Common Brass Tube Types, Their Composition, and Best Uses

There is no shortage of brass tube availability in the metal market today. In fact, manufacturers have gotten more creative and innovative with their brass production that they have found ways to create better metal alloys than the typical brass. By mixing different components and making a variation on the brass composition, more types of brass alloys are now available.

All of these common alloys were made with a specific use in mind. Here are just some of the most popular brass tubing, what they are made of, and where they are best used:

1. Admirality Brass Tubing

Admirality brass comes in all forms and shapes, including tubes. This type of brass is also considered a copper zinc alloy and usually will have around 70% copper to 30% zinc ratio, but the numbers can vary. The important additional component to this brass type is the 1 – 1.5% of tin, which makes the alloy highly resistant to corrosion. Another component worth noting is the small percentage of Arsenic to combat dezincification.

This brass tubing type is best used for building ships, equipment that deal with heat exchange, oil well pumps, condensers, distillers, and other heavy-duty mechanical applications.

2. Commercial Brass Tubing

“Commercial brass” is a very broad category, but brass alloys that belong to this classification are those that contain 65% copper and 37% zinc. It is the addition of a small trace amount of Arsenic that differentiates this brass alloy which has excellent strength and ductility. A major advantage of commercial brass tubing and other pieces with the same components is their cold working properties and cost-effectiveness.

Best uses for tubes made with commercial brass are for general engineering, equipment used in agriculture, and as fittings and accessories for sanitation.

3. Aluminum Brass Tubing

For this brass alloy the components are 76% copper with 24% zinc, aluminum at 1.8 – 2.3% to add to the material’s resistance, and finally trace amounts of Arsenic to deter dezincification. Due to its composition, aluminum brass is best utilized for applications where the cooling velocity of water is higher than normal, such as those found in land and marine power stations.

The best uses for this specific copper-zinc alloy are for heat exchangers, equipment for salt and freshwater processing, offshore platforms, and even as parts in desalination plants.

Brass Tubing Tests

Before any of these copper-zinc alloy tubes and pieces can be sold and distributed by suppliers and manufacturers all must be tested for strength and performance. Each process involved must stick to the strict and precise production standards. Raw materials used should pass international and local requirements to ensure all brass tubing can perform as intended.

About Rotax Metals: When it comes to finding the correct brass tubing shapes, sizes, and types, Rotax Metals can provide customers with what they need. Even the smallest of details and specifications are taken seriously. The company has been supplying different industries with all the types of metals and metal alloys and they are not stopping any time soon. Rotax Metals has been one of the trusted suppliers for anything and everything metal-related since 1948.

Source:

Brass Tubes / Pipes | Tubing Manufacturer Admiralty Aluminum, Metline-Pipefittings.in