Detailed Report on ASTM B36 Yellow Brass: Properties, Applications

This report provides a detailed overview of ASTM B36 yellow brass alloy, a copper-rich material with significant zinc content, known for its appealing yellow color and versatile applications. The report outlines the chemical composition, mechanical properties (including tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, and Young's modulus), density, and approximate cost of the material. It also discusses the available forms of yellow brass, such as tubes, sheets, and plates, and identifies China as a primary supplier. The report highlights various applications of ASTM B36 in architecture, consumer products, industrial applications, electrical components, and plumbing, referencing several academic sources for its findings. Desklib provides this document and other solved assignments for students.

ASTM B36 (Yellow brass alloy):
The copper material that is rich in zinc-containing brass, which is commonly termed as the
Yellow brass alloy. This material finds a major application for the design purposes due to their
appealing yellow color (George & Leonard, 2009). The mechanical and the physical property of
this alloy are similar to the other brass alloys and it could be used in case of other copper-based
alloys. Usually, this alloy (C260) could be preferred by many designers since it is capable of
providing a profound deep drawing (Hibbeler, 2011). Yellow brass alloy is the composition of
several materials that could be found in the table given below:
Table 1: Chemical Composition of the material
Materials Composition of the chemicals
Copper 68.5 – 71.5%
Zinc 28.1 - 38.1%
Lead 0.09% maximum
Iron 0.05% maximum
Table 2: Mechanical properties of ASTM B36
Temper Tensile strength Yield strength % Elongation
ksi N / mm2 ksi N / mm2
Annealed 44-61 305 - 420 22 160 52
½ Hard 55-65 380 - 450 44 305 36
Hard 68-78 470 - 540 57 395 19
Extra Hard 79-89 545 – 615 67 460 7
Spring 86-95 595 – 655 71 490 5
Extra Spring 90-99 620 - 685 73 505 5
The young’s Modulus of the material is 110 GPa for 16 × 106 psi and the density of the material
is said to be 8.2 g/cm3 i.e. 510 lb/ft3.
Cost: The approximate cost of the C26000 (Cartridge Brass) is $ 6.81 / Kilogram.

Available forms: The yellow brass material is available in various forms such as tubes, sheets
and plates. Plates are generally available only in the hot-rolled temper (Young, Richard & Ali,
2011). This is popularly called as Cartridge Brass since they are most commonly used in the
ammunition of cartridges and shells.
Purchase: Several ASTM B36, are manufactured only in Asia. The top supplying country is said
to be China that supply about 100% of ASTM B36 10 A106 respectively (ASTM B36 / B36M
2013). This is most popular in the Mid East, Southern Asia and South America.
Application:
Various applications that involve the usage of ASTM B36 are as follows:
 This could be used for the grill work in the field of architecture.
 Used in Heater cores, Thermostats and Radiator tanks and tubes of Builders hardware
 Used as flat screens, watch products, designer materials, Electrical sockets and lamps of
the consumer product
 Could be used as fasteners and could also be used as the springs, chains, tubes of certain
instruments and conveying systems of various industrial applications.
 Used as the reflectors in the electrical department
 Used for plumbing in certain plumbing accessories that includes certain fittings, faucets
and bathroom fixtures
References:
George, L., & Leonard, S. (2009). Applied Statics and Strength of Materials (5th ed.). Pearson
Prentice Hall.
Hibbeler, R.C. (2011). Statics and Mechanics of Materials (3rd ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
Young, W., Richard, B., & Ali, S. (2011). Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain (8th ed.).
McGraw-Hill
ASTM B36 / B36M-13 (2013). Standard Specification for Brass Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Rolled
Bar. ASTM International: West Conshohocken, PA. DOI: 10.1520/B0036_B0036M-13