Question

What are alloys? How are they made? Name the constituents and uses of brass, bronze and solder.

Answer 1

An alloy is a homogenous mixture of two or more metals or a metal and a non-metal or a metal and a metalloid.

The alloy is prepared by two steps and it is as follows.

Step-1:The primary metal is melted.

Step-2: The other element is going to be added to the molten metal in a definite proportion, and then they are cooled to room temperature.

Alloys increases the metal hardness and enhances their properties. So, alloys have vast applications. The examples for alloys are brass, bronze, solder and etc.

The constituents and uses of brass, bronze and solder alloys are as follows.

Brass (composition and uses):

Brass is a mixture of Copper ($Cu$) and Zinc ($Zn$).

The composition of the brass is Copper ($60-80\%\mathrm{Cu}$) and Zinc ($20-40\%\mathrm{Zn}$).

Uses: Brass is used in the making of utensils and scientific instruments

Bronze (composition and uses):

Bronze is an alloy of Copper ($\mathrm{Cu}$) and Tin ($\mathrm{Sn}$) is Bronze.

The composition of the bronze is Copper ($75-90\%\mathrm{Cu}$) and Tin ($10-25\%Sn$).

Uses: Bronze is used in the making of medals and statues.

Solder (composition and uses):

An alloy of Lead ($\mathrm{Pb}$) and Tin ($\mathrm{Sn}$) is Solder.

The composition of the solder is Pb ($50\%Pb$) and Tin ($50\%Sn$).

Uses: Solder is used in the welding of the electric wires.