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Phosphor bronze is an alloy
Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
 of copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
 with 3.5 to 10% of tin
Tin

Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide, SnO2....
 and a significant phosphorus
Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
 content of up to 1%. The phosphorus is added as deoxidizing agent during melting. These alloys are notable for their toughness
Toughness

Toughness, in materials science and metallurgy, is the resistance to fracture of a material when stress . It is defined as the amount of energy per volume that a material can absorb before rupture ....
, strength
Strength of materials

In materials science, the strength of a material refers to the material's ability to withstand an applied stress without failure. Yield strength refers to the point on the engineering stress-strain curve beyond which the material begins deformation that cannot be reversed upon removal of the loading....
, low coefficient of friction, and fine grain
Crystallite

A crystallite is a domain of solid-state matter that has the same structure as a single crystal. Metallurgy often refer to crystallites as "grains"....
.






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Phosphor bronze is an alloy
Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
 of copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
 with 3.5 to 10% of tin
Tin

Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide, SnO2....
 and a significant phosphorus
Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
 content of up to 1%. The phosphorus is added as deoxidizing agent during melting. These alloys are notable for their toughness
Toughness

Toughness, in materials science and metallurgy, is the resistance to fracture of a material when stress . It is defined as the amount of energy per volume that a material can absorb before rupture ....
, strength
Strength of materials

In materials science, the strength of a material refers to the material's ability to withstand an applied stress without failure. Yield strength refers to the point on the engineering stress-strain curve beyond which the material begins deformation that cannot be reversed upon removal of the loading....
, low coefficient of friction, and fine grain
Crystallite

A crystallite is a domain of solid-state matter that has the same structure as a single crystal. Metallurgy often refer to crystallites as "grains"....
. The phosphorus also improves the fluidity of the molten metal and thereby improves the castability, and improves mechanical properties by cleaning up the grain boundaries
Grain boundary

A grain boundary is the interface between two Crystallite in a polycrystalline material. Grain boundaries disrupt the motion of dislocations through a material, so reducing crystallite size is a common way to improve strength, as described by the Hall-Petch relationship....
.

Further increasing the phosphorus content leads to formation of a very hard compound Cu3P (copper phosphide), resulting in a brittle
Brittle

A material is brittle if it is liable to fracture when subjected to stress . That is, it has little tendency to deform before fracture. This fracture absorbs relatively little energy, even in materials of high Strength of materials, and usually makes a snapping sound....
 form of phosphor bronze, which has a narrow range of applications.

Around 2001, the Olin Corporation developed another phosphor bronze alloy comprising:

  • Zinc
    Zinc

    Zinc is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal of the group 12 element of the periodic table....
     - 9.9%
  • Tin
    Tin

    Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide, SnO2....
     - 2.2%
  • Iron
    Iron

    Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
     - 1.9%
  • Phosphorus
    Phosphorus

    Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
     - 0.03%
  • Copper
    Copper

    Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
     - 85.97%


Olin developed this new alloy for use in electrical and electronic connectors. When assessed in strictly metallurgical terms it is not true phosphor bronze, but a form of iron-modified tin brass
Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin....
.

Industrial uses

Phosphor bronze
Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other chemical element such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon....
 is used for springs
Spring (device)

A spring is an Elasticity object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of hardened steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealing steel and hardened after fabrication....
, bolts
Screw

A screw is a shaft with a helix groove or screw thread formed on its surface and provision at one end to turn the screw. Its main uses are as a threaded fastener used to hold objects together, and as a simple machine used to translate torque into linear force....
 and various other items used in situations where resistance to fatigue, wear and chemical corrosion are required e.g. ship's propellors in a marine
Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology....
 environment. The alloy is also used in some dental bridges. Additionally, it can be found in some electrical circuits due to its low resistance
Electrical resistance

The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the passage of a steady electrical current. An object of uniform cross section will have a resistance proportional to its length and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area, and proportional to the resistivity of the material....
 to current
Electric current

Electric current is the flow of electric charge. The electric charge may be either electrons or ions.The International System of Units unit of electric current intensity is the ampere....
.

Musical Instruments

Phosphor bronze is used in some metal wind instruments e.g. the A992 alto saxophone
Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by the Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the Tenor saxophone, is the most common size of saxophone....
 manufactured by Yanagisawa
Yanagisawa Wind Instruments

Yanagisawa Wind Instruments is a Japanese woodwind company known for its range of student, intermediate and professional grade saxophones. Along with Yamaha they are one of the leading manufacturers of saxophones in Japan....
. A saxophone
Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
 made from phosphor bronze is heavier than one made from brass
Brass

Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin....
, due to its higher copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
 content, which gives greater mass
Mass

In physical science, mass refers to the degree of acceleration a body acquires when subject to a force: bodies with greater mass are accelerated less by the same force....
. Phosphor bronze saxophones have distinctive, reddish-orange hues, which look different to the colour of standard lacquered
Lacquer

In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high Gloss and that can be further polished as required....
 brass. In addition to being more robust, phosphor bronze gives musical instruments tonal qualities which are slightly different to those made from the usual brass alloys. For example, although their designs are identical in every way apart from the metal used, the Yanagisawa A992 and T992 (phosphor bronze) alto and tenor saxophones sound noticeably "darker" than the A991 and T991 (brass) versions. However, other variables may affect an instrument's tone colors e.g. mouthpiece design and physical characteristics of the player. In any case, what constitutes a pleasing tone is a matter of personal preference and tastes vary.

Additionally, phosphor bronze is sometimes used in brass instrument
Brass instrument

A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular resonator. They are also called labrosones, literally meaning "lip-vibrated instruments" ....
s (e.g. Flugelhorn
Flugelhorn

The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical Bore . Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the keyed bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus predating Adolphe Sax's innovative work....
s), plus percussion instrument
Percussion instrument

A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration....
s such as cymbal
Cymbal

Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various cymbal alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture....
s. Some acoustic instrument
String instrument

A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones....
 strings
Vibrating string

A vibration in a strings is a wave. Usually a vibrating string produces a sound whose frequency in most cases is constant. Therefore, since frequency characterizes the Pitch_, the sound produced is a constant note....
 for acoustic guitar
Steel-string acoustic guitar

A steel-string acoustic guitar, is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound....
s, mandolin
Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It is descended from the Mandora, a soprano member of the lute family. It has a body with a teardrop-shaped soundboard, or one which is essentially oval in shape, with a soundhole, or soundholes, of varying shapes which are open and are not decorated with an intricately carved grille lik...
s and violins are wrapped with this metal. Some harmonica
Harmonica

The harmonica is a free reed aerophone wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes....
 reeds are made of phosphor bronze, such as those by the Suzuki
Suzuki

is a multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles, a full range of motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, outboard motor, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines....
 brand.

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