Steel and cast-iron products, due to their low price and beneficial properties, are the most widely used among metals; their consumption has become an indicator of the economic development of countries. The characteristics of iron raw materials, in relation to current metallurgical requirements, are presented in the present this article. The globalization of the trade and development of steelmaking technologies have caused significant changes in the quality of raw materials in the last half-century forcing improvements in processing technologies. In many countries, standard concentrates (at least 60% Fe) are almost twice as rich as those processed in the mid-20th century. Methods of quality assessment have been improved and quality standards tightened.

The quality requirements for the most important raw materials ‒ iron ores and concentrates, steel scrap, major alloy metals, coking coal, and coke, as well as gas and other energy media ‒ are reviewed in the present paper. Particular attention is paid to the quality testing methodology. The quality of many raw materials is evaluated multi-parametrically: both chemical and physical characteristics are important. Lower-quality parameters in raw materials equate to significantly lower prices obtained by suppliers in the market.

The markets for these raw materials are diversified and governed by separate sets of newly introduced rules. Price benchmarks (e.g. for standard Australian metallurgical coal) or indices (for iron concentrates) apply. Some raw materials are quoted within the framework of the commodity market system (certain alloying components and steel scrap). The abandonment of the long-established system of multi-annual contracts has led to wide fluctuations in prices, which have reached a scale similar to that of other metals.

The aim of the study was to select the optimal content of zirconium introduced as an alloying additive to obtain the best strength properties of Al-Si alloy. A technically important disadvantage is the tendency of silumins to form a coarse-grained structure that adversely affects the mechanical properties of castings. To improve the structure, modification processes and alloying additives are used, both of which can effectively refine the structure and thus increase the mechanical properties. According to the Hall-Petch relationship, the finer is the structure, the higher are the mechanical properties of the alloy. The proposed addition of zirconium as an alloying element has a beneficial effect on the structure and properties of silumins, inhibiting the grain growth. The starting material was an aluminium-silicon casting alloy designated as EN AC-AlSi9Mg (AK9). Zirconium (Zr) was added to the alloy in an amount of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5% by weight. From the modified alloy, after verification of the chemical composition, samples were cast into sand moulds based on a phenolic resin.
The first step in the research was testing the casting properties of alloys with the addition of Zr (castability, density, porosity). In the next step, the effect of zirconium addition on the structure and mechanical properties of castings was determined.

The paper discusses issues related to the technology of melting and processing of copper alloys. An assessment was made of the impact of titanium and iron introduced in the form of pre-alloy - Ti73Fe master alloy on the microstructure and selected properties of pure copper and copper-silicon alloy. There are known examples of the use of titanium and iron additive to the copper alloy. Titanium as an additive introduced to copper alloys to improve their properties is sometimes also applicable. In the first stage of the study, a series of experimental castings were conducted with variable content of Ti73Fe master alloy entering copper in quantities of 5 %, 15 %, 25 % in relation to the mass of the metal charge. In the second stage, a silicon additive was introduced into copper in the amount of about 4 % by weight and 0.5 % and 1 % respectively of the initial Ti73Fe alloy. Thermodynamic phase parameters were modelled using CALPHAD method and Thermo-Calc software, thus obtaining the crystallization characteristics of the test alloys and the percentage of structural components at ambient temperature. Experiments confirmed the validity of the use of Ti73Fe master alloy as an additive. The pre-alloy used showed a favourable performance, both in terms of addition solubility and in the area of improvement of strength properties. Changes were achieved in the microstructure, mainly within the grain, but also in the developed dendrites of the solid solution. Changes occur with the introduction of titanium with iron into copper as well as to two-component silicon bronze.

Microstructure, mechanical, and corrosion properties of as-cast pure zinc and its binary and ternary alloys with magnesium (Mg), and copper (Cu) additions were investigated. Analysis of microstructure conducted by scanning electron microscopy revealed that alloying additives contributed to decreasing average grain size compared to pure zinc. Corrosion rate was calculated based on immersion and potentiodynamic tests and its value was lower for materials with Cu content. Moreover, it was shown that the intermetallic phase, formed as a result of Mg addition, constitutes a specific place for corrosion. It was observed that a different type of strengthening was obtained depending on the additive used. The presence of the second phase with Mg improved the tensile strength of the Zn-based materials, while Cu dissolved in the solution had a positive effect on their elongation.