Pure copper, also known as purple copper, is usually made by electrolysis, also known as electrolytic copper, pure copper has good plasticity, electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance.
Copper alloy refers to pure copper as a substrate by adding one or several other elements of the alloy, copper alloy is generally divided into brass (copper - zinc alloy), bronze, copper (copper - nickel alloy) three categories.
1) brass (copper - zinc alloy), to brass as the base metal to add zinc alloy, called brass, brass in the copper mass fraction is generally 62-68%, its conductivity is worse than pure copper, but the strength, plasticity, abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance than pure copper, can be used for the manufacture of pressure-resistant equipment, rods, bars, etc., the use of brass manufacturing seamless copper tubes are suitable for thermal power generation, naval ships, offshore oil, machinery, chemical and other industrial sectors to manufacture exchangers. The seamless copper pipes made of brass are suitable for thermal power generation, naval vessels, offshore petroleum, machinery, chemical industry and other industrial sectors to manufacture exchangers, condensers, and low-temperature pipelines and submarine transportation pipelines.
(2) bronze, copper as a substrate, add elements other than nickel and zinc alloy, called bronze, according to the main additive elements not copper can be divided into: tin bronze, aluminum bronze, chromium bronze, manganese bronze, silicon bronze.
Silicon bronze, nickel content is greater than the content of silicon, but should not be greater than 5%.
Tin bronze has good casting, mechanical, corrosion resistance, wear reduction, anti-magnetic and low temperature toughness. It is mainly used in the manufacture of elastic components, wear-resistant parts, anti-magnetic and corrosion-resistant parts, such as springs, bearings, gears, turbines and so on.
Aluminum bronze strength, hardness, wear resistance, heat resistance, corrosion resistance are higher than brass and tin bronze, mainly used in the manufacture of gears, bearings, turbines, propellers and so on.
(3) copper (copper-nickel alloy), copper as a substrate, mainly composed of copper and nickel, called copper, copper can also contain other alloying elements, but also does not contain, containing other alloying elements to become a complex copper, can also be based on the second alloying elements named, such as: iron bronze, manganese bronze, aluminum bronze, zinc bronze, and so on.
Copper alloy is divided into: structural copper alloy and electrical copper alloy (manganese copper alloy), structural copper alloy has good mechanical properties, good corrosion resistance, and is used for high-temperature and strong corrosive media in the working parts; electrical copper alloy has good thermal and electrical properties, and is mainly used for resistance components, thermocouples and other precision electrical measuring instrument parts.
