Copper alloys Totally Explained

Everything about Copper Alloys totally explained

Copper alloys are alloys with copper as their principal 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.

Family	rincipal alloying element	NS 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

Name	Nominal composition	Form and condition	Yield strength	Tensile strength	Elongation	Hardness	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	—

Brasses

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's kept under 15%, it doesn't 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

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.

Phosphor bronze

Nickel bronzes, for example nickel silver and cupronickel

Precious metal alloys

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

Further Information

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