Copper-Base Alloys, Brass

When copper is alloyed with zinc, it is usually called brass. If it is alloyed with another

element, it is often called bronze. Sometimes the other element is specified too, as, for example, tin bronze or phosphor bronze. There are hundreds of variations in each category. 

Brass with 5 to 15 Percent Zinc The low-zinc brasses are easy to cold work, especially those with the higher zinc content. They are ductile but often hard to machine. The corrosion resistance is good. Alloys included in this group are gilding brass (5 percent Zn), commercial bronze (10 percent Zn), and red brass (15 percent Zn). Gilding brass is used mostly for jewelry and articles to be gold-plated; it has the same ductility as copper but greater strength, accompanied by poor machining characteristics. Commercial bronze is used for jewelry and for forgings and stampings, because of its ductility. Its machining properties are poor, but it has excellent cold-working properties. Red brass has good corrosion resistance as well as high-temperature strength. Because of this it is used a great deal in the form of tubing or piping to carry hot water in such applications as radiators or condensers.

Brass with 20 to 36 Percent Zinc

Included in the intermediate-zinc group are low brass (20 percent Zn), cartridge brass (30 percent Zn), and yellow brass (35 percent Zn). Since zinc is cheaper than copper, these alloys cost less than those with more copper and less zinc. They also have better machinability and slightly greater strength; this is offset, however, by poor corrosion resistance and the possibility of cracking at points of residual stresses. Low brass is very

similar to red brass and is used for articles requiring deep-drawing operations. Of the copper-zinc alloys, cartridge brass has the best combination of ductility and strength. Cartridge cases were originally manufactured entirely by cold working; the process consisted of a series of deep draws, each draw being followed by an anneal to place the material in condition for the next draw, hence the name cartridge brass. Although the hot-working ability of yellow brass is poor, it can be used in practically any other fabricating

process and is therefore employed in a large variety of products.

When small amounts of lead are added to the brasses, their machinability is greatly improved and there is some improvement in their abilities to be hot-worked. The addition of lead impairs both the cold-working and welding properties. In this group are low-leaded brass (32 1 /2 percent Zn, 1/ 2 percent Pb), high-leaded brass (34 percent Zn, 2 percent Pb), and free-cutting brass (35 1/2 percent Zn, 3 percent Pb). The  low-leaded brass is not only easy to machine but has good cold-working properties. It is used for

various screw-machine parts. High-leaded brass, sometimes called engraver’s brass, is used for instrument, lock, and watch parts. Free-cutting brass is also used for screwmachine parts and has good corrosion resistance with excellent mechanical properties. Admiralty metal (28 percent Zn) contains 1 percent tin, which imparts excellent corrosion resistance, especially to saltwater. It has good strength and ductility but only

fair machining and working characteristics. Because of its corrosion resistance it is used in power-plant and chemical equipment. Aluminum brass (22 percent Zn) contains 2 percent aluminum and is used for the same purposes as admiralty metal, because it has nearly the same properties and characteristics. In the form of tubing or piping, it is favored over admiralty metal, because it has better resistance to erosion caused by highvelocity water. 

Brass with 36 to 40 Percent Zinc

Brasses with more than 38 percent zinc are less ductile than cartridge brass and cannot be cold-worked as severely. They are frequently hot-worked and extruded. Muntz metal (40 percent Zn) is low in cost and mildly corrosion-resistant. Naval brass has the same composition as Muntz metal except for the addition of 0.75 percent tin, which contributes to the corrosion resistance.

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Mechanical Engineering

McGraw−Hill Primis

ISBN: 0−390−76487−6

Text:

Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design,

Eighth Edition

Budynas−Nisbett