Mechanical and Microstructural Evaluation of Plastically Deformed Brass

The mechanical properties as well as microstructure of Cu-30.6 wt% Zn alloys containing 0.01 wt% lead has been investigated. The brass alloy was cast and then cold rolled at various percentage reductions: 20%, 25%, 30%, 35% and 40% followed by