FUSIBLE METAL

This article appears in Volume V11, Page 369 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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FUSIBLE METAL , a term applied to certain

alloys

ALLOYS (through the Fr. aloyer, from Lat. alligare, to combine)

, generally composed of bismuth, lead and tin, which possess the property of melting at comparatively low temperatures. Newton's fusible metal (named after Sir Isaac Newton) contains 5o parts of bismuth, 31.25 of lead and 18.75 of tin; that of Jean Darcet (1725-1801), 50 parts of bismuth with 25 each of lead and tin; and that of Valentin Rose the elder, 50 of bismuth with 28.1 of lead and 24.1 of tin. These melt between 9r and 95 C. The addition of cadmium gives still greater fusibility; in

Wood

WOOD, ANTHONY A2 (1632-1695)
WOOD, JOHN GEORGE (1827—1889)
WOOD, MRS
HENRY
- HENRY
- HENRY (1129-1195)
- HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
- HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
- HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G.
  heim
  - HEIM, ALBERT VON ST GALLEN (1849- )
  - HEIM, FRANCOIS JOSEPH (1787-1865)
  , the Eng.
  home
  - HOME
  - HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS (1833-1886)
  - HOME, EARLS OF
  , and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
- HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
- HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
- HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
- HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
- HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
- HENRY, PRINCE OF
  BATTENBERG
  - BATTENBERG
  (1858-1896)
- HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
- HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
- HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)
[ELLEN] (1814—1887)
WOOD, SEARLES VALENTINE (1798—188o)

's metal, for instance, which is Darcet's metal with half the tin replaced by cadmium, the melting point is lowered to 6671 C.; while another described by Lipowitz and containing 15 parts of bismuth, 8 of lead, 4 of tin and 3 of cadmium, softens at about 55 and is completely liquid a little above 6o. By the addition of mercury to Darcet's metal the melting point may be reduced so low as 45. These fusible metals have the peculiarity of expanding as they cool; Rose's metal, for instance, remains pasty for a considerable range of temperature below its fusing point, contracts somewhat rapidly from 8o to 55, expands from 55 to 35, and contracts again from 35 to 0. For this reason they may be used for taking casts of anatomical specimens or making cliches from

wood

WOOD, ANTHONY A2 (1632-1695)
WOOD, JOHN GEORGE (1827—1889)
WOOD, MRS
HENRY
- HENRY
- HENRY (1129-1195)
- HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
- HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
- HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G.
  heim
  - HEIM, ALBERT VON ST GALLEN (1849- )
  - HEIM, FRANCOIS JOSEPH (1787-1865)
  , the Eng.
  home
  - HOME
  - HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS (1833-1886)
  - HOME, EARLS OF
  , and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
- HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
- HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
- HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
- HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
- HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
- HENRY, PRINCE OF
  BATTENBERG
  - BATTENBERG
  (1858-1896)
- HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
- HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
- HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)
[ELLEN] (1814—1887)
WOOD, SEARLES VALENTINE (1798—188o)

-blocks, the expansion on cooling securing

sharp

SHARP,
GRANVILLE
- GRANVILLE
- GRANVILLE, GRANVILLE
- GRANVILLE, JOHN
  CARTERET
  - CARTERET, SIR GEORGE (c. 1610-1680)
  , EARL (1690-1763)
(1735-1813)
SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

impressions. By suitable modification in the proportions of the components, a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

alloys

ALLOYS (through the Fr. aloyer, from Lat. alligare, to combine)

can be made which melt at various temperatures above the boiling point of water; for example, with 8 parts of bismuth, 8 of lead and 3 of tin the melting point is 123, and with 8 of bismuth, 30 of lead and 24 of tin it is 172. With tin and lead only in equal proportions it is 241. Such alloys are used for making the fusible plugs inserted in the furnace-crowns of steam boilers, as a safeguard in the event of the water-level being allowed to fall too low. When this happens the plug being no longer covered with water is heated to such a temperature that it melts and allows the contents of the boiler to escape into the furnace. In automatic fire-sprinklers` the orifices of the pipes are closed with fusible metal, which melts and liberates the water when, owing to an outbreak of fire in the room, the temperature rises above a predetermined limit.

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