Tin in Ferrous Alloys

Abstract

Small amounts of tin, introduced in the remelting of scrap, have a deleterious effect on the physical properties of low-carbon steels and the tin content of such material is generally kept to below 0.25% by removal in the blast furnace. On the other hand, the deliberate addition of about 0.1% tin to flake graphite or spheroidal graphite iron produces a pearlitic structure giving high hardness and good wear resistance. More recently, the addition of 2% tin plus 3% copper instead of up to 10% copper alone as a sintering aid in the manufacture of components from iron powder compacts has been found beneficial in reducing sintering temperatures and allowing closer dimensional control.