Definition

Noun: A type of bronze alloy that contains nickel as a principal alloying element, typically in amounts up to 30%. This addition of nickel enhances properties such as strength, corrosion resistance, and a distinctive silvery appearance compared to traditional tin bronzes.

Usage

Nickel bronze is used primarily in industrial and marine applications due to its durability. * The ship's propeller was cast from a special nickel bronze for superior resistance to seawater. * This museum artifact is made of nickel bronze, which explains its excellent preservation state.

Advanced Usage

• Technical Specification: In metallurgy, the term specifies the nickel content within the bronze's composition.
  • The specification calls for a nickel bronze with a minimum of 20% nickel.

Variants and Related Words

• Nickel silver (noun): A different, copper-nickel-zinc alloy that is silver in appearance but contains no elemental silver. It is distinct from nickel bronze.
• Cupronickel (noun): An alloy of copper and nickel, commonly used in coinage and marine hardware, which does not contain the tin typical of bronzes.

Synonyms

• Copper-nickel alloy (general term)
• Nickel-bearing bronze (descriptive term)

Different Meanings

This term has a specific, technical meaning as defined above. It is not commonly used in idiomatic or figurative language.

Noun

1. a bronze containing up to 30% nickel