Bronze
4169
226144651
2008-07-17T00:48:21Z
76.176.159.140
/* Musical Instruments */ grammar
{{about|the metal alloy|other uses|Bronze (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Assorted bronze castings.JPG|thumb|Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling.]]
'''Bronze''' is any of a broad range of [[copper alloys]], usually with [[tin]] as the main additive, but sometimes with other [[chemical element|elements]] such as [[phosphorus]], [[manganese]], [[aluminium]], or [[silicon]]. (See [[#Classification of copper and its alloys|table below]].) It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the [[Bronze Age]]. "Bronze," in turn, is perhaps ultimately taken from the [[Persian language|Persian]] word "berenj," meaning "[[brass]]".<ref> Online Etymological Dictionary http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bronze </ref>
== History of Bronze==
[[Image:Pu with openwork interlaced dragons design.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[China|Chinese]] pu vessel with interlaced [[Chinese dragon|dragon]] design, [[Spring and Autumn Period]] (722 BC-481 BC)]]
Bronze was significant to any culture that encountered it. It was one of the most innovative alloys of mankind. Tools, weapons, armor, and various building materials like decorative tiles made of bronze were harder and more durable than their stone and copper ("[[Chalcolithic]]") predecessors. In early use, the impurity [[arsenic]] sometimes created a superior alloy; this is termed [[arsenical bronze]]<!-- Disputed - Copper? => (of which [[Ötzi the Iceman]]'s axe is an example)-->.
The earliest tin-alloy bronzes date to the late [[4th millennium BC]] in [[Susa]] (Iran) and some ancient sites in [[Luristan]] (Iran) and [[Mesopotamia]] (Iraq).
The two [[ore]]s are rarely found together (exceptions include one ancient site in [[Thailand]] and one in [[Iran]]), so serious bronze work has always involved trade. In Europe, the major source for [[tin]] was [[Great Britain]]'s deposits of ore in [[Cornwall]]. Phoenician traders visited Great Britain to trade goods from the Mediterranean for tin.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
[[Image:Early Ewer Iran.JPG|thumb|right|[[Ewer]] from 7th century [[Iran]]. Cast, chased, and inlaid bronze. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.]]
Though bronze is stronger (harder) than [[wrought iron]],{{Fact|date=February 2008}} the Bronze Age gave way to the Iron Age. Bronze was still used during the Iron Age, but for many purposes the weaker wrought iron was found to be sufficiently strong. Archaeologists suspect that a serious disruption of the tin trade precipitated the transition. The population migrations around [[12th century BC|1200]] – [[11th century BC|1100 BC]] reduced the shipping of tin around the [[Mediterranean]] (and from Great Britain), limiting supplies and raising prices.<ref>http://www.claytoncramer.com/Iron2.pdf</ref> As ironworking improved, [[iron]] became cheaper, and people figured out how to make [[steel]], which is stronger than bronze and holds a sharper edge longer.<ref>[http://www.llnl.gov/tid/lof/documents/pdf/238547.pdf rvde002.tmp<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
== Properties ==
With the exception of steel, bronze is superior to iron in nearly every application. It is considerably less brittle than iron. Bronze only oxidizes superficially; once the surface oxidizes, the thin oxide layer protects the underlying metal from further corrosion. Copper-based [[alloys]] have lower [[melting point]]s than steel or iron, and are more readily produced from their constituent metals. They are generally about 10 percent heavier than steel, although alloys using [[aluminium]] or [[silicon]] may be slightly less dense. Bronzes are softer and weaker than steel, e.g. bronze [[spring (device)|springs]] are less stiff (and so store less energy) for the same bulk. It resists [[corrosion]] (especially [[seawater corrosion]]) and [[metal fatigue]] better than steel and also conducts heat and electricity better than most steels. The cost of copper-base alloys is generally higher than that of steels but lower than that of [[nickel]]-base alloys such as [[stainless steel]].
