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Aluminum Copper Alloy Experiment

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NormanV:
I have just cast another alloy, 90% copper 10% aluminium. I tried a file on it and it just skidded with barely a mark. It is certainly hard, will I be able to machine it? I'll find out tomorrow.
What I found interesting is the colour, with all that copper I expected it to be bronze coloured but it is silver with just a blush to it.
The copper that I used was old plumbing pipes with a few brass glands on it, so the actual composition if a bit vague.
One problem that I encountered was the low heat output of my propane torch. When I melt aluminium it normally takes approx. one hour to melt my 3kg ingots. I had thought that this was due to the size of the ingot, I have read of people having molten aluminium in 15-20 minutes.
Today I melted the aluminium first and then added the copper, from start to finish was over 4 hours! After two hours I almost gave up but by that time I had invested so much gas into the project I thought that I would see it through. I don't think that I will be trying to melt any iron with this torch.

NormanV:
I was too impatient to wait until tomorrow morning so I went out at 9pm this evening to have a look at this alloy I have created. I had cast a stick 50x25x300mm. I decided to cut a piece 25mm off the end. I first tried with a hacksaw, it just skidded across the surface. So, I went back to my trusty angle grinder, the cutting disc on the grinder is somewhat worn so I was only able to make a cut 6-8mm deep around the bar, I then clamped the short piece in the vice and snapped the bar in two by hand.
Here is a photo of the break.

NormanV:
What I find fascinating is that this alloy behaves nothing like copper or aluminium. Cast aluminium is quite brittle but is nothing like as hard as this. I am planning to use it as a bearing material, will it be good for this purpose? I will find out. It will definitely be better than plain aluminium or copper. What fun!

mattinker:
You've made Aluminium bronze.It should be a good bearing material, it also has a high corrosion resistance.

Regards, Matthew

NormanV:
Aluminium bronze was what I was aiming for but was unsure because of the lack of the other metals that it normally contains.
It should be good for when I take my traction engine on the beach!

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