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Sci-Tech Dictionary:

copper alloy

(′käp·ər ′al′öi)

(metallurgy) A solid solution of one or more metals in copper.

 
 
Sci-Tech Encyclopedia: Copper alloys

Solid solutions of one or more metals in copper. Many metals, although not all, alloy with copper to form solid solutions. Some insoluble metals and nonmetals are intentionally added to copper alloy to enhance certain characteristics. See also Solid solution.

Copper alloys form a group of materials of major commercial importance because they are characterized by such useful mechanical properties as high ductility and formability and excellent corrosion resistance. Copper alloys are easily joined by soldering and brazing. Like gold alloys, copper alloys have decorative red, pink, yellow, and white colors. Copper has the second highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. All these factors make copper alloys suitable for a wide variety of products.

Copper and zinc melted together in various proportions produce one of the most useful groups of copper alloys, known as the brasses. Brasses containing 5–40% zinc constitute the largest volume of copper alloys. One important alloy, cartridge brass (70% copper, 30% zinc), has innumerable uses, including cartridge cases, automotive radiator cores and tanks, lighting fixtures, eyelets, rivets, screws, springs, and plumbing products.

Lead is added to both copper and the brasses, forming an insoluble phase which improves machinability of the material. Free cutting brass (61% copper, 3% lead, 36% zinc) is the most important alloy in the group. It is machined into parts on high-speed (10,000 rpm) automatic screw machines for a multiplicity of uses. Increased strength and corrosion resistance are obtained by adding up to 2% tin or aluminum to various brasses.

Alloys of copper, nickel, and zinc are called nickel silvers. Nickel is added to the copper-zinc alloys primarily because of its influence upon the color of the resulting alloys; color ranges from yellowish-white, to white with a yellowish tinge, to white. Because of their tarnish resistance, these alloys are used for table flatware, zippers, camera parts, costume jewelry, nameplates, and some electrical switch gear.

Three copper-base alloys containing 10%, 20%, and 30% nickel, with small amounts of manganese and iron added to enhance casting qualities and corrosion resistance, have gained commercial importance. These alloys are known as cupronic-kels and are well suited for application in industrial and marine installations as condenser and heat-exchanger tubing because of their high corrosion resistance and particular resistance to impingement attack.

Copper-tin alloys (3–10% tin), deoxidized with phosphorus, form an important group known as phosphorus bronzes. Tin increases strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance. These alloys are widely used for springs and screens in papermaking machines. See also Alloy; Copper.

 
Architecture: copper alloy

Metal having a specified copper content of less than 99.3% but more than 40% and having no other element in excess of the copper content (except in the case of certain copper-nickel-zinc alloys, in which zinc slightly exceeds the copper content).

 
Wikipedia: Copper alloys

Copper alloys are alloys with Copper as their principial component. They have high resistance to corrosion.

Due to its high electric conductivity, pure electrolytic copper is used mostly for making of electrical cables.

Compositions

The similarity in external appearance of the various alloys, along with the different combinations of elements used when making each alloy, can lead to confusion when categorizing the different compositions. There are as many as 400 different Copper and Copper-alloy compositions loosely grouped into the categories: Copper, high Copper alloy, Brasses, Bronzes, Copper nickels, Copper–Nickel–zinc (nickel silver), leaded Copper, and special alloys. The following table lists the principal alloying element for four of the more common types, along with the name for each type.

Classification of Copper and Its Alloys[1]
Family Principal alloying element UNS numbers
Copper alloys, Brass Zinc (Zn) C1xxxx–C4xxxx,C66400–C69800
Phosphor bronzes Tin (Sn) C5xxxx
Aluminium bronzes Aluminium (Al) C60600–C64200
Silicon bronzes Silicon (Si) C64700–C66100
Copper nickel, Nickel silvers Nickel (Ni) C7xxxx


Some common Copper alloys[1]

