Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippy
I was warned in mechanic school never to make hydraulic brake lines out of copper, since it's too soft. Does the nickel harden it up enough to work reliably?
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Never heard of copper being unsuitable for brake line pressures (if that's the kind of soft you mean).
But, nickel does add strength to the copperh.
Steel has a higher burst pressure, but that number diminishes dramatically after exposure to salt, making copper nickel very popular with the ship builders.
Copper nickel costs more, which is why it's not common for OEM applications.
That being said, it has been used since the 70's on Volvo, Rolls Royce, Lotus, Aston Martin and Porsche.
Applications: Automotive - Copper-Nickel Automotive Vehicle Brake Tubing