 
Copper plays a major role in defense and war.
Original defense applications for copper included bronze spears, swords,
and cannon. In the high Alps at the border between Austria and Italy,
Archeologists uncovered the body of a 4,600 year old "Iceman" with
a nearly-pure copper axe beside. The story of this Bronze Age traveler
appeared in the June 1993 issue of National Geographic magazine.
In Biblical times, copper sheet cladding was installed on ships to
protect the timbers from Toredo worms and biofouling. At the battle
of Salaamis in 480 BC, there is evidence that Greek warships with
hull-piercing bronze-shod rams defeated a fleet of Persian vessels.
During the Dark Ages, bronze was the material of choice for armor
to protect men and horses. In 11th Century China,, for example, armor
was held together with copper, brass, or bronze wires. Chinese war
chariots used bronze fittings and iron helmets were often decorated
with copper or brass.
Bronze dominated the manufacture of cannons for hundreds of years.
In the 16th Century, bronze cannons were stronger than cast iron,
although improvements in iron manufacturing eventually recaptured
the cannon market.
Today, many copper alloys, especially brass, are still widely used
in weaponry. Militaries rely on brass ammunition cartridge casings
for bullets and artillery ordinance.
Copper is also used in powerful motors to drive large vehicles and
submarine propulsion systems, in electronic equipment and controls,
and to provide a secure means of communication around the world. High-performance
high pressure valves, pump bodies and shafts, hydraulic tubing, bolting,
heat exchangers, flexible pipe systems, flanges, hose couplings, sonar
equipment, bow plane control gear, steering mechanism and turret gears
in tanks, aircraft undercarriage components, and periscopes are also
made with copper alloys.
The technology for alloying, casting, and fabricating high-strength,
corrosion resistant aluminum bronzes was developed mainly for defense
purposes. Aluminum bronzes are frequently used for pumps, valves,
fittings, and pipelines used for marine seawater systems in all types
of ships and offshore platforms. |
