Zinc alloys mechanical properties

Copper and nickel can be alloyed with zinc to form nickel silvers. Nickel silvers are ductile, easily formed and machined, have good corrosion resistance, can be worked to provide a range of mechanical properties, and have an attractive white color. These alloys are used for ornamental purposes, as sHverplated and uncoated tableware and flatware in the electrical iadustry as contacts, connections, and springs and as many formed and machined parts (see Electrical connectors). 

Solders. In spite of the wide use and development of solders for millennia, as of the mid-1990s most principal solders are lead- or tin-based alloys to which a small amount of silver, zinc, antimony, bismuth, and indium or a combination thereof are added. The principal criterion for choosing a certain solder is its melting characteristics, ie, soHdus and Hquidus temperatures and the temperature spread or pasty range between them. Other criteria are mechanical properties such as strength and creep resistance, physical properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance. 

Mechanical history, heat, and impurities gready affect the mechanical properties. Pure zinc is ductile at room temperature and does not have a definite yield point as do most stmctural metals. Rather, it creeps under sufficient constant load. The impurities of commercial zinc and alloying metals are carefully controlled to achieve the desired mechanical properties. 

This computation is also referred to as calculating the zinc equivalent of the alloy. The increase in strength in this alloy series is caused by increased amounts of beta phase in the stmcture. The silicon brasses show similar hardening effects accompanying a second phase. Typical mechanical properties and electrical conductivity for various cast alloys are shown in Table 2. 

As you can see from the tables in Chapter 1, few metals are used in their pure state -they nearly always have other elements added to them which turn them into alloys and give them better mechanical properties. The alloying elements will always dissolve in the basic metal to form solid solutions, although the solubility can vary between <0.01% and 100% depending on the combinations of elements we choose. As examples, the iron in a carbon steel can only dissolve 0.007% carbon at room temperature the copper in brass can dissolve more than 30% zinc and the copper-nickel system - the basis of the monels and the cupronickels - has complete solid solubility. 

The outstanding properties of copper-base materials are high electrical and thermal conductivity, good durabihty in mildly corrosive chemical environments and excellent ductility for forming complex shapes. As a relatively weak material, copper is often alloyed with zinc (brasses), tin (bronzes), aluminum and nickel to improve its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. 

Table 4.39 Typical Mechanical Properties of Zinc Alloys...

It must always be remembered that diffusion coatings are produced by a form of heat treatment and that, with the exception of low-temperature zinc diffusion (sherardising), the treated ferrous materials are usually in the annealed condition. Whenever the mechanical properties of the parts must be restored to their original level, a subsequent heat treatment is necessary . This does not as a rule present any difficulty with chromised or boronised steels. In order to prevent undue distortion and internal stresses during treatment and subsequent hardening, it is recommended that high-carbon and alloy steels should be processed in the normalised condition. 

The corrosion reactions may be slowed down by using zinc alloys (with lead and cadmium, also improving the mechanical properties of zinc to simplify the production process) instead of the pure metal, or by amalgamating the inner surface of the can by adding a small amount of a mercury compound to the electrolyte. 

Dentistry. Most casting alloys meet the composition and properties criteria of specification no. 5 of the American Dental Association (37) which prescribes four types of alloy systems constituted of gold—silver—copper with addition of platinum, palladium, and zinc. Composition ranges are specified, as are mechanical properties and minimum fusion temperatures. Wrought alloys for plates also may include the same constituents. Similarly, specification no. 7 prescribes nickel and two types of alloys for dental wires with the same alloy constituents (see Dental materials). 

The hexagonal close-packed (hep) metals exhibit mechanical properties intermediate between those of the fee and bcc metals. For example, zinc suffers a ductile-to-brittle transition, whereas zirconium and pure titanium do not. The latter and its alloys have an hep structure, remain reasonably ductile at low temperatures, and have been used for many applications where weight reduction and reduced heat leakage through the material have been important. However, small impurities of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon can have a detrimental effect on the low-temperature ductility properties of titanium and its alloys. 

Sensing sodium The /1-aluminas (see Section 4.5.3) can be successfully exploited as a sodium sensor. Sodium is widely used in the metallurgical industry, for example for removing arsenic and antimony from zinc and lead, for removing the same two elements and oxygen from copper, and phosphorus from iron. It is also added to aluminium-silicon alloys to control microstructure and, in consequence, mechanical properties. 

Copper itself is very soft and malleable and it is alloyed with Zn, Sn, Ni and A1 to improve the mechanical properties and to retain its corrosion resistance. Nickel addition allows handling of increased flow rates in water systems while zinc confers greater resistance to sulfide attack. The generic classification of some copper alloys is given in Table 4.25. 

Copper alloys, such as brass, bronze, admiralty, and Muntz metals, can exhibit better corrosion resistance and better mechanical properties than pure copper. In general, high-zinc alloys should not be used with acids or alkalies owing to the possibility of dezincification. Most of the low-zinc alloys are resistant to hot dilute alkalies. 

---