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Brass facts for kids

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Brass
Brass paperweight.

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Some types of brass are called bronzes.

Brass has a golden appearance. It is harder than pure metals and resists corrosion. It costs more than zinc.

There are some common brasses:

  • Alpha brasses - with less than 40% zinc
  • Beta brasses -
  • White brasses - with more than 45% zinc

Things brass are used to make:

Properties

Brass is more malleable than bronze or zinc. The melting point of brass can be 900 to 940 °C or 1,650 to 1,720 °F, depending on what it is made of. The density of brass is 8.4 to 8.73 g/cm3 (0.303 to 0.315 lb/cu in).

Today, almost 90% of all brass alloys are recycled. Brass is not ferromagnetic. Brass scrap is collected and transported to the foundry. In the foundry, it is melted and recast into billets. The billets are heated and streched into the form and size that is wanted.

Brass will corrode when it is exposed to moisture, chlorides, acetates, ammonia, and some acids.

Brass alloys

There are many brass alloys. They include:

  • Abyssinian gold
  • Admiralty brass
  • Aich's alloy
  • Aluminum brass
  • Arsenical brass
  • Cartridge brass
  • Common brass
  • DZR brass
  • Delta metal
  • Free machining brass
  • Gilding metal
  • High brass
  • Leaded brass
  • Lead-free brass
  • Low brass
  • Manganese brass
  • Muntz metal
  • Naval brass
  • Nickel brass
  • Nordic gold
  • Orichalcum
  • Prince's metal
  • Red brass
  • Tombac
  • Silicon tombac
  • Tonval brass
  • Yellow brass

Images for kids

  • Persian astrolabe

    Brass astrolabe

  • Brass lectern in the form of an eagle attributed to Aert van Tricht the Elder, Limburg (Netherlands), c. 1500, The Cloisters

    Brass lectern with an eagle. Attributed to Aert van Tricht, Limburg (Netherlands), c. 1500

  • Microstructure of rolled and annealed brass; magnification 400X

    Microstructure of rolled and annealed brass (400× magnification)

  • 00 BMA Automation Sampling cock

    Brass sampling cock with stainless steel handle

  • Trumpets02262006

    A collection of brass instruments

  • BrassSCC1

    Cracking in brass caused by ammonia attack

  • Iranian - Ewer - Walters 54457 - Profile

    7th-century Persian ewer in brass with copper inlay

  • Renier de Huy JPG0

    Baptism of Christ on the 12th-century baptismal font at St Bartholomew's Church, Liège

  • Lion Aquamanile, 1200-1250 AD, German, Lower Saxony, Hildesheim, bronze - Cleveland Museum of Art - DSC08638

    Brass aquamanile from Lower Saxony, Germany, c. 1250

  • Arte yoruba, nigeria, testa da ife, 12-15mo secolo

    12th century "Bronze Head from Ife", actually of "heavily leaded zinc-brass"

See also

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