Sabattus High School - Yearbook (Sabattus, ME)

Page 63 text:

ALUMINUM The name aluminium was derived from the Latin word alumen It is the most abundant and the llghtest metal in common use Commer clally it is extracted successfully from only one ore which 13 bauxite This process was dlscovered by Karl Joseph Bayer, a Ger man cheml t, thus enabling Germany to be chief producer of alumlnum ore In Arkansas, France, Hungary, British and Dutch Gulana arc large deposits of bauxite The most valuable property of aluminum lS perhaps the facll ty wlth whlch it alloys with most other metals except lead Alumlnum is a sllvery white metallic element with the symbol Al It ls about two and a half times as heavy as water, but only one thlrc a heavy as copper or iron It lS ductile and can readlly be worked into sheet, rod, wire and extruded shapes Among metals only s1l ver, copper and gold excel it as a conductor of heat and electrl city It does not rust but resists atmospheric corrosion S varied are the uses of alumlnum, that it seems as if a man must have been aware of its existence for ages are employed in the transportat1on lndustry, ln the manufacture of trucks, automoblles, ships, alrcraft, and rallroad rolling stock Brldge floor systems are lightened with alumlnum, overhead travel lng cranes are made of thls metal It is one of the best materlal for cooklng utensils, as lt is light and durable, does not rust llke tinware nor ch1p like granlt and is harmless in any actlon upon foods Because of its hlgh electrical conductivity, aluminum is ex tenslvely used for light tension conductors The top of the Wash ington monument was covered by a small pyramld of aluminum in 188 Since then, and partlcularly in the last decade, there has been an extensive use of metal in architecture Alumlnum stamped to a flne flake like powder makes a superior paint pigment More familiar alumlnum products include collapsable tubes for tooth paste, candy wrappers, chains, giftware and novelties of various kinds Madelyn Brewer '45 Chemistry 0 , o O Because of its lightness and strength, aluminum and its alloys . . ' '4.