Copper and its alloys have a huge variety of uses that reflect their versatile physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. Some common examples are the high [[electrical conductivity]] of pure copper, the excellent deep-drawing qualities of cartridge case brass, the low-friction properties of bearing bronze, the resonant qualities of bell bronze, and the resistance to corrosion by [[sea water]] of several bronze alloys.
In the twentieth century, [[silicon]] was introduced as the primary alloying element, creating an alloy with wide application in industry and the major form used in contemporary statuary. Aluminium is also used for the structural metal [[aluminium bronze]].
[[Image:Norwid Relief.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Fragment of the grave of [[Cyprian Kamil Norwid]] in the Bards' crypt in [[Wawel Cathedral]], [[Kraków]], [[Poland]] by sculptor [[Czesław Dźwigaj]] ]]
It is also widely used for cast metal [[sculpture]] (see [[bronze sculpture]]). Many common bronze alloys have the unusual and very desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling in the finest details of a [[moulding|mould]]. Bronze parts are tough and typically used for [[bearings]], clips, electrical connectors and [[Spring (device)|springs]].
Bronze also has very little metal-on-metal [[friction]], which made it invaluable for the building of [[cannon]] where iron cannonballs would otherwise stick in the barrel.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} It is still widely used today for springs, bearings, bushings, automobile transmission pilot bearings, and similar fittings, and is particularly common in the bearings of small electric motors. [[Phosphor bronze]] is particularly suited to precision-grade bearings and springs.
Bronze is typically 88% [[copper]] and 12% [[tin]].<ref>Knapp, Brian. (1996) Copper, Silver and Gold. Reed Library, Australia</ref> Alpha bronze consists of the alpha solid solution of tin in copper. Alpha bronze alloys of 4–5% tin are used to make [[coin]]s, [[spring (device)|springs]], [[turbine]]s and [[blade]]s.
Commercial bronze (otherwise known as [[brass]]) is 90% copper and 10% zinc, and contains no tin. It is stronger than copper and it has equivalent ductility. It is used for [[screw]]s and [[wire]]s.
Unlike steel, bronze struck against a hard surface will not generate sparks, so it (along with [[beryllium copper]]) is used to make [[hammer]]s, [[mallet]]s, [[wrench]]es and other durable tools to be used in explosive atmospheres or in the presence of flammable vapours.
==Musical Instruments==
Bronze is the most popular metal for top-quality [[bell (instrument)|bell]]s, and more recently, [[saxophone]]s. Nearly all professional [[cymbals]] are made from Bronze. Cymbal bronze is unique in that a balance of durability and [[timbre]] is needed.
In 1623, a Turkish man named [[Avedis]], an [[alchemist]], was attempting to form base metals into gold. Upon dropping an [[ingot]] on the ground, he was amazed at how well it rang. He was given the title [[Zildjian]] (Son of Cymbal Maker) by the Turkish [[Sultan]]. Today, the Avedis Zildjian Corporation is the largest maker of cymbals in the world.<ref>http://www.zildjian.com/EN-US/about/background.ad2</ref>
Modern cymbals consist of several types of bronze, the most common being B20 bronze, which is roughly 20% tin, 80% copper, with traces of silver. Swiss Company [[Paiste]] uses a softer B8 bronze which is made from 8% tin and 92% copper in their 2002 cymbals (Zildjian and [[Sabian]] use this metal in their budget priced cymbals).
Generally speaking, as the tin content goes up, and the pitch becomes lower.<ref>http://meinlcymbals.com/products/4_is_more.html</ref> Zildjian and [[Meinl]] use 16% tin 84% copper cymbals, which have a pitch roughly in between B8 and B20.
