Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Engineering, 4th ed.c

exchanger applications in air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Copper alloys are also used

as tubes, pipes, and fittings in plumbing and heating applications. Copper is alloyed with zinc,

tin, aluminum, nickel, and other elements to modify its properties. When copper is alloyed

with zinc it is commonly calledbrass. The mechanical properties of brass depend on the exact

composition of percent copper and percent zinc.Bronzeis an alloy of copper and tin. Copper

is also alloyed with aluminum and is referred to asaluminum bronze. Copper and its alloys are

also used in water tubes, heat exchangers, hydraulic brake lines, pumps, and screws.

Iron and Steel

Steelis a common material that is used in the framework of buildings, and bridges, the bodies of

appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washers and dryers, and cooking utensils. Steel

is an alloy of iron with approximately 2% or less carbon. Pure iron is soft and thus not good for

structural applications, but the addition of even a small amount of carbon to iron hardens it and

gives steel better mechanical properties, such as greater strength. The properties of steel can be

modified by adding other elements, such as chromium, nickel, manganese, silicon, and tungsten.

For example, chromium is used to increase the resistance of steel to corrosion. In general, steel can

be classified into three broad groups: (1) the carbon steels containing approximately 0.015 to 2%

carbon, (2) low-alloy steels having a maximum of 8% alloying elements, and (3) high-alloy steels

containing more than 8% of alloying elements. Carbon steels constitute most of the world’s steel

consumption, thus you will commonly find them in the body of appliances and cars. The low-alloy

steels have good strength and are commonly used as machine or tool parts and as structural mem-

bers. The high-alloy steels, such as stainless steels, could contain approximately 10 to 30%

chromium and could contain up to 35% nickel. The 18/8 stainless steels, which contain

17.3 Some Common Solid Engineering Materials 563

Examples of products

made of copper alloys.

Source:2001 PhotoDisc, Inc.

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