Brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, a solid-solid solution. Typically it is more than 50 % copper. Some types of brass are called bronzes, despite their high zinc content.

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Brass is a versatile manufacturing material because of its hardness and workability. Alpha brasses, with less than 35% zinc, are malleable, can be worked cold, and are used in pressing, forging, or similar. Alpha-beta brass is 35-45 % zinc and is suited for hot working. Beta brasses, with 45-50 % zinc content, can only be worked hot, is harder, stronger, and suitable for casting. White brass, with more than 50 % zinc, is too brittle for general use. Some types of brass have other metals added to modify their properties.

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Brass has a yellow colour, somewhat similar to gold. Because of this, and its relative resistance to tarnishing it is used as a decoration.

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The malleablity and acoustic properties of brass have made it the metal of choice for musical instruments such as the trumpet. Instruments where the sound is produced by the vibration of the musician's lips are collectively known as brass instruments.

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Brass has been known to man since prehistoric times, long before zinc itself was discovered. It was produced by melting copper together with calamine, a zinc ore. During this process, the zinc is extracted from the calamine and instantly mixes with the copper. Pure zinc, on the other hand, is too reactive to be produced by ancient metalworking techniques.

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In some English dialects brass means money. There is an expression, "where there's muck there's brass". As brass is sometimes used as an inexpensive substitute for gold, the term "brassy" has come to mean showy and tasteless.

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In the King James version of the Bible, there are different versions of brass mentioned. In 2 Chronicles, (written around 400 to 500 BC) 4vs16 speaks of a "bright brass" in the verse, "The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Hu'ram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the LORD of bright brass."

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Alloy: An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, which has a combination of at least two metals, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. An alloy with two components is called a binary alloy; one with three is a ternary alloy; one with four is a ...

Copper: Copper is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cu and atomic number 29....

Zinc: Zinc (from German Zink) is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30....

Brass related Images and Photos (experimental)

Brass Legend, The	Brass Quartet	Nelly: Brass Knuckles	Nelly: Brass Knuckles
Brass and String Quintet	Tudors Brass Chain of Office Replica	Crimson and Brass I	Crimson and Brass II
Brass Bancroft of the Secret Service Mysteries (2 DVD Set)	Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass: Whipped Cream ...	Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass: Whipped Cream ...	Brass Bell Restaurant with Tidal Pool Outside Dining Area