which metal will last longer... Copper or Brass?

Answer 1

The environment of the exposure matters; however, in most environments, I would say the brass would last longer. And a specially alloyed brass would last the longest. This is because of the advantages gained by alloying the copper.

The resistance of brasses to corrosion by aqueous solutions does not change markedly as long as the zinc content does not exceed about 15%. Above 15% Zn, dezincification may occur. Other alloying elements such as lead, tellurium, beryllium, chromium, phosphorus, and manganese have little or no effect on the corrosion resistance of coppers and binary copper-zinc alloys. These elements are added to enhance such mechanical properties as machinability, strength, and hardness.

If the exposure environment will see any stress forces, then copper will most likely out last brass. as Copper alloys like brass are susceptibility to stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) and alloys that contain more zinc are more susceptible. Resistance increases substantially as zinc content decreases from 15% to 0%. Stress-corrosion cracking is practically unknown in commercial copper.

Answer 2

Brass will last longer as it have better resistance to corrosion than copper. Moreover brass is not a pure metal. Brass is a mixture of two metals.

Answer 3

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, copper is corrosion resistant and zinc is ductile so overall I think Brass and Copper both will last long.

Answer 4

It depends on what is causing your material to degrade. Copper is very soft, so if wear is your issue copper is probably not very good. Copper as a roofing material can last very long because it forms a protective layer (the green color you see on copper roofs). At sea, brass and bronze have traditionally been used because they provide superior resistance to salt water corrosion.