List of copper alloys

Metal alloy with copper as its principal component / From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia

Copper alloys are metal alloys that have copper as their principal
component. They have high resistance against corrosion. The best
known traditional types are bronze, where tin is a significant
addition, and brass, using zinc instead. Both of these are imprecise
terms, having both been commonly referred to as lattens in the
past. Today the term copper alloy tends to be substituted, especially
by museums.[1]
Example of a copper alloy object: a Neo-Sumerian "Foundation Nail" of Gudea, circa
2100 BC, made in the lost-wax cast method, overall: 17.5 x 4.5 x 7.3 cm, probably
from modern-day Iraq, now in the Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)

Composition
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 used in modern industry, along with the name
for each type. Historical types, such as those that characterize the
Bronze Age, are vaguer as the mixtures were generally variable.

Table info: Family, Principal alloying element, UNS numbe... ▼

Binary Cu Si phase diagram, the base phase diagram for silicon bronzes

Binary Cu Al phase diagram, the base phase diagram for aluminium bronzes,
generated using NIMS Open databases https://cpddb.nims.go.jp/cpddb/al-
elem/alcu/alcu.htm - DOI https://doi.org/10.48505/nims.3060 and Computherm
Pandat https://computherm.com/

Binary Cu Sn phase diagram, the base phase diagram for bronzes, generated using
NIMS Open databases https://cpddb.nims.go.jp/cpddb/cu-elem/cusn/cusn.htm - DOI
https://doi.org/10.48505/nims.3060
and Computherm Pandat
https://computherm.com/

Binary Cu Zn phase diagram, the base phase diagram for brasses, generated using
NIMS Open database https://cpddb.nims.go.jp/cpddb/cu-elem/cu_index.htm  Cu-Zn -
DOI https://doi.org/10.48505/nims.3060 and Computherm Pandat
https://computherm.com/

Table info: Name, Nominal composition (percentages), Form... ▼

Table info: Family, CDA, Tensile strength [ksi], Yield st... ▼

 Table info: Family, CDA, ASTM, SAE, SAE superseded... ▼

The following table outlines the chemical composition of various

grades of copper alloys.

Table info: Family, CDA, AMS, UNS, Cu [%]... ▼

Brasses
Main article: Brass

A brass is an alloy of copper with zinc. Brasses are usually yellow in

colour. 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.

Nordic Gold

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% and 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
sulphur compounds. Aluminium forms a thin passivation layer on
the surface of the metal.

Bell metal
 Phosphor bronze

Nickel bronzes, e.g. nickel silver and cupronickel

Speculum metal

UNS C69100

Precious metal alloys

Copper is often alloyed with precious metals like gold (Au) and
silver (Ag).

Table info: Name, Cu [%], Au [%], Ag [%], Other [%]... ▼

† amount unspecified

See also

References

External links

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