An Exposition On The Alloys Of Bronze

The discovery of bronze go way back in history as far back as the 4^th millennium BC; its most common use then was in sculpture – that explains the dull-gold color of most artefacts in the ancient times. Also it was used in the production of coins. It  is traditionally an alloy that is composed of copper and tin. Though recently, there have been other alloys of bronze that are sprouting out with different chemical compositions. Its other compositions could be manganese, aluminum, nickel, phosphorus, silicon, arsenic or zinc. Bronze have been favored for use for the following reasons:

•         They exhibit low friction against metals
•         They are brittle
•         Though when exposed to air they oxidize, they don’t get easily corroded
•         They are ductile

Asides the production of artefacts and coins which we have initially established, it is also used in the production of electrical materials – since  as a high conductivity – and also used in produced the body or framework of ships; that explains why ships are strong and resistant to extreme conditions.

In this article, we will further discuss the variations of bronze there is. They are:

(1) Phosphor Bronze

They are also called Tin Bronze. The tin concentration of this alloy ranges from 0.5% - 1% and the phosphorus concentration ranges from 0.01% - 0.35%. Their distinct qualities include: strength, toughness, low friction, high resistance and smoothness. The higher the concentration of tin in the alloy, the higher the propensity of the metal being resistant to corrosion while the higher the phosphorus concentration, the less likely the metal is to wear and tear. Like discussed above, it is used for the production of electrical materials, washers, bellows etc.

(2) Aluminum Bronze

This is a variation of bronze that has an aluminum concentration that ranges from 6% - 12%, an iron concentration of maximum of 6% and a nickel concentration of maximum of 6%. The aforementioned chemical properties play a part in increasing the strength of the metal and resistance to corrosion. This variation is the type that is used for manufacturing nautical hardware, pumps and valves.

(3) Silicon Bronze

This type of bronze is an alloy of 20% zinc and 6% silicon. They are classified into red silicon brass and red silicon  bronze. The red brass have a higher concentration of zinc compared to red bronze. Both are very similar in strength and corrosive resistant capability.

(4) Nickel Bronze

This type of bronze contains copper, nickel and zinc. The nickel present in it gives it the glitter of silver. Compared to the others, it has moderate strength and corrosion resistance. It is used for the production of optical equipment, musical instruments and other items where beauty is highly considered.

(5) Copper Nickel

This alloy contain basically 2% to 30% nickel. The metal is thermally stable and highly resistant to corrosion. Because of its high resistance to corrosion, it used to produce materials that are most likely to have contact with water.

So there goes. Visit our website  for more information https://diversifiedbronze.com/why-bronze/