Copper and Copper Based Alloy Corrosion
Copper and copper based alloy are widely used in many environment and application because of their excellent corrosion resistance properties, which is coupled with other desirable properties, such as superior electrical and thermal conductivity, ease of fabricating and joining, wide range of attainable mechanical properties, and resistance to biofouling.
Copper corrodes at negligible rates in unpolluted air, water, and deaerated nonoxidizing acids. Copper alloy artifacts have been found in nearly pristine condition after having been buried in the earth for thousands of years, and copper roofing in rural atmospheres has been found to corrode at rates of less than 0.4 mm in 200 years.
Copper based alloys resist many saline solutions, alkaline solutions, and organic chemicals. However, copper is susceptible to more rapid attack in oxidizing acid, oxidizing heavy-metal salt, sulfur, ammonia NH3, and some sulfur and NH3 compound.
Copper and copper alloys provide superior service in many of the applications included in the following general classifications:
- Applications requiring resistance to atmospheric exposure, such as roofing and other architectural uses, hardware, building fronts, grille work, hand rails, lock bodies, doorknobs, and kick plates
- Freshwater supply lines and plumbing fittings, for which superior resistance to corrosion by various types of waters and soils is important
- Marine applications - most often freshwater and seawater supply lines, heat exchanger, condenser, shafting, valve stems, and marine hardware - in which resistance to seawater, hydrated salt deposits, and biofouling from marine organisms is important
- Heat exchanger Tube and condensers in marine service, steam power plants, and chemical process applications, as well as liquid-to-gas or gas-to-gas heat exchangers in which either process stream may contain a corrosive contaminant
- Industrial and chemical plant process equipment involving exposure to a wide variety of organic and inorganic chemicals
- Electrical wiring, hardware, and connectors; printed circuit boards; and electronic applications that require demanding combinations of electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties, such as semiconductor packages, lead frames, and connectors
| Material Designation |
Corresponding Material Symbol |
| GB/T8890 |
ASTM B111 |
BS2871 |
JIS H3300 |
DIN 1785 |
| Copper-Nickel |
BFe10-1-1 |
C70600 Pipe |
CN102 |
C7060 |
CuNi10Fe1Mn |
| BFe30-1-1 |
C71500 Pipe |
CN107 |
C7150 |
CuNi30Mn1Fe |
| (BFe30-2-2) |
C71640 |
CN108 |
C7164 |
CuNi30Fe2Mn2 |
| (BFe5-1.5-0.5) |
C70400 |
– |
– |
– |
| B7 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Aluminium Brass |
HAL77-2 |
C68700 Tube |
CZ110 |
C6870 |
CuZn20Al2 |
| Admiralty Brass |
HSn70-1 |
C44300 Tube |
CZ111 |
C4430 |
CuZn28Sn1 |
| Boric Brass |
Hsn70-18 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| HSn70-1 AB |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Arsenical Brass |
H68A |
– |
CZ126 |
– |
– |
| Brass Tubes |
H65/H63 |
C28000/C27200 |
CZ108 |
C2800/C2700 |
CuZn36/CuZn37 |
|
