alpha iron

American

noun

Metallurgy.

the magnetic allotrope of iron, stable below 910°C and having a body-centered cubic space lattice.

alpha iron British

noun

a magnetic allotrope of iron that is stable below 910°C; ferrite

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of alpha iron

First recorded in 1880–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It seems that the soft, magnetic metal so familiar as wrought iron, and called "alpha iron" or "ferrite" by the metallurgist, becomes unstable at about 1,400°F. and changes into the so-called "beta" modification, becoming suddenly harder, and losing its magnetism.

From Project Gutenberg

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