Study on the microstructure and mechanical properties during cold rolling and annealing process of Cu-30Zn-1Al-1Mn Alloys

This research was conducted to determine the effect of cold rolling and annealing process on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Cu-30Zn-1Al-1Mn brass alloy produced by gravity casting. Samples were cold rolled with deformation levels of 20%, 40% and 70% and followed by annealing process with temperature variations of 300°C, 400°C, 500°C, and 600°C for 30 minutes. Sample characterization includes chemical composition analysis, microstructure observation and hardness testing. The results illustrate that the Cu-30Zn-1Al-1Mn brass alloy shows the appearance of α and β phases. The cold rolling process with a deformation levels of 20% and 40% promote the formation of a slip and twinning mechanism. On the other hand, samples with a 70% deformation level are dominated by shear bands. The annealing process induces the phenomena of recovery, recrystallization and process of grain growth. The higher the deformation level, the faster the recrystallization process. Furthermore, the smaller the grain size, the higher the sample hardness.