Experimental Study of Microstructure and Mechanical Property of Cu30Zn6Al Alloy

This work focused on the synthesis, and microstructural and mechanical characterizations of copper-30% zinc6% aluminum (Cu30Zn6Al) alloy. The alloy was first synthesized using an induction furnace, then homogenized for different durations, and heated and quenched using one-step and two-step methods. Optical microscope and scanning electron microscope were employed for the microstructure characterization. Microhardness testing was performed to obtain the Vickers hardness of the alloy after the quenching processes. The increase of homogenization duration from 2 to 12 h increases the average grain size from about 50 mu m to about 100 mu m when the samples were homogenized at 500 degrees C. The microhardness of the alloy varied in the range of about 40 HV to about 75 HV after experiencing the quenching processes.