Dec 14 2012
Topics Covered
Introduction
Chemical composition
Applications
Introduction
Master alloys are known as semi-finished products or base metals that include copper, nickel or aluminum combined with a higher percentage of one or two of other elements. These alloys are available in different shapes such as waffle plate, rod in coils, and ingot. Master alloys are also referred to as grain refiners, modifiers or hardeners based on their usage.
Master alloys are used to determine a metal’s microstructure during solidification and casting to change its properties that include electrical conductivity, surface appearance, ductility, mechanical strength or castability. Master alloys also enable obtaining a particular chemical specification by changing the liquid metal’s composition.
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.
The following datasheet provides an overview of copper-silicon master alloy.
Chemical composition
The chemical composition of copper-silicon master alloy is outlined in the following table.
|
Element |
Content (%) |
|
Copper, Cu |
89-91 |
|
Silicon, Si |
9-11 |
|
Iron, Fe |
0.15 max |
|
Manganese, Mn |
0.10 max |
|
Nickel, Ni |
0.10 max |
|
Zinc, Zn |
0.10 max |
|
Lead, Pb |
0.05 max |
|
Tin, Sn |
0.05 max |
|
Aluminum, Al |
0.03 max |
|
Arsenic, As |
0.01 max |
|
Antimony, Sb |
0.01 max |
|
Bismuth, Bi |
0.005 max |
|
Tellurium, Te |
0.005 max |
|
Others |
0.80 max |
Applications
Copper-silicon master alloy is used for precipitation hardening of low alloyed copper and improving the castability of brass and copper-nickel alloys.