== Classification of copper and its alloys<ref>Machinery's Handbook, Industrial Press Inc, New York, ISBN 0-8311-2492-X, Edition 24, page 501</ref> ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Family!!Principal alloying element!![[Unified numbering system|UNS numbers]]
|-
|Copper alloys, brass||[[Zinc]] (Zn)||C1xxxx–C4xxxx,C66400–C69800
|-
|Phosphor bronzes||[[Tin]] (Sn)||C5xxxx
|-
|Aluminium bronzes||[[Aluminium]] (Al)||C60600–C64200
|-
|Silicon bronzes||[[Silicon]] (Si)||C64700–C66100
|-
|Copper nickel, nickel silvers||[[Nickel]] (Ni)||C7xxxx
|}
==See also==
*[[Aluminum bronze]]
*[[Brass]], a subset of the copper alloys in which [[zinc]] is the principal additive
*[[Bronze medal]]
*[[Bronze sculpture]], the use of bronze for artistic representations
*[[Bronzing]], a process by which an object is coated in bronze
*[[Chinese bronze inscriptions]], in various scripts since [[Shang Dynasty]] onward
*[[Cupronickel]], an alloy used on ships
*[[Florentine bronze]], an alloy which is not standardised (in proportions) worldwide
*[[Gunmetal]], various copper-zinc-tin alloys, some including phosphorus
*[[Lost wax#Lost wax bronze-casting process|Lost-wax casting]]
*[[Luristan bronze]] - Bronze Age artifacts recovered from areas of present day Iran
*[[Phosphor bronze]], with properties useful in making corrosion-resistant springs
*[[Seagram Building]], with a record 3.2 million pounds of bronze used in its façade
*[[Speculum metal]], a high-tin bronze
== References ==
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Bronze}}
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons|Category:Bronze}}
*[http://bronze-gallery.com/info/info.cfm?infoID=3 19th-century bronze sculpture sand casting]
*[http://www.modernsculpture.com/bronze.htm Casting process explained with pictures]
*[http://www.jepsculpture.com/bronze.html Flash animation of lost-wax casting process]
*[http://www.wildlifeart.org/foundry "Lost Wax, Found Bronze": lost-wax casting explained]
*[http://www.ldmbrass.com/ various bronze alloys]
*[http://web.comhem.se/vikingbronze/ Viking Bronze - Ancient and Early Medieval bronze casting]
{{Jewellery Materials}}
[[Category:Bronze|*]]
[[am:ናስ]]
[[ar:برونز]]
[[ast:Bronce]]
[[bn:ব্রোঞ্জ]]
[[zh-min-nan:Chheⁿ-tâng]]
[[bs:Bronza]]
[[bg:Бронз]]
[[ca:Bronze]]
[[cv:Бронза]]
[[cs:Bronz]]
[[da:Bronze]]
[[de:Bronze]]
[[et:Pronks]]
[[el:Κρατέρωμα]]
[[es:Bronce]]
[[eo:Bronzo]]
[[fr:Bronze]]
[[fy:Brûns]]
[[gd:Umha]]
[[gl:Bronce]]
[[hak:Thùng]]
[[ko:청동]]
[[hy:Բրոնզ]]
[[hi:कांसा]]
[[hr:Bronca]]
[[id:Perunggu]]
[[is:Brons]]
[[it:Bronzo]]
[[he:ארד]]
[[ka:ბრინჯაო (მეტალი)]]
[[lv:Bronza]]
[[lt:Bronza]]
[[hu:Bronz]]
[[ml:ഓട്]]
[[ms:Gangsa]]
[[nl:Brons]]
[[ja:青銅]]
[[no:Bronse]]
[[nn:Bronse]]
[[oc:Bronze]]
[[pl:Brązy]]
[[pt:Bronze]]
[[ro:Bronz]]
[[qu:Champi]]
[[ru:Бронза]]
[[simple:Bronze]]
[[sk:Bronz]]
[[sl:Bron]]
[[sr:Бронза]]
[[sh:Bronza]]
[[fi:Pronssi]]
[[sv:Brons]]
[[ta:வெண்கலம்]]
[[te:కంచు]]
[[th:สำริด]]
[[vi:Đồng thiếc]]
[[tr:Tunç]]
[[uk:Бронза]]
[[yi:בראנזע]]
[[zh:青铜]]