Bronze is one of the most commonly used metals in the world since the earliest age of humankind. The alloy has had a prominent impact on human history, including its widespread use during Bronze Age of 2,000 B.C. Some scientists, however, hypothesize that bronze may have been used as early as 6,000 B.C. Today, bronze is still used to manufacture a wide range of everyday items such as hammers, sculptures, musical instruments (saxophones and cymbals), and even our coins (pennies).

The Desirable Characteristics of Bronze

Bronze eventually lost its appeal as societies advanced and discovered other types of metal to use for their tools and weapons. Despite this, the use of bronze has endured the test of time and is still widely used in many different applications today. This is mostly because bronze alloys have several characteristics that make it so useful in various applications.

What are the properties of bronze that alloy manufacturers and metal workers love?

1. Bronze is Highly Ductile

Ductility refers to a material’s ability to be hammered and molded into a variety of different shapes and sizes without breaking apart. This property is one of the top reasons why alloy manufacturers love making bronze. This allows manufacturers to easily form bronze into channels, sheets, angles, and more, allowing metal workers to choose the right type for their needs. 

2. Bronze is Incredibly Durable

Bronze is naturally resistant to corrosion, which is why it is often used to manufacture items that are exposed to the elements often. Bronze’s natural corrosion resistance is due to a chemical process called oxidation. When bronze is exposed to the oxygen in the air, a chemical reaction occurs, changing the surface into a layer of copper carbonate. This is highly desirable because copper carbonate serves as a robust layer that protects the bronze underneath from further corrosion.

3. Bronze Exhibits Lower Amounts of Friction

A relatively unique property of bronze is that it produces a lower amount of friction when it comes into contact with other types of metal. Why is this important? Friction is one of the main reasons why items succumb to wear and tear over time. Even materials as durable as metal will also succumb to this. Thanks to bronze’s lower amounts of friction generated, however, items made of bronze are less susceptible to wear and tear, which means these items will break down at a much slower pace. This is often the reason why bronze is a common choice to manufacture parts that are designed to move like gears, springs, and other similar components for machinery.

4. Bronze Does Not Create Sparks When Struck

When it comes to blacksmithing, most people will imagine a burly man striking heated metal with a large hammer and sparks flying everywhere with each strike. This common perception, however, only really applies to certain types of metal like iron. It does not apply to bronze. This particular property is incredibly useful for metal workers whose jobs require them to work near highly flammable or combustible materials, creating a safer working environment. A great example of this would be those who manufacture fireworks.

5. Bronze Tends to Expand When Cooling from Liquid to Solid

A majority of bronze alloys exhibit an unusual tendency to expand as it cools from its liquid state up to just before it turns into a solid. As it reaches its solid state, bronze will shrink slightly. This unusual property is great for one certain application: using molds and casting. Pouring liquid bronze into a cast will allow the bronze to expand and fill in any and all gaps in the mold as it cools. This helps the metal form a more detailed end product. Once the bronze enters its solid state, it shrinks slightly, making it easier to free the metal from the mold in one piece. Given this, it’s no surprise that sculptors love working with bronze alloys.

How Bronze is Made

Bronze is an alloy, which means it is made by melting and combining two or more different metals. In its simplest form, bronze is typically made of 88 percent copper and 12 percent tin. However, metal workers who are looking to increase or decrease certain properties of bronze may opt to include other agents such as manganese, aluminum, nickel, and more. Depending on the copper to tin ratio and the agents used, the properties of bronze made may differ. Some types of alloys will be more malleable than their counterparts, while some bronze alloys will display increased resistance to corrosion. It all really depends on how the metal worker plans to use bronze in the final product that will dictate the ratio of the metals found in bronze alloys.

The combination of metals used to manufacture bronze are vast in number. As a result, there are many different types of bronze alloys available on the market. Some of the more common types of bronze include:

Aluminum Bronze is made by combining varying amounts (often 6 to 12 percent) of aluminum to the copper-tin mixture. Adding aluminum to the mixture further enhances bronze’s natural strength and resistance to corrosion.

Phosphor Bronze is a bronze alloy that contains trace amounts of phosphorous. This creates an alloy that exhibits high fatigue resistance and lower friction coefficients. This is why it’s often used to make electrical components and moving components like springs.

Silicon Bronze is manufactured by introducing both silicon and zinc into your typical bronze mixture. This alloy is prized for its ability to continue its resistance to corrosion and wear and tear, even in incredibly hot and incredibly cold settings.

Always Source Your Bronze from a Trusted Supplier!

If you are on the market for bronze alloys for your next project, make sure you source your bronze from trusted suppliers like Rotax Metals. Not only will respected nationwide suppliers carry more types of bronze alloys for you to choose from, but they will also carry bronze alloys of a higher quality.

Metals have been used in construction for centuries, but it’s only in the recent decade where structures made mostly of metals have started emerging. It’s almost as if for the longest time some sort of stigma was attached to the use of metal that many builders where skeptical of its performance. There are a number of reasons for this kind of perception.

1. Metals have low compressive strength, just as concrete have low tensile strength. If you put too much weight on them, they would buckle or fold. That’s why metals and concrete usually go together to form what is known as “reinforced concrete”. Either material cannot subsist both static and dynamic forces at work in any kind of structure.
2. Metals are known to corrode when exposed to the elements. Like superman, they have their own kryptonite. We’ve learned from school that although metals exhibit unbelievable strength, there’s very little that can be done to prevent them from corroding. Even more annoying is the fact that the most abundant types of metals are commonly the most susceptible to such process of deterioration.
3. Metals have high thermal conductivity or low thermal capacity. They heat up faster than stone, concrete, ceramic, and other types of main construction materials. And heat conduction is probably the least of a builder’s worries when it comes to metal-based construction. The fact that metals have been constantly depicted as a material that melts like butter when exposed to high temperatures makes them a lesser favorite.

For centuries, we’ve embraced this perception of metals that the idea of building houses, commercial establishments, and even horizontal structures using only metals had never crossed our minds until the late 90s. It’s understandable though as this perception is based on scientific evidence and not merely a presumption, which is why there’s some truth in it.

As technology advances, so do ways to further improve the strength, corrosion resistance, and thermal capacity of metals. There are many properties of metals that we are only beginning to understand. With more methods to explore them, it’s only a matter of time before we can produce metals that can stand alone against the destructive forces involved in construction.

Commonly Used Household Metals

Nonetheless, metals are still an important element in construction. They play a vital role not just in fortifying structures but also in aesthetics. Whether or not they are the main materials used, a structure wouldn’t be complete without them being used as either support within columns and beams or trims and coverings on surfaces. Here are some components and accessories in a building that ought to be metal.

• Framing Elements

  – Include columns and rafters (called primary framing) and girts, purlins, and eave struts (called secondary).

• Bracing

  – Made up of rods and cables whose primary function is to add stability to a structure or portions of it.

• Walls

  – Although not yet common, some buildings now have walls made of metal panels. They are just coated with protection to prevent corrosion.

• Roofing Systems

  – Not all roofs are made of metals, but modern building now have them either as the main material or simply components. A part of the roofing system that must be metal is the gutter, ridge cap, and base angle.

• Doors and Window Framing

  – For the door and window panels to fit securely along the edge of the wall opening, a frame must be installed. There’s no better material for this kind of element than metal.

• Bolts and Fasteners

  – To prevent a building from sliding off or detaching from the foundation and other major structural components, it must be bolted properly. Also, anything that goes with the frame must be fastened using the right types and sizes of fastener. In fact, the frame themselves needs to be fastened to the wall edge.

What Metals Are Used in Houses

There are two types of metal that can be found in your house—structural components, the ones I mentioned above, and decorative elements, the ones that add flair to your home’s architecture and interior design. So here are some of the most common types of metal of which these elements are made.

• Carbon Steel

  – Although steel is basically iron that contains a little bit of carbon, another term is needed to identify a type of steel that has more carbon content than necessary. The addition of carbon makes steel stronger, harder, and less ductile through heat treatment. The only drawback of such technology is the steel becoming almost impossible to weld.

• Aluminum

  – The third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, aluminum is also one of the most widely quarried and utilized metals, especially for construction applications. It is prized for its low density and extremely high corrosion resistance. Structural components that require extra resistance to corrosion are usually made of aluminum alloy.

• Copper

  – Some buildings have roofs that are made purely of copper. However, this is not the only application of copper in construction. Many architectural components are made of copper-based materials, too. Good examples are the knobs and hinges on your doors as well as the railings and trims on your stairways. Copper sheets are even used for covering surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom.

• Stainless Steel

  – Also known as “inox”, this metal is a type of steel that has about 10 percent chromium content. The result is an incredibly strong and corrosion-resistant metal that is nothing like its base metal. Sometimes, molybdenum is also added to further increase the metal’s protection against corrosion. Stainless steel is commonly used in cookware, cutlery, surgical instruments, major appliances, and construction.

With the right type and quality of metal, you can build the most stable and longest-lasting structures. It doesn’t matter if those structures are horizontal or vertical, or if the components made of metal are exposed to outdoor elements or concealed inside the structure, as long as it is made by a reputable manufacturer, you can expect great results.

So to make sure that the metals used in homes, which you are looking for, are of superior quality, it would help to find the right supplier first then start your search of materials from there. A trusted supplier like Rotax Metals is likely to have not just high-quality supplies but also a complete selection of products from which you can find the exact type, size, and grade of metal you are looking for.