Brass is an alloy of copper with zinc, in proportions that can be varied to change its color, strength and workability. More corrosion-resistant than steel, and easier to cast and machine than bronze, it has long been used for decorative fittings and musical instruments, and for components such as cartridge cases and plumbing fixtures that must resist corrosion while being easy to form to precise tolerances.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearCalamine brass, made by cementing copper with zinc ore, is attested in the Aegean and the Near East from around the mid-first millennium BCE; Roman brass, orichalcum, was in widespread use by around the first century BCE. Primary UseMusical instruments, plumbing fittings, ammunition cartridge cases and decorative hardware, valued for corrosion resistance, machinability and acoustic properties. 1 Classification
Material Class Connections
Associated With
Bronze, Materials Bronze and brass are the two principal copper alloys
Casting, Methods Brass fittings and instruments are commonly shaped by casting.
Brass is a copper alloy, copper being its base metal
In Field
Sources
1. A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954material-class sentenceQuote, material-class sentence
Brass is an alloy of copper with zinc, in proportions that can be varied to change its color, strength and workability.
Brass (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia: Brass, lead section, second paragraphQuote, Wikipedia: Brass, lead section, second paragraph
Brass is similar to bronze, a copper alloy that contains tin instead of zinc.
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