Copper Hardening

[dik]

Is it possible for copper to 'harden' over a period of time. We are looking at a hard fired clay brick was that is about 100 years old and the veneer has been secured using copper ties. The copper may be an alloy or may just have some imputities in it.

The ties are 'hard' and not easily bent as one would expect. Is it possible that these have hardened over the years due to impurities.

Thanks, Dik

 

[EdStainless]

It is possible. There are some impurities that will cause an aging effect, though it probably happened in the first few day/weeks.
There are also factors that impact how much the Cu will harden when it is cold worked (twisted/bent).



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[dik]

Thanks... it does not appear to be strain hardened and there would be little movement over the decades. I was wondering if there were impurities that might be causing this. We have not undertaken any metallurgical work to determine the constituents of the copper.

The query was more from a curiosity as to why the copper was so 'hard' and not easily bent.

Dik

 

[EdStainless]

Probably impurities, As being common.
I presumed that these were bent originally to hold the brick/tiles.
We are spoiled with modern material.

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