Metals That Build New Worlds 173 



75 per cent of the weight of these warplanes is aluminum, 

 light but strong metal of many uses. Two hundred pounds 

 of lighter magnesium silvery- white metal "mined" from the 

 ocean also went into the engine and other parts of these 

 Mustangs. 



A flight of Republic P-47 Thunderbolts thunders across a 

 field, leaps into the sky, and soon climbs out of sight. The 

 turbosuperchargers, which enable these planes to fight at great 

 altitudes, are made of special alloys mixtures of metals 

 that can stand engine-exhaust temperatures of 1,500 degrees 

 Fahrenheit, and cold of 67 degrees below zero. 



Huge "battle wagons" prowl the seven seas guarding United 

 Nations life lines. One of these 45,000 ton battleships requires 

 42,000 tons of alloy and carbon steel for the hull and machin- 

 ery alone. 



"This 42,000 tons," explains Admiral S. M. Robinson, "in- 

 cludes ordered steel weights, plus ingot weights for the heavy 

 forgings. To this amount must be added an equal weight of 

 ingots for ordnance. . . . Remember that the barrel of a 16 

 inch naval gun alone, excluding the breech mechanism and 

 turrets, consumes from 500 to 600 tons of steel." 



Just a few examples of the thousands of war jobs that metals 

 are performing today, and a reminder of the big jobs they 

 will perform in the future. The lightweight metals aluminum 

 and magnesium new alloy steels, and combinations of little- 

 known metals will compete vigorously with one another and 

 with the new plastics. Together, all of these materials will 

 revolutionize living in the postwar world. 



The Story of Aluminum 



Aluminum is the most common metallic element in the 

 earth's crust. But it is never found free in nature. It always i$ 

 found in combination with other substances, and scientists 



