle suitable for his or her needs, a mobile more complete or a computer with more memory. For this to be possible, engineers and scientists have to design new technologies, which depend on certain materials. The metallurgical engineering professional is, precisely, a specialist in materials and their possible applications.

In the academic studies of metallurgical engineering, metals, nonmetals and alloys and their projection and app technological (all of them are part of materials science). The fundamental idea of ​​these studies is to understand the relationship between the microscopic structures of materials and their properties.

Fields of action

The metallurgical engineer can dedicate himself to the microscopic, for example to carbon nanotubes for their adequate electrical properties that are relevant in the field of solar energy, communications or medicine.

In the vast majority of everyday products and utensils, an engineer in this sector has experimented with the most suitable materials.

Megastructures, satellites and spacecraft also depend on materials that ensure the efficiency of these infrastructures.

Another of the fields of action is that of obtaining metals in mining deposits (for example, iron, copper, aluminum or gold), as well as work in foundry, forging and welding processes.

In summary, it could be said that the

metallurgical engineer provides solutions to scientific and technological challenges

.

Metallurgical engineering and environment

There are materials that are polluting and that their use is dangerous for the environment. For this reason, there is currently the challenge of using non-polluting materials that are easily degradable.

The use of large amounts of water to obtain raw materials and its polluting effects is one of the current challenges of metallurgical engineering.

The availability of minerals and their geological impact is another circumstance that can be harmful to a ecosystem.

The challenge of sustainability

Industry and metallurgical engineering are faced with a general challenge: sustainability. A clear example is that of the coltan deposits to extract tantalum, a fundamental metal for most technological devices. The human and technological conditions related to coltan are considered unacceptable from the point of view of the human rights and the extraction processes are valued negatively for the environment environment.

Topics in Metallurgical Engineering