1. Classification of copper materials
Copper materials can be mainly divided into two categories, namely pure copper and various copper alloys. Pure copper is further divided into oxygen-free copper, red copper, and phosphorus-deoxidized copper. Alloy copper is further divided into brass, bronze, white copper, silver copper, etc.:
1. Pure copper
(1) Oxygen-free copper: The purity of oxygen-free copper is greater than 99.95%. It has stable processing performance, high electrical conductivity, good corrosion resistance, weldability and low temperature performance.
(2) Red copper: Red copper refers to copper with a copper content of more than 99.95%, low impurity content and high purity, so the conductivity of red copper is lower than that of other materials.
(3) Phosphorus-deoxidized copper: The copper content of phosphorus-deoxidized copper can reach more than 99.90%, and its welding performance and cold bending performance are good.
Red copper plate
2. Copper alloy
(1) Brass: Brass refers to an alloy based on copper and zinc, which has high hardness, high strength and strong chemical corrosion resistance.
(2) Bronze: Bronze originally refers to copper-tin alloy, which has good resistance to sliding friction, high strength, excellent cutting performance and good welding performance, and good corrosion resistance in the atmosphere and fresh water.
(3) Nickel white copper: Nickel white copper is mainly a copper-based alloy with nickel as an added element. It has high hardness, good ductility, corrosion resistance, beautiful color, and rich deep drawing performance.
(4) Silver copper: Silver copper is a binary alloy of silver and copper. It has good conductivity, strong resistance to sulfides, good mechanical properties, high hardness, good fluidity and wettability, wear resistance and resistance to welding.
II. Application fields of copper materials
1. Electronic industry
(1) Copper foil vacuum devices such as high-frequency and ultra-high-frequency transmitting tubes, ferry tubes, magnetrons, etc. require high-purity oxygen-free copper and dispersion-strengthened oxygen-free copper.
(2) Copper printed circuits require a large amount of copper foil and copper-based brazing materials.
(3) In integrated circuits, copper is used to replace aluminum in silicon chips as interconnects and lead frames.
2. Energy and petrochemical industries
(1) The main condenser tube sheets and condenser tubes of thermal power plants in the energy industry are made of brass, bronze or nickel silver.
(2) Copper and many copper alloys in the petrochemical industry are widely used to manufacture various containers, piping systems, filters, pumps and valves, various evaporators, heat exchangers and condensers that come into contact with corrosive media.
(3) Copper and its copper alloys are very important materials in the marine industry and have been widely used in seawater desalination plants, offshore oil and gas production platforms and other coastal and submarine facilities.
3. Transportation industry
(1) In warships and merchant ships, copper and copper alloys are generally used as aluminum bronze propellers, bolts, condenser tubes, rivets, copper-containing coated paints, etc.
(2) In the automotive industry, copper and copper alloys are mainly used for radiators, brake system pipes, hydraulic devices, gears, bearings, power distribution and power systems, brake friction pads, washers, and various joints, accessories and accessories.
(3) The motors, rectifiers, control, braking, electrical and signal systems on railway trains also rely on copper and copper alloys to work.
(4) Copper is required for wiring, hydraulic, cooling and pneumatic systems in aircraft, aluminum bronze pipes are used for bearing retainers and landing gear bearings, and antimagnetic copper alloys are used for navigation instruments.
4. Mechanical and metallurgical industry
(1) The motors, circuits, hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems, control systems, various transmission parts and fixings in mechanical engineering all require copper or copper alloys for friction reduction and lubrication.
(2) The crystallizers in the continuous casting technology of metallurgical equipment are mostly made of high-strength and high-thermal-conductivity copper alloys such as chromium copper and silver copper.
(3) Alloy additives Copper is an important additive element in alloys such as steel and aluminum.
5. Light industry
Copper and copper alloys can be used to manufacture heat exchangers for air conditioners, mesh for paper machines, clock movements, printing copper plates, rollers, distillation pots, fermentation tank linings, and architectural decorative components.
6. Emerging industries and high-tech fields
Copper is also used in emerging industries and high-tech fields, such as sheaths for superconducting alloys, containers and pipelines for ultra-low temperature media, cooling inner villages for rocket engines, and magnet windings for high-energy accelerators.
