机械设计制造及其自动化专业英语.docVIP

Unit1Metals

Theuseofmetalshasalwaysbeenakeyfactorinthedevelopmentofthesocialsystemsofman.Oftheroughly100basicelementsofwhichallmatteriscomposed,abouthalfareclassifiedasmetals.Thedistinctionbetweenametalandanonmetalisnotalwaysclear-cut.Themostbasicdefinitioncentersaround[以…为中心]thetypeofbondingexistingbetweentheatomsoftheelement,andaroundthecharacteristicsofcertainoftheelectrons[某种电子]associatedwiththeseatoms.Inamorepracticalway,however,ametalcanbedefinedasanelementwhichhasaparticularpackageofproperties.

在人类社会的开展中，金属的应用起着关键性的作用。构成物质的大约100种根本元素中，大约有一半为金属。金属和非金属之间的区别不是特别明显。最根本的定义集中在元素原子间存在的连接形式和与这些原子相关联的电子的某些特性。然而，在实际应用中，可以将具有某些特性集合金属定义为某种元素。

Metalsarecrystalline[adj.晶体的]wheninthesolidstateand,withfewexceptions[极少例外](e.g.mercury),aresolidatambient[周围环境的]temperatures.Theyaregoodconductorsofheatandelectricityandareopaque[不透明的]tolight.Theyusuallyhaveacomparativelyhighdensity.Manymetalsareductile[柔软的；易延展的]-thatis,theirshapecanbechangedpermanently[永久地，长期不变地]bytheapplicationofaforcewithoutbreaking.Theforcesrequiredtocausethisdeformationandthoserequiredtobreakorfractureametalarecomparativelyhigh,although,thefractureforcesisnotnearly[=farfrom,muchlessthan]ashighaswouldbeexpectedfromsimpleconsiderationoftheforcesrequiredtotearaparttheatomsofthemetal.

除了少数例外金属在常温下是固态的。它们是热和电的良导体，不透光。它们往往具有较高的密度。许多金属具有延展性，也就是说，在不被破坏的情况下它们的形状在外力的作用下可以发生变化。引起永久变形所需的力和最终使金属断裂所需的力相当大，尽管发生断裂所需的力远没有像所预期的撕开金属原子所需的力那么大。

Oneofthemoresignificantofthesecharacteristicsfromourpointofviewisthatofcrystallinity[crystallinity[,krist?lin?ti]].Acrystallinesolidisoneinwhichtheconstituentatomsarelocatedinaregularthree-dimensionalarrayasiftheywerelocatedatthecornersofthesquaresofathree-dimensionalchessboard[n.棋盘].Thespacingoftheatomsinthearrayisofthesame