PROPERTIES, SPECIFICATIONS, TYPICAL USES
Here are typical uses of the most popular copper-base alloys. This information can, in most instances, enable you to select the alloy best suited to your application.
SHEETS, ROLLS, STRIPS AND CIRCLES
Made in a variety of widths, gauges and tempers – for stamping, deep drawing, forming, spinning, spring applications. Precise control of grain structure means economy in fabrication, with excellent finish and quality.
Copper Strip – For drawing, stamping, spinning; for leaders, gutters, flashing.
Low Brass, 80% – Light golden color, very ductile. For expansion bellows, flexible hose, clock dials.
Yellow Brass – Bright yellow color. For general drawing, stamping, forming and spinning – probably most versatile of all the brasses.
Commercial Bronze, 90% – Rich bronze color. Resists season cracking and corrosion from weathering. For weather strip, costume jewelry, screw shells, primer cups; electric fixtures for outdoor use.
Cartridge Brass, 70% – For small arms, shell cases; deep drawn and spun parts; eyelet machine products.
Red Brass, 85% – Fine golden color, very ductile. For vanities, jewelry, radiator cores, fire extinguishers.
Leaded Brasses – Flat, stiff, free cutting brass for blanking clock, watch, and instrument frames, wheels, etc. Also used for engraving purposes.
Phosphor Bronzes – Excellent for spring contacts, for electronic and mechanical devices, diaphragms, instruments. Good fatigue and wear resistance.
Silicon Bronze – Fine spring properties. Supplied in strip and wire. Used for electrical and mechanical contacts.
Leaded Silicon Bronze – Strength and toughness of mild steel with the corrosion resistance of copper. Cold rolled strip has good spring properties. Hot rolled sheet used for small tanks.
Copper Nickels – Give good corrosion resistance and retain their mechanical properties at higher temperatures than any of the other copper alloys. Highly suitable for support baffles or tube sheets in evaporators and heat exchangers or mechanical parts that must operate at elevated temperatures.
Nickel Silvers – Silvery white in color, and extremely ductile, these alloys are used as base for silver plateware, costume jewelry, etc., where ductility as well as beauty is important. Higher corrosion and wear resistance makes them useful for fishing reels, marine applications, slide fasteners.
RODS, DRAWN SHAPES and BARS
Tellurium Copper – Offers excellent machinability without seriously compromising such desirable properties of pure copper as electrical and thermal conductivity and hot workability. Frequently used for soldering iron and welding tips and in current carrying electrical parts which require difficult machining operations.
Free Cutting Rod – Most versatile of many machinable alloys, high speed free cutting brass rod permits fast screw machine operation without sacrifice of quality in the finished part and with minimum tool maintenance. Fills 90% of industry’s need for machining rod.
Naval Brass Rod – Made to U.S. Government specifications. For marine construction.
Aluminum Bronze – Malleability, strength and good corrosion resistance to liquids and gases make this alloy good for bolts and screw products and components for pole line hardware.
Aluminum Silicon Bronze – Copper 91%, Silicon 2%, Aluminum 7%. Surprisingly hard and strong – yet free machining. About 9% lighter in weight than brass. Excellent for making high strength screw machine parts and forgings. Has unusually high fatigue and wear resistance. Used for supporting sleeves in airplane compression fittings, for wire and cable connectors: worms, gears, sliding parts operating against steel, pump parts, valve stems.
Copper Nickel – Excellent corrosion resistance to sea water and other liquids, highly resistant to stress corrosion cracking. Very malleable either hot or cold. Used for fasteners and many small parts.
Leaded Nickel Silver – Excellent machinability. Used in valves, valve trimmings and hardware fittings.
WIRE
Low Brass and Red Brass Wire – For jewelry findings, ornamental jewelry.
Yellow Brass Wire – Very malleable for making cold-threaded products such as special screws and difficult beads; cap machine and wood screws; rivets. Pin wire for safety pins, spring wire, welding wire.
Commercial Bronze Wire – For making screws and bolts for outdoor construction.
Silicon Bronze – Hard drawn wire is strong yet very malleable. Suitable for cold upsetting operations. Very resistant to stress corrosion cracking. For outdoor construction, pole line hardware, water meter bolts.
TUBES
Deoxidized Copper (DHP) – Can be welded, brazed and soldered. Used for hydraulic lines or to convey oil, gas, air or other liquids.
Commercial Bronze – Lends itself to outdoor uses because of good resistance to corrosion and season cracking. Very ductile, somewhat stronger than copper.
Cartridge Brass – Very ductile and suitable for severe forming. Used for plumbers’ brass goods, bathroom fixtures, electrical and automotive appliances, automotive radiators.
Low-Leaded Brass – Good for general fabrication and purposes where both cold working and machining operations are necessary. Machinability rating is 60%.
High-Leaded Brass – Not suitable for cold working, but a machinability rating of 80% permits substitution of heavy wall tubing for free cutting rod where hollow screw machine parts are being made.
Copper Nickel – C70600 – Excellent corrosion resistance to sea water. 90/10 Copper/Nickel is used in saline water conversion.
Copper Nickel – C71500 – 70/30 Copper/Nickel has the highest resistance to sea water corrosion of any condenser tube alloy and is widely used in naval vessels. For alloys, sizes, tempers or specifications not listed, contact our sales office for your specific requirements.
TEMPERS OF BRASS & COPPER METALS
Quarter Hard – Hard enough to have some resistance, but soft enough to double seam without cracking.
Half Hard – A temper suitable for punching, blanking and simple forming. Will double seam on the lighter gauges.
Hard – Too stiff to be worked beyond a right angle bend. Used mostly for flat and straight work.
Spring – Hard enough to resume position after a definite deflection. Extra Spring – As hard as brass can be rolled. Used for extraordinarily stiff spring work.
Bending Temper – A special temper used in the manufacture of tubing; just soft enough to take ordinary bends without losing its shape or denting badly, and sufficiently close grained to take a high polish.
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