The manufacturing of copper has changed very little in the past 70 years. Truthfully, it was made in almost the exact same way in the 's as it is today, save some minor upgrades. The first step of the process starts with obtaining raw or recycled copper.
Methods of acquiring the copper have changed drastically, however. Mining copper has become expensive, which is why most companies have turned to using scrapped or recycled copper from dilapidated buildings. In the case of recycled copper, it must meet certain standards before it is placed into reproduction.
The acceptable copper is termed Bright Copper. After the copper has been obtained, it is placed into a furnace for melting. Most furnaces have a capacity of 20 tons. That's a lot of copper! In order to refine the metal, the furnace must reach temperatures up to degrees Fahrenheit. The copper is then fire-refined by contacting the melt with oxygen, which preferentially reacts with impurities to form oxides.
These oxides, being lighter than the liquid metal, float to the surface, where they become trapped in slag. Part of the centuries-old refining process, called "poling", involves stirring the melt with large green wood poles. As the green wood burns and vaporizes, it creates a violent stirring action that helps drive the reactions to completion. Some impurities, such as tin and nickel, cannot be removed by oxidation and are instead removed by reacting them with a specially compounded slag.
When the slag is skimmed off, only pure fire-refined copper remains. This copper, now Small samples are taken from the molten copper periodically to check the progress of the refining operation. Samples are transferred quickly, often via pneumatic tubes, to a fast-reading spectrograph that monitors the metal's impurity content. At the end of the refining operation, the copper's oxygen content is too high, and the resulting metal, if cast, would have inferior properties.
The molten copper is therefore deoxidized in the furnace by adding controlled amounts of phosphorus. Phosphorus has a greater affinity for oxygen than copper and therefore reduces whatever copper oxide was present in the melt. The final product is called, naturally enough, phosphorus-deoxidized, high residual phosphorus copper.
To protect the copper from oxidation, the liquid metal surface may be covered with a blanket of graphite powder. From the holding furnace or tundish copper is cast into large "logs" by either the continuous or semi-continuous method. In a modification of the process practiced by some tube makers, the casting molds contain a central water-cooled core, and the log emerges as a very thick-walled pipe called a tube round.
A pointed rod called a piercing mandrel is then driven lengthwise through the center of the billets to create what will eventually become the inside wall of the plumbing tube. Obviously, this step is not needed if the billets are cast as tube rounds. Piercing can take place either immediately before, or concurrent with extrusion.
Extrusion is often quite accurately compared with squeezing toothpaste from a tube. During extrusion, the billet, heated to the proper hot-working temperature, is placed in the chamber of an extrusion press. The horizontally mounted chamber contains a die at one end and a hydraulically driven ram at the other. The face of the ram is fitted with a dummy block that is slightly smaller in diameter than the billet.
The ram may also be fitted with a piercing mandrel, or, if the billets are hollow, with a rod that matches the diameter of the cast hole in the billet but is slightly smaller than the hole in the die at the opposite end of the chamber.
Just like toothpaste, only hollow. Some studies suggest newer copper pipes are more likely to leach copper into the water; however, this is avoidable if the water is being used consistently and not allowed to sit in the pipes. Copper poisoning is extremely rare.
High exposure to copper would be needed for the effects to be noticeable. Headaches and upset stomach are the most commonly shown symptoms of too much copper. There are many home water testing kits available to ensure your water is safe if you are concerned. Copper is actually essential for the human body—copper aids in iron digestion, healthy bones, and a healthy cardiovascular system. Low-level copper ingestion is much more likely to aid in your health as opposed to adversely affecting it.
View this water testing kit on Amazon. There are pros and cons to both copper pipes and plastic PVC pipes. Although copper pipes will likely last longer and keep out more contaminants, PVC pipes are easier and less expensive to install. Copper pipes must be welded together. This makes it close to impossible to install copper pipes as a DIY project. If you plan on redoing your own plumbing, the most logical choice will be PVC. PVC pipe is also quieter than copper pipes.
PVC does not corrode because it is plastic. This makes it more appealing to those using well-water who want to avoid the potential corrosion and expense of copper pipes. Copper pipes are usually rigid and resist bending. Pipes have a pressure rating, which is why they are more commonly used to move fluids.
There are some major differences in the classification process for pipes and tubes. Pipes use schedule and nominal diameter. Tubes are classified by their outside diameter and thickness. Essentially, the most important measurement for pipes is the inside diameter, while for tubes, it is the outside diameter. Additionally, tubing can be joined by means other than welding, which makes them less apt at carrying fluids.
Copper tubing is more often used in HVAC systems, while copper piping is used in plumbing. Copper pipes can be repurposed as a multitude of things. Copper is a popular material in modern art.
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