Pumps are made of various materials. Pumps are offered in a variety of construction materials for dispensing most types of liquids and chemicals. Some common materials used in the construction of pumps are as follows:
Aluminum
Aluminum is a silvery and ductile member of the poor metal group of chemical elements. Aluminum is found primarily as the ore bauxite. It is a light trivalent metallic element and has good electrical and thermal conductivity, high reflectivity, and resistance to oxidation. Aluminum is used in many industries to make millions of different products and is very important to the world economy.
Brass
The term used for alloys of copper and zinc in a solid solution is called brass. It is more than 50% copper and from 5 to 20% zinc. Brass comes with good strength. It has excellent high temperature ductility and reasonable cold ductility. Brass has also good conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance. Since it also has good bearing properties and low magnetic permeability, it is a ideal material for construction of pumps.
Bronze
The term used for alloys of copper and tin is called Bronze. Sometimes, bronze is also found with other elements such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminum, or silicon. It is strong and tough, and has wide range of uses in industry. Some types of brasses are also called bronzes. Sintered bronze is a porous material, which can be impregnated with oil, graphite or PTFE. It is not suitable for heavily loaded applications but is of great use where lubrication is inconvenient.
Cast Iron
There are various types of cast irons which are widely used in industry, especially for valves, pumps, pipes, filters and certain mechanical parts. Cast iron can be considered as an alloy of iron, silicon and carbon. Cast irons are natural composite materials whose properties are determined by their micro structures, that is, the stable and metastable phases formed during solidification or subsequent heat treatment. Cast irons have improved (corrosion) resistance and substantially modified mechanical and physical properties. Various types of cast irons used in the construction of pumps are:
- Gray Cast Iron
- White Cast Iron
- Chilled Iron (duplex)
- Malleable Cast Irons
- Ductile Or Nodular Cast Irons
Plastic
Plastic includes a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic polymerization products. It is composed of organic condensation or addition polymers and other substances to improve performance or economics. It is capable of being molded, extruded, cast into various shapes and films, or drawn into filaments used as textile fibers. It is malleable, having the property of plasticity. It is designed with immense variation in properties such as heat tolerance, hardness, resiliency and many others. Combined with this adaptability, the general uniformity of composition and light weight of plastic ensures its use in almost all industrial segments.
Stainless Steel
Another material of construction of pumps is stainless steel. Stainless steel is chemical and corrosion resistant and can have relatively high pressure ratings.