Name Nominal composition[2] Form and condition Yield strength[3] Tensile strength[4] Elongation[5] Hardness[6] Comments
Copper (ASTM B1, B2, B3, B152, B124, R133) Cu 99.9 Annealed 10 32 45 42 Electrical equipment, roofing, screens
"
"
 Cold-drawn 40 45 15 90
"
"
"
 Cold-rolled 40 46 5 100
"
Gilding metal (ASTM B36) Cu 95.0, Zn 5.0 Cold-rolled 50 56 5 114 Coins, ammunition casings
Cartridge brass (ASTM B14, B19, B36, B134, B135) Cu 70.0, Zn 30.0 Cold-rolled 63 76 8 155 Good for cold-working; radiators, hardware, electrical
Phosphor bronze (ASTM B103, B139, B159) Cu 70.0, Sn 10.0, P 0.25 Spring temper — 122 4 241 High fatigue-strength and spring qualities
Yellow or High brass (ASTM B36, B134, B135) Cu 65.0, Zn 35.0 Annealed 18 48 60 55 Good corrosion resistance
"
"
 Cold-drawn 55 70 15 115
"
"
"
 Cold-rolled (HT) 60 74 10 180
"
Manganese bronze (ASTM 138) Cu 58.5, Zn 39.2, Fe 1.0, Sn 1.0, Mn 0.3 Annealed 30 60 30 95 Forgings
"
"
 Cold-drawn 50 80 20 180
"
Naval brass (ASTM B21) Cu 60.0, Zn 39.25, Sn 0.75 Annealed 22 56 40 90 Resistance to salt corrosion
"
"
 Cold-drawn 40 65 35 150
"
Muntz metal (ASTM B111) Cu 60.0, Zn 40.0 Annealed 20 54 45 80 Condensor tubes
Aluminium bronze (ASTM B169 alloy A, B124, B150) Cu 92.0, Al 8.0 Annealed 25 70 60 80 —
"
"
 Hard 65 105 7 210
"
Beryllium copper (ASTM B194, B196, B197) Cu 97.75, Be 2.0, Co or Ni 0.25 Annealed, solution-treated 32 70 45 B60 (Rockwell) Electrical, valves, pumps
"
"
 Cold-rolled 104 110 5 B81 (Rockwell)
"
Free-cutting brass Cu 62.0, Zn 35.5, Pb 2.5 Cold-drawn 44 70 18 B80 (Rockwell) Screws, nuts, gears, keys
Nickel silver (ASTM B112) Cu 65.0, Zn 17.0, Ni 18.0 Annealed 25 58 40 70 Hardware
"
"
 Cold-rolled 70 85 4 170
"
Nickel silver (ASTM B149) Cu 76.5, Ni 12.5, Pb 9.0, Sn 2.0 Cast 18 35 15 55 Easy to machine; ornaments, plumbing
Cupronickel (ASTM B111, B171) Cu 88.35, Ni 10.0, Fe 1.25, Mn 0.4 Annealed 22 44 45 – Condensor, salt-water pipes
"
"
 Cold-drawn tube 57 60 15 –
"
Cupronickel Cu 70.0, Ni 30.0 Wrought – – – – Heat-exchange equipment, valves
Red brass (ASTM B30 4A) Cu 85.0, Zn 5.0, Pb 5.0, Sn 5.0 Cast 17 35 25 60 —
  1. ^ Lyons, William C. and Plisga, Gary J. (eds.) Standard Handbook of Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering, Elsevier, 2006
  2. ^ percent
  3. ^ 0.2% offset, 1000 lb /in²
  4. ^ 1000 lb /in²
  5. ^ in 2 inches, percent
  6. ^ Brinell scale

Brasses

Main article: brass

A brass is an alloy of copper with zinc. Brasses are usually yellow in color. The zinc content can vary between few % to about 40%; as long as it is kept under 15%, it does not markedly decrease corrosion resistance of copper.

Brasses can be sensitive to selective leaching corrosion under certain conditions, when zinc is leached from the alloy (dezincification), leaving behind a spongy copper structure.

Bronzes

Main article: bronze

A bronze is an alloy of copper and other metals, most often tin, but also aluminium and silicon.

  • Aluminium bronzes are alloys of copper and aluminium. The content of aluminium ranges mostly between 5-11%. Iron, nickel, manganese and silicon are sometimes added. They have higher strength and corrosion resistance than other bronzes, especially in marine environment, and have low reactivity to sulfur compounds. Aluminium forms a thin passivation layer on the surface of the metal.

Precious metal alloys

Copper is often alloyed with precious metals like silver and gold, to create, for example, Corinthian bronze, hepatizon, tumbaga and shakudo.

See also

External Links

References

^  Machinery's Handbook, Industrial Press Inc, New York, ISBN 0-8311-2492-X, Edition 24, page 501


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

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