1. Copper is a non-ferrous metal closely related to human beings. It is not only rich in natural resources, but also has excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, ductility, corrosion resistance and wear resistance. Widely used in electric power, electronics, energy and petrochemical, mechanical metallurgy, transportation, light industry, emerging industries and other fields, second only to aluminum in the consumption of non-ferrous metal materials in China.
2. The main condenser tube plate and condenser tube of energy industry thermal power plant are made of brass, bronze or white copper. Solar water heaters are often made of copper pipes. Copper and many copper alloys in petrochemical industry are widely used to manufacture various containers, piping systems, filters, pumps and valves, evaporators, heat exchangers and condensers that come into contact with corrosive media. In marine industry, copper is not only resistant to seawater corrosion, but also has the bactericidal effect of copper ions dissolving in water, which can prevent marine organisms from scaling. Therefore, copper and its copper alloys are very important materials in shipbuilding industry. They are also widely used in coastal and submarine facilities, such as seawater desalination plants and offshore oil and gas production platforms, such as pumps, valves and equipment in pipeline systems for seawater desalination, including splash-proof bolt areas and underwater antifouling kits, pump valves and pipeline systems.
3. In shipbuilding industry, copper alloys include aluminum bronze, manganese bronze, aluminum brass, gun copper (tin-zinc bronze), white copper and nickel-copper alloy (Monel alloy), which are standard materials for shipbuilding. On warships and merchant ships, copper and copper alloys are generally used as aluminum bronze screw paste, bolts, condensation pipes, rivets, copper paintings and so on. In the automobile industry, copper and copper alloys are mainly used in radiators, brake system pipelines, hydraulic devices, gears, bearings, power distribution and power systems, brake friction plates, gaskets, various joints, accessories and accessories.
4. The motor, rectifier, control, braking, electrical and signal systems on the train also depend on copper and copper alloys. In addition, railway electrification needs a lot of copper and copper alloys. Wiring, hydraulic, cooling and pneumatic systems in aircraft should be made of copper, bearing cages and landing gear bearings should be made of aluminum bronze, and navigation instruments should be made of diamagnetic copper alloy. Copper and copper alloys can be used to manufacture air-conditioning heat exchangers, watch movements, paper machine cloths, rollers, printed copper plates, fermentation tank liners, distillation pots, architectural decorative components, etc. Copper is also used in emerging industries and high-tech fields, such as the sheath of superconducting alloys, containers and pipes of ultra-low temperature media, cooling villages of rocket engines, magnet windings of high-energy accelerators and so on.