Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

gunmetal

 
Dictionary: gun·met·al   (gŭn'mĕt'l) pronunciation
 
n.
  1. An alloy of copper with 10 percent tin.
  2. Metal used for guns.
  3. A dark gray.
gunmetal gun'met'al adj.
Search unanswered questions...
Enter a word or phrase...
All Community Q&A Reference topics
 
Columbia Encyclopedia: gunmetal
Top
gunmetal, a bronze, an alloy of copper, tin, and a small amount of zinc. Although originally used extensively for making guns (from which it received its name), it has been superseded by steel, and it is now chiefly employed in casting machine parts. The so-called 88–10–2 (copper-tin-zinc) alloy is the “government bronze,” composed of 88% copper, 10% tin, and 2% zinc. The percentages of the three elements are varied slightly in gunmetals produced for different purposes. The metal commonly called gunmetal today is very often steel treated to simulate the bronze alloy. In other cases, copper and tin are used alone; in still others, copper, tin, and lead are used.


 
WordNet: gunmetal
Top
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a type of bronze used for parts subject to wear or corrosion (especially corrosion by sea water)


 
Wikipedia: Gunmetal
Top

Gunmetal is a type of bronze – an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc.[1] Originally used chiefly for making guns, gunmetal was superseded by steel. It is called red brass in America.[2] Gunmetal is resistant to corrosion from steam and salt water, and is thus suitable for valves, pump parts and steam fittings.[3]

Gunmetals produced for different purposes vary slightly in composition. In some cases, the alloy may be composed only from copper and tin, or from copper, tin, and lead. It has many uses in industry, and is used for statues and various small objects, e.g. buttons. U.S. Government bronze specification G is a gunmetal composed of 88% copper, 10% tin, and 2% zinc. U.S. Government bronze specification H is composed of 83% copper, 14% tin, 3% zinc, and 0.8% phosphorus.[citation needed]

Gunmetal can also mean steel treated to simulate gunmetal bronze.[1] Brushes made of this metal are used in machinery.

Other uses

The British Victoria Cross, the highest award for military valour, is traditionally known to be made using gunmetal from a cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. However, recent research has expressed some doubts over this theory, as it shows the source of early Victoria Crosses to be from Chinese cannons.

References

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gunmetal" Read more