金属材料是指由金属元素或以金属元素为主构成的具有金属特性的材料的统称。包括纯金属、合金、金属间化合物和特种金属材料等。
人类文明的发展和社会的进步同金属材料关系十分密切。继石器时代之后出现的铜器时代、铁器时代，均以金属材料的应用为其时代的显著标志。现代，种类繁多的金属材料已成为人类社会发展的重要物质基础。我们对金属材料的认识应从以下几方面开始：
一、分类：
金属材料通常分为黑色金属、有色金属和特种金属材料。
①黑色金属又称钢铁材料，包括含铁90％以上的工业纯铁，含碳 2％～4％的铸铁，含碳小于 2％的碳钢，以及各种用途的结构钢、不锈钢、耐热钢、高温合金、精密合金等。广义的黑色金属还包括铬、锰及其合金。
②有色金属是指除铁、铬、锰以外的所有金属及其合金，通常分为轻金属、重金属、贵金属、半金属、稀有金属和稀土金属等。有色合金的强度和硬度一般比纯金属高，并且电阻大、电阻温度系数小。
③特种金属材料包括不同用途的结构金属材料和功能金属材料。其中有通过快速冷凝工艺获得的非晶态金属材料，以及准晶、微晶、纳米晶金属材料等；还有隐身、抗氢、超导、形状记忆、耐磨、减振阻尼等特殊功能合金，以及金属基复合材料等。
金属材料按生产成型工艺又分为铸造金属、变形金属 、喷射成形金属，以及粉末冶金材料。
铸造金属通过铸造工艺成型，主要有铸钢、铸铁和铸造有色金属及合金。
变形金属通过压力加工如锻造、轧制、冲压等成型，其化学成分与相应的铸造金属略有不同。
喷射成形金属是通过喷射成形工艺制成具有一定形状和组织性能的零件和毛坯。
金属材料的性能可分为工艺性能和使用性能两种。
二、性能
为更合理使用金属材料，充分发挥其作用，必须掌握各种金属材料制成的零、构件在正常工作情况下应具备的性能（使用性能）及其在冷热加工过程中材料应具备的性能（工艺性能）。
材料的使用性能包括物理性能（如比重、熔点、导电性、导热性、热膨胀性、磁性等）、化学性能（耐用腐蚀性、抗氧化性），力学性能也叫机械性能。
材料的工艺性能指材料适应冷、热加工方法的能力。
三、生产工艺：
金属材料生产，一般是先提取和冶炼金属 。
有些金属需进一步精炼并调整到合适的成分，然后加工成各种规格和性能的产品。提炼金属，钢铁通常采用火法冶金工艺，即采用转炉、平炉、电弧炉、感应炉、冲天炉(炼铁)等进行冶炼和熔炼；有色金属兼用火法冶金和湿法冶金工艺 ；高纯金属以及要求
特殊性能的金属还采用区域熔炼、真空熔炼和粉末冶金工艺。金属材料通过冶炼并调整成分后，经过铸造成型，或经铸造、粉末冶金成型工艺制成锭、坯，再经塑性加工制成各种形态和规格的产品。对有些金属制品，要求其有特定的内部组织和力学性能，还常采用热处理工艺 。常用的热处理工艺有淬火、正火、退火、时效处理（将淬火后的金属制件置于室温或较高温度下保温适当时间，以提高其强度和硬度）等。
四、发展趋势：
金属材料的发展已从纯金属、纯合金中摆脱出来。随着材料设计、工艺技术及使用性能试验的进步，传统的金属材料得到了迅速发展，新的高性能金属材料不断开发出来。如快速冷凝非晶和微晶材料、高比强和高比模的铝锂合金、有序金属间化合物及机械合金化合金、氧化物弥散强化合金、定向凝固柱晶和单晶合金等高温结构材料、金属基复合材料以及形状记忆合金、钕铁硼永磁合金、贮氢合金等新型功能金属材料，已分别在航空航天、能源、机电等各个领域获得了应用，并产生了巨大的经济效益。
The basic knowledge of metal materials
Metal material is to point to by metallic element or metal elements constitute mainly with metal properties of materials of the referred to. Including pure metal, alloy, intermetallic compound and special metal materials, etc.
