Editing Bronze (section)

==Properties==
Copper-based [[alloy]]s have lower [[melting point]]s than steel or iron and are more readily produced from their constituent metals. They are generally about 10 percent denser than steel, although alloys using [[aluminium]] or [[silicon]] may be slightly less dense. Bronze conducts heat and electricity better than most steels. Copper-base alloys are generally more costly than steels but less so than [[nickel]]-base alloys.

Bronzes are typically ductile alloys and are considerably less [[brittle]] than cast iron. Copper and its alloys have a huge variety of uses that reflect their versatile physical, mechanical, and [[Chemical property|chemical properties]]. Some common examples are the high [[electrical conductivity]] of pure copper, the low-friction properties of bearing bronze (bronze that has a high lead content— 6–8%), the resonant qualities of bell bronze (20% tin, 80% copper), and the resistance to corrosion by [[seawater]] of several bronze alloys.

The melting point of bronze is about {{convert|950|°C|0|abbr=on}} but varies depending on the ratio of the alloy components. Bronze is usually nonmagnetic, but certain alloys containing iron or nickel may have magnetic properties. Bronze typically oxidizes only superficially; once a copper oxide (eventually becoming [[copper carbonate]]) layer is formed, the underlying metal is [[Passivation (chemistry)|protected from further corrosion]]. This can be seen on statues from the Hellenistic period. If copper [[chloride]]s are formed, a corrosion-mode called "[[bronze disease]]" will eventually destroy it completely.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://proteus.brown.edu/greekpast/4867|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226134131/http://proteus.brown.edu/greekpast/4867|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 February 2015|title=Bronze Disease, Archaeologies of the Greek Past |publisher=The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology Classroom |access-date=14 September 2014}}</ref>