Nov 20 2012
Topics Covered
Introduction
Chemical composition
Applications
Introduction
Master alloys are semi-finished products or base metals that contain 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. These 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. They are also used to obtain 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. These alloys are used in the brass and copper industry.
The following datasheet provides an overview of copper-nickel master alloy.
Chemical composition
The chemical composition of copper-nickel master alloy is outlined in the following table.
|
Element |
Content (%) |
|
Copper, Cu |
Various Compositions |
|
Nickel, Ni |
|
Iron, Fe |
0.80 max |
|
Zinc, Zn |
0.10 max |
|
Aluminum, Al |
0.05 max |
|
Tin, Sn |
0.05 max |
|
Silicon, Si |
0.03 max |
|
Lead, Pb |
0.03 max |
|
Phosphorus, P |
0.02 max |
|
Carbon, C |
0.02 max |
|
Sulfur, S |
0.01 max |
|
Others |
0.50 max |
Applications
Copper-nickel master alloy is used for alloying nickel into aluminum bronzes and for precipitation hardening of low alloyed copper.