Why bronze is harder than pure copper

This explains why an alloy often has more uses than the pure elements it is made from. Pure iron, for example, is very soft. Adding a small amount of tungsten to iron makes tool steel, which is harder than pure iron.

Steels are examples of alloys. There are many types of steel. In the solid state, a pure metal has a giant metallic structure. The atoms are arranged in layers. When a force is applied, the layers may slide over each other. The greater the force needed, the harder and stronger the metal.

What Is Brass? Some of the common types of brass available include: Red brass Yellow brass brass brass brass Properties of Brass Compared to bronze, brass is more malleable, making it ideal for applications that require a high level of formability. Musical instruments. Its workability and durability make it a highly suitable source material for musical instruments e. The high corrosion resistance demonstrated by brass makes it suitable for plumbing applications.

Similar to bronze, brass is used in electronic applications, due to its excellent electrical conductivity. The Differences Between Bronze and Brass The differences in material compositions between bronze and brass result in varying characteristics that make them suitable for different use cases.

Request a Quote Contact Us. It is commonly used in the manufacturing of pump and valve components. This is an alloy that contains copper, nickel and zinc. The nickel gives the material an almost silver appearance. This material has moderate strength and fairly good corrosion resistance. This material is typically used to make musical instruments, food and beverage equipment, optical equipment, and other items where the aesthetics are an important factor.

This material has a very high corrosion-resistance and has thermal stability. This material also exhibits a very high tolerance to corrosion cracking under stress and oxidation in a steam or moist air environment. Higher nickel content in this material will have improved corrosion resistance in seawater, and resistance to marine biological fouling. This material is typically used in making electronic products, marine equipment, valves, pumps and ship hulls.

You can check out our video below to find out the difference between copper, brass and bronze:. While it can vary depending on which grades you are comparing, typically copper is the most expensive of the three red metals. While all three contain copper, the percentage is far lower in Brass and Bronze than in pure copper as alloying elements are mixed in. This reduces the cost of brass and bronze. Bronze is usually more expensive than brass, partly due to the processes required to manufacture bronze.

We are metal experts and have been providing quality customer service and products since At Metal Supermarkets, we supply a wide range of metals for a variety of applications. Our stock includes: mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, tool steel, alloy steel, brass, bronze and copper. We stock a wide range of shapes including: bars, tubes, sheets, plates and more. Today, stronger metals like steel and tungsten abound, but bronze still finds wide use because of several other helpful characteristics:.

There are almost as many types of bronze as their are uses of bronze. Even within a given type, formulations vary, as do the specific properties.

Some of the common ones are:. Phosphor Bronze aka Tin Bronze : Copper with tin 0. Phosphor bronze has increased resistance to wear and improved stiffness, making it particularly useful for springs and washers. Aluminum Bronze Copper with aluminum 6 percent to 12 percent , iron 6 percent maximum and nickel 6 percent maximum.

Copper Nickel aka Cupronickel Copper with nickel 2 percent to 30 percent. Notable for its thermal stability, copper nickel improves on the melting point of bronze and can endure high heat without softening. This makes it particularly good for making electrical resistors and heating wires.