Brass has higher malleability than copper or zinc.

Brass has higher malleability than copper or zinc. The relatively low melting point of brass (900 to 940°C, depending on composition) and its flow characteristics make it a relatively easy material to cast. By varying the proportions of copper and zinc, the properties of the brass can be changed, allowing hard and soft brasses.

Today almost 90% of all brass alloys are recycled. Because most brass is nonmagnetic, it can be separated from ferrous scrap by passing the scrap near a powerful magnet. Brass scrap is collected and transported to the foundry where it is melted and recast into billets. Billets are heated and extruded into the desired form and size.

Brass - Chemistry Definition

Brass is An alloy of copper and zinc.

Brass Offers Good Corrosion Resistance from Water and Heat

Brass Offers Good Corrosion Resistance From Water and Heat and Resists Attack From Salt Water and Acids, Minerals and Peaty Soils Contained in Water. Relative Softness of Metal Provides for a Tight Seal and Ease of Installation. Brass Offers Many of the Same Advantages of Copper, With a Heavier Wall.

HARDNESS OF BRASS

While Brinell Hardness is not a common­ly required property of brass and bronze casting alloys, it is ap­parent that in materials witll such a range of tensile strength there will be considerable hardness variation. roo.
The nighest hardness values found are in some of the alu­minum bronzes; up to 350 BHN or higher. Other commonly used copper alloys offer bardne$s values from 50 BHN to 250 BHN.

DUCTILITY

With their excellent tensile properties, copper alloys offer the engineer and designer a wide range of ductility. It is possible, for example, to have silicon bronze with as much as 75 percent elongation; or an aluminum bronze with as little as 2 or 3 percent.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BRASS AND BRONZE

A wide range of tensile properties is avail­able in brass and bronze casting alloys . . . from the low of 25,000 psi for nearly pure copper to as high as 120,000 psi in high-tensile manganese bronze without heat treatment. With this range of strength properties, these alloys all offer inherent corrosion resistance, greatly broadening their engineering use­fulness.

MACHINABILITY

Another of the valuable properties of brass and bronze casting alloys is their exceIlent machinability.
Lead is present in many copper casting alloys. usually as fine(y divided particles which serve to break up chips when the metal is machined. Most of the leaded brasses and bronzes are thus considered "free-machining."
Because of their. good machinability. these leaded aDoys lend themselves well to modern high-speed productton methods. Millions of copper alloy castings are machined each year OD turrec lathes, automatic screw machines and other mgh-speed production devices. In many cases the ability to machine at high speed is the chief factor in the. selection of a copper alloy for a particular application.
Even the high-strength copper alloys that do not contain lead usually have much better than avemge machining properties.