Bronze is a copper-based metal alloy. At the same time, various metals and other components can be used as an additive to this metal in the smelting of bronze.
Bronze composition
Bronze is the generalized name for a group of metal alloys, the general characteristic of which is the use of copper as the basis for their manufacture. In all bronze alloys, copper plays the main role, since its share in the finished material is usually at least 70%. However, due to the addition of additives, bronze acquires additional properties, for example, it becomes not as soft as pure copper. At the same time, tin was originally used as additives, that is, additional components of the bronze alloy, which, however, to this day remains the most frequently used element in this capacity.
Such widespread use of tin bronze was a consequence of the fact that this type of alloy is characterized by high hardness and strength, but at the same time it is relatively low-melting: its melting point is from 940 to 1140 ° C. In addition, an additional property of tin bronze, which turned out to be extremely attractive for the metallurgical industry, turned out to be a low degree of its shrinkage achieved during melting: it is only about 1%, which is significantly lower in comparison with bronze made with the use of other additives.
The classic tin bronze recipe is the so-called bell bronze, which, as the name suggests, was also used to make bells. It is 80% pure copper and another 20% tin. However, in the indicated proportions, slight fluctuations are permissible, the value of which should not exceed 3%.
However, in addition to tin, other metals are currently used as additives to copper in the production of bronze. So, there are bronze alloys in which aluminum, iron, nickel, silicon and other metals are used for alloying. In this case, however, it should be borne in mind that the copper-zinc alloy does not belong to the category of bronze alloys: there is a special name for it - brass.
Application of bronze
One of the first spheres in which bronze became extremely widespread was the manufacture of weapons: initially it was used, among other things, for the manufacture of piercing and cutting weapons, but then its field of application shifted towards firearms: for example, until the 19th century, it served as the main material for the production of guns.
Subsequently, the area of use of bronze became mainly the cultural sphere. Thus, tin bronze was widely used for the manufacture of bells and other musical instruments. In addition, jewelry, decorative interior elements and similar products were made from it. Today, bronze is used mainly in mechanical engineering, where it serves as a material for the manufacture of parts that experience increased stress during operation.