The development of human civilization and the progress of the society is a close relationship between with metal materials. After the Stone Age appears later in the Bronze Age, the iron age, all with the application of metal material for its age remarkable symbol. Modern, a wide variety of metal materials has become the human society development the important material base. Our understanding of the metal material from the following several aspects begins:
A, classification:
Metal materials are usually divided into black metal, non-ferrous metal and special metal materials.
(1) the black metal also called iron and steel materials, including iron more than 90% of the industrial pure iron, carbon containing 2% ~ 4% of cast iron, carbon containing less than 2% of the carbon steel, and various USES of structural steel, stainless steel, heat-resistant steel, high temperature alloy, precision alloy, etc. Generalized black metal include chromium, manganese and its alloy.
(2) the non-ferrous metal is to point to in addition to iron, chrome, manganese outside of all metal and its alloy, usually divided into light metal, heavy metals, precious metals, half metals, rare metals and rare earth metal, etc. Non-ferrous metal strength and hardness is usually better than pure metal high, and resistance, temperature coefficient of resistance small.
(3) special metal materials including the structure of the different USES metal material and
function of metal materials. There are through the quick condensing process acquired amorphous metal material, and quasi crystal, microcrystalline, nanocrystalline metal materials, etc.; And stealth, resisting hydrogen, superconductivity, shape memory, wear-resisting, damper damping and other special function alloy, and metal base composite material, etc.
Metal materials according to production molding process and divided into casting metal, deformation of metal, injection forming metal, and powder metallurgy material.
Cast metal through the casting process molding, basically have cast steel, cast iron and casting non-ferrous metal and alloy.
Deformation metal through the pressure processing such as forging, rolling, stamping forming, its chemical composition and corresponding casting metal slightly different.
Injection forming metal is through the injection forming process has made a certain shape and organizational performance parts and blank.
The performance of metal materials can be divided into process performance and use performance two.
Second, the performance
For more rational use of metal materials, give full play to its function, must master all kinds of metal material made of zero, member in normal working circumstances should have the performance (performance) and in hot and cold processing process material should have the performance (process performance).
The use of material properties including physical properties (such as specific gravity, melting point, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, thermal expansibility, magnetic, etc.), chemical properties (durable, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance), mechanical properties is also called mechanical properties.
Material process performance refers to the material used to cold, hot working method ability.
Three, the production process:
Metal material production, general is first extraction and smelting metal.
Some metals to be further refined and adjust to the appropriate component, and then processed into various specifications and performance of products. Refining metal, iron and steel usually adopt pyrometallurgy process, i.e., to use the converter, open hearth furnace, arc furnace, induction furnace, cupola (ironmaking) of smelting and melting; Non-ferrous metal combination pyrometallurgy and wet metallurgy process; High purity metal and require special performance of metal also used zone melting, vacuum smelting and powder metallurgy process. Metal material through the smelting and adjust composition, after casting forming, or by casting, powder metallurgy forming technology made ingot, stock, then through plastic processing into different kinds of form and specifications of the products. For some metal products for the specific internal organization and mechanical properties, but also often USES heat treatment process. Commonly used heat treatment process have quenching, normalizing, annealin
g, aging treatment (to be hardened metal workpieces in room temperature or high temperature insulation appropriate time, in order to improve the strength and hardness of the), etc.
Four, development trends:
Metal material development already from pure metal, pure alloy to emerge. Along with the material design, process technology and use performance test progress, the traditional metal materials have developed rapidly, the new high performance metal materials continuously developed. Such as rapid condensation amorphous and microcrystalline materials, height is strong and height die aluminium lithium alloy, orderly intermetallic compounds and mechanical alloying alloy, oxide dispersion strengthened alloy, directional solidification column crystal and single crystal alloy of high temperature, such as structural material, metal matrix composite materials and shape memory alloy, ndfeb permanent magnet alloy, hydrogen storage alloy, and other new functional metal materials, already respectively in aerospace, energy, electrical and mechanical, and other fields won the application, and produce the huge economic benefits.