Nov 19 2012
Topics Covered
Introduction
Chemical Composition
Applications
Introduction
Master alloys are semi-finished products that are available in different shapes such as waffle plate, rod in coils, and ingot. Master alloys are base metals that include copper, nickel or aluminum combined with a higher percentage of one or two of other elements.
Master alloys enable obtaining specific chemical specification by changing the liquid metal’s composition and determining a metal’s microstructure during solidification and casting.
Copper-based master alloys have better dissolving capacity in comparison with pure metals. Copper-zirconium, copper-iron, copper-boron and copper-manganese also make up the list of copper-based master alloys. These alloys are used in the brass and copper industry.
The following datasheet provides an overview of copper-bismuth master alloys.
Chemical Composition
The chemical composition of copper-bismuth master alloys is outlined in the following table.
|
Element |
Content (%) |
|
Copper, Cu |
74-75 |
|
Bismuth, Bi |
24-26 |
|
Iron, Fe |
0.20 max |
|
Nickel, Ni |
0.10 max |
|
Tin, Sn |
0.10 max |
|
Zinc, Zn |
0.10 max |
|
Aluminum, Al |
0.05 max |
|
Arsenic, As |
0.05 max |
|
Phosphorus, P |
0.05 max |
|
Silicon, Si |
0.05 max |
|
Lead, Pb |
0.05 max |
|
Antimony, Sb |
0.05 max |
|
Tellurium, Te |
0.05 max |
|
Others |
0.75 max |
Applications
Copper-bismuth master alloys are used for chip breakers and for improving the machinability of brass and copper.