cuivre issu de Chypre en latin ( cuivre = bronze de Chypre )
a little of metallurgy
brass is a metal made up of copper with zinc additions from 5% to 45% and possibly of other metals in very weak proportioning. The maximum solubility of zinc is 39% at 450°C. The copper base of brass gives birth to it with prehistory at the time of the bronze age - 1500 years at 800 years BC -.The "true" bronze consists of a base coppers with tin additions. The development of brass increases at the end of the 1st century BC because the addition of zinc, whitish metal , strongly hardens it and gives him a yellow color gilded with zinc 15% and yellow with greenish reflection towards zinc 30%. Pure copper is red. Copper is more expensive than zinc.

The principal properties of brass are

a remarkable workability with 36% of zinc and 3% of lead are used as reference 100 for workability

a good corrosion resistance because the protective coating is more solid than for copper

a good aptitude for the hot towards 850°C or cold deformation according to the zinc content.

mechanical properties  :

sheet brass pressed	moulded and machined brass

end.