Common Copper-Based Bearing & Bushing Materials
1.Brasses – Cu-Zn alloys
a) Ordinary brass (binary Cu-Zn)
Easy to hot- or cold-work; ideal for sheets, rods, wire, tubes and deep-drawn parts such as condenser tubes, radiator tubes, electrical hardware.
Cu 62 % and Cu 59 % grades can be cast; these are known as cast brasses.
b) Special brasses – additional alloying elements give higher strength, better corrosion resistance and improved castability.
• Leaded brass – excellent machinability and wear resistance; used for clock/watch parts, cast bearings, bushings, sleeves.
• Tin brass – superior seawater corrosion resistance; marine hardware.
• Aluminum brass – higher strength/hardness plus atmospheric corrosion resistance; corrosion-resistant components.
• Silicon brass – improved mechanical properties, wear and corrosion resistance; ship parts and chemical-machinery castings.
• Manganese brass – similar benefits, tailored for heavy-duty marine service.
Bronzes – originally Cu-Sn, but the term now embraces Cu alloys containing Al, Si, Pb, Be, Mn, etc.
a) Tin bronze (Cu-Sn)
Industrial grades: 3–14 % Sn.
< 5 % Sn – suited to cold work.
5–7 % Sn – suited to hot work.
10 % Sn – best for casting.
Applications: wear-resistant bearings, bushings, sleeves, springs, corrosion-resistant and non-magnetic parts in shipbuilding, chemical, machinery and instrument industries.
b) Aluminum bronze (Cu-Al)
5–12 % Al; 5–7 % Al grades are ductile for cold forming.
7–8 % Al gives high strength, lower ductility-cast or hot-worked.
Excellent wear and corrosion resistance in atmosphere, seawater, carbonic acid and most organic acids.
Used for gears, worm wheels, high-strength bushings, sleeves and other heavily loaded, wear-resistant components.
c) Beryllium bronze (Cu-Be)
1.7–2.5 % Be.
Very high elastic and fatigue limits, excellent wear and corrosion resistance, good electrical/thermal conductivity, non-magnetic, spark-free on impact.
Critical springs, precision instrument parts, watch gears, high-speed/high-load bearings and bushings, welding electrodes, non-sparking tools, marine compasses.
Our foundry, with decades of experience, can cast and machine leaded brass, tin brass, aluminum brass, silicon brass, manganese brass, tin bronze, aluminum bronze, beryllium bronze and phosphor bronze to your drawings.
Send us your specifications-samples or full production runs welcome.
If you have material or brass/bronze bushing customization needs, all can consult this email:
