Brass melting point of brass (, depending on composition) and its flow characteristics make it a relatively easy material to cast. By varying the proportions of copper and zinc, the properties of the brass can be changed, allowing hard and soft brasses. The density of brass is . Today, almost 90% of all brass alloys are recycled. Because brass is not ferromagnetic, it can be separated from ferrous scrap by passing the scrap near a powerful magnet. Brass scrap is collected and transported to the foundry where it is melted and recast into billets. Billets are heated and extruded into the
Microstructurally stable nanocrystalline alloys Microstructurally stable nanocrystalline alloys Microstructurally stable nanocrystalline alloys are alloys that are designed to resist microstructural coarsening under various thermo-mechanical loading conditions. Many applications of metal materials require that they can maintain their structure and strength despite very high temperatures. Efforts to prevent deformations from long term stress, referred to as creep, consist of manipulating alloys to reduce coarsening and migration of individual grains within the metal. The small size of individual metal grains provides high interfacial surface energy which is what prompts coarsening, the increase in grain size, and eventually metallic softening. Nanocrystalline creep is considered to follow the