As you probably learned in your high school chemical class, alloys are materials made from combining two different metallic substances. One of the most common ones used today is brass, which is produced from melting copper together with zinc. By doing so, you create an entirely new metal that is prized for its machinability–that is, it can be formed into many different shapes without compromising its strength.
This very quality is the reason why it has found a wide range of used in everyday life, from the plumbing under your floors, to the trumpet your high schooler is learning to master. Of course, brass’s versatility also has a lot to do with its exact metal composition. In other words, brass is not just a singular type of alloy. There are many variants to it, depending on the amount of zinc and other metals it contains. Below are just a few examples and their common uses:
High brass, as the name suggests, contains a high amount of zinc–35% to be exact. This combination gives it high tensile strength, making it ideal for manufacturing rivets, screws, and springs.
This variant has a rather long ingredient list, namely 60.66% copper, 36.58% zinc, 1.02% tin, and 1.74% iron. The additional components, however, lend this brass variant additional hardness and corrosion resistance, which is why it is often used in marine applications.
Did you know that brass is also used for ammunition casing? C260, otherwise known as cartridge brass, is composed of 30% zinc brass, which lends it good cold working properties, meaning you don’t apply heat to achieve a desired shape or form. It’s also commonly used in auto manufacturing and in making plumbing goods.
And these three are just a small sampling of the brass variants available. Indeed, there’s an entire family of brass types that are each suitable for different purposes. If you want to know more about them, be sure to contact a trusted brass supplier.