alloys

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alloys

Name

Composition of metals

Common uses

Aluminium bronze

90% copper, 10% aluminium

Marine engineering

Manganese bronze

95% copper, 5% manganese

Marine engineering

Gun metal bronze

90% copper, 10% tin

‘Copper’ coins

Silicon bronze

Copper with silicon and small amounts of iron, nickel, manganese

Telegraph wires

Bell metal

Copper with 15% or more tin

Casting bells

Red brass

85% copper, 14% zinc, 1% tin

Plumbing

Yellow brass

67% copper, 33% zinc

Door handles

Nickel silver (cupronickel)

55% copper, 27% zinc, 18% nickel

‘Silver’ coins

Steel

99% iron, 1% carbon

Stainless steel

Iron with 0.1-2.0% carbon, up to 27% chromium or 20% tungsten or 15% nickel and lesser amounts of other elements

Cutlery, kettles, pans, etc

18-carat gold

75% gold, 25% gold and copper

Jewellery

Palladium (white gold)

90% gold, 10% palladium

Jewellery

Sterling silver

92.5% silver, 7.5% copper

Jewellery

US silver

90% silver, 10% copper

Jewellery

Dentist's amalgam

70% mercury, 30% copper

Filling teeth

Type metal

82% lead, 15% antimony, 3% tin

Printing

Pewter

91% tin, 7.5% antimony, 1.5% copper

Tankards

Solder

Lead, tin

Joining metals


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