Collini L. (ed.) Copper Alloys - Early Applications and Current Performance - Enhancing Processes

Rijeka: InTech, 2012. — 178 p.The use of copper and its alloys by humans goes back thousands of years. Probably copper is the most ancient metal extracted and processed by mankind. With good strength and ductility, ease of processing and good availability, copper has been for millennia an excellent material for creating objects, jewelry and tools of daily use or components with high technological content.
Nowadays, copper is used in its pure state mostly in applications that require high heat or electric conductivity, while its alloys (bronzes and brasses) are widely used in several fields thanks to their excellent corrosion and wear resistance. Copper and its alloys have been and still are a great natural resource for the growth of mankind.
This book collects, without the claim to be exhaustive, the most recent contributions of engineers and scientists who perform research on this material. These contributions cover two main topics: the development and application of advanced techniques of analysis of ancient relics made of copper, and the application of recently studied alloys, enhanced in mechanical and environmental performances. In my opinion the contrast of this two topics is fascinating in its own way.
In order to facilitate its reading, the book has been rationally divided into three distinct sections. The first section contains two papers, the first on the classification of copper and its alloys according to the modern systems, the second on the basic mechanism of interaction of copper with hydrogen.
The second section includes four contributions, two on the properties of alloys specifically developed for high-performance electromechanical connectors and for sliding elements, and two on the study of static and fatigue properties of copper subjected to a severe plastic deformation process. The third section includes two very interesting contributions on the archaeometallurgy of copper.
Sure that all these high-level contributions are of interest, I would like now to extend my sincere thanks to all those who contributed to the drafting of this book, and in particular to prof. R. Konecna and dr. L. Kunz for their kind assistance.Copper and Copper Alloys: Casting, Classification and Characteristic Microstructures
Interaction of Copper Alloys with Hydrogen
Properties of High Performance Alloys for Electromechanical Connectors
Lead-Free Wrought Copper Alloys for Bushings and Sliding Elements
Mechanical Properties of Copper Processed by Severe Plastic Deformation
Fatigue Crack Resistance of Ultrafine-Grained Copper Structures
Bronze in Archaeology: A Review of the Archaeometallurgy of Bronze in Ancient Iran