Effects of Ultrasonic Cavitation on Microstructure and Deformation of CuZnAl Alloy

In the present study, the effect of ultrasonic cavitation on CuZnAl alloy was investigated. A corresponding experimental work was conducted based on an ultrasonic cavitation experimental rig. The microstructure and deformation of CuZnAl alloy were observed and analyzed at different exposure times. The results show that after ultrasonic cavitation treatment, the coarse long-strip grain structure of CuZnAl alloy was gradually refined into equiaxed grains, and the average grain size was reduced from 263.0 to 49.7 mu m. However, with long exposure to ultrasonic cavitation, grain boundaries crack and shed from the base, which causes attenuation of the grain refining effect, and the microhardness of the sample declines significantly. Furthermore, in different stages of deformation induced by ultrasonic cavitation, major deformation mechanisms were different. In the early deformation stage, the dislocation slip mechanism was dominant. In the later deformation stage, twinning deformation acted as another important mechanism.