History of Copper

Copper is one of the oldest metals of

mankind. Its history traces back over

10,000 years.
It was mined mainly in Cyprus in the
Mediterranean in the Ancient times.
The Bronze age was named after the well
known copper alloy.
Copper was the first metal to be mined
and crafted by man. It was used for tools,
weapons, art objects and ornaments.

Properties of Copper
Copper is a reddish coloured metallic

metal.
It is the only other metal apart from gold
that has a distinctive natural colour.
It has a high electrical and thermal
conductivity. The only pure metal to
have higher electrical conductivity is
silver.
Its atomic number is 29.

Properties of COPPER

Non ferrous metal

Good formability
Softness
Attractive and good colour
Cold working characteristics
Special electrical properties
Magnetic properties
Low coefficient of friction
Atmospheric corrosion resistance
Low density

APPLICATION OF COPPER
For making electrical parts,
Heat exchangers,
Screw maching products,
For making various copper alloys,

such as brass and bronze,

For household utensils, etc

COPPER ALLOYS
(a)High conductivity copper (electrolytic)
99.9%copper
0.40% oxygen ,lead and iron less than 0.005% .
silver 0.002%and Bi less than 0.001%.
Electrolyte copper is used for electrical purpose.
(b) Deoxidised copper
99.85% copper,
less than 0.05% As,0.003% iron, and 0.003%
Bi.
Other elements may be of the order of
0.005% P,
0.01% lesd,0.10% Ni,0.003%and
0.005% Ag and Sb respectively

(c) Arsenical deoxidised copper

0.4% As, 0.04% P and remaining copper .
It is used for welded vessels and tanks
(d) Arsenical touch pitch copper
0.4% As,0.065% oxygen,0.02% Pb,0.15% Ni,
0.006% Ag,0.01% Sb and less than 0.005% Bi
,less than 0.020% Fe and remaining copper.
(e) Oxygen free copper
0.005% Pb, 0.001% Ni, 00.001% Ag and less
than 0.0005% and 0.001% Fe and Bi
respectively.
It is melted and cast in non oxidising
atmosphere.

BRASS
Brasses contain zinc as the principle alloying

element. brasses are sub divided in to three

groups;
Cu-Zn alloys
Cu-Pb-Zn alloys or leaded brasses
Cu-Zn-Sn alloys or tin brasses
Brasses are high resistance to
corrosion and it is easily machinable. It also
act as good bearing material. Zinc in the
brass increases the ductility along with
strength. Brass prossesses greater strength
than copper , however it has a lower thermal
and electrical conductivity..

TYPES OF BRASSS
(1) Giliding metal

5% to Zn (balance copper) and posses shades of

colour from the red of a brassy yellow. Gliding metal is
used for making coins, medals, tokens, fuse caps etc
(2) cartridge brass
70% Copper and 30% zinc. In the fully annealed
condition it has strength of over 300N/mm 2. caps of
electric lamp bulbs, door furniture etc. This brass,
harden when deformed in the cold An annealing
temperature of about 600 0C is satisfactory in the most
cases.
(3) Admiralty brass
Cu 71%, Zn 28% and Sn 1%. used for the tubes and
other parts of condenser cooled by fresh water and for
many other purpose.

(4) Aluminium brass

76% Cu, 22% Zn and 2% Al, a little arsenic is
added to inhibit dezincification.
(5)Basis brass
61.5-64%, the remainder being zinc.Used for
press work where a relatively cheap material is
required and the main commercial forms are
sheet, strips and wire.
(6)Muntz metal or yellow metal
60% of copper and 40% of zinc and is
essentially a hot working material.
ship sheathing, perforated metal, valve stems,
condenser tubes, architecture works etc

BRONZE
An alloy of copper and elements other

than nickel or zinc.bronze is baisicaly an

alloy of copper and tin.
It possesses superior mechanical
properties and corrosion resistance than
brass.
it is comparatively hard and it resist
surface wear.
It can be rolled in to wire, rod, and sheets

TYPES OF BRONZE
(1) Phosphor bronze

The most important coppertin alloys are those which have been deoxidized
with phosphorus during the refining process and
hence are known as phosphor bronze. A phosphor

(2)Aluminium bronze
89% Cu, 7% Al, and 3.5% Sn. It possess the
following properties, good strength, high corrosion
resistance, good heat resistance, good cold
working properties etc
(3)Silicon bronze
1-4% si,0.5-1.0% iron, 0.25-1.25% Mn, and balance
amount of copper. When lead added as 0.05%
improves machinability. It possess high strength
and toughness as that of mild steel and corrosion
resistance as that of copper.,

GUN METAL
Gun metal is an alloy of copper, tin

and zinc. Zinc cleans the metal and

increase its fluidity. A small amount
of lead may be added to improve
castability and machinability.

TYPES OF GUN METAL

(a)Admirality gun metal
% of Sn,2% Zn,1.5% Pb,1.5% Ni, and balance Cu.
It has tensile strength of 260-340 N/mm2.
It is widely used for pumps, valves and miscellaneous
castings and is also used for statuary.
(b)Nickel gun metal
7% Sn, 2.25% Zn, 0.3% Pb, 5.5% Ni and balance copper.
When sand cast and heat treated it has a tensile strength
of 430-480 N/mm2.
(c)Leaded gun metal
5% Sn, 5% Zn, 5% Pb, 2.0% Ni.
When sand cast it has a tensile strength of 200-270
n/mm2.
Gun metal is used for bearings, steam pipe fittings,
hydraulic valve and gears, marine casting.

Copper Nickel Alloy

Cu and Ni are both FCC and can form

solid solution throughout

Ni are added to Cu to form solid
solution alloys called cupronickel
Ni addition improves strength,
oxidation & corrosion resistant
Applications:
Condenser tubes, heat exchanger,
chemical process equipment etc

THANKS