Alliagethumb|Du bronze liquide versé dans des moules. En métallurgie, un alliage est un mélange de plusieurs éléments chimiques, dont le principal constituant est un métal, et dont les caractéristiques sont celles d'un matériau métallique . Les caractéristiques mécaniques des métaux purs sont la plupart du temps relativement faibles. Le fait d'ajouter d'autres éléments permet de « durcir » le métal en augmentant ses caractéristiques mécaniques.
Aluminium alloyAn aluminium alloy (or aluminum alloy; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There are two principal classifications, namely casting alloys and wrought alloys, both of which are further subdivided into the categories heat-treatable and non-heat-treatable. About 85% of aluminium is used for wrought products, for example rolled plate, foils and extrusions.
Inelastic mean free pathThe inelastic mean free path (IMFP) is an index of how far an electron on average travels through a solid before losing energy. If a monochromatic, primary beam of electrons is incident on a solid surface, the majority of incident electrons lose their energy because they interact strongly with matter, leading to plasmon excitation, electron-hole pair formation, and vibrational excitation. The intensity of the primary electrons, I_0, is damped as a function of the distance, d, into the solid.
