alpha-beta brass
- noun
- Specialized
:
bronce alfa-beta
- The engineer specified alpha-beta brass for the casting due to its durability under stress.
Examples
-
Alpha-beta brass alloys are commonly used in valves and marine hardware.
-
Many manufacturers prefer alpha-beta brass for its improved strength and suitability for hot-working.
-
The alpha-beta brass is strong.
-
Don't forget to specify alpha-beta brass in your order!
-
Many manufacturers prefer alpha-beta brass for its improved strength and suitability for hot-working.
-
The engineer specified alpha-beta brass for the casting due to its durability under stress.
-
Alpha-beta brass alloys are commonly used in valves and marine hardware.
Synonyms
A strong metal made from copper and zinc used to make cast parts like boat fittings and bolts
A strong metal made from copper with extra zinc used for cast parts
A yellow metal made from copper mixed with a lot of zinc
Surface Forms
Morphology
alpha-beta + brass
The modifier 'alpha-beta' is a technical, non-lexical label (not a familiar word to B1 learners) and does not transparently signal the specific metallurgical sense (a higher-zinc alloy) to someone who only knows 'brass'. The meaning depends on specialist knowledge about alloy phases rather than regular compositional semantics, so learners cannot derive the sense from the parts.
Etymology
Alpha-beta brass comes from combining two forms of brass called alpha and beta, where alpha is softer and beta becomes harder when the metal is heated. So the name shows the alloy is 'stronger' and good for 'shaping at high heat', which explains its use in cast and hot-worked parts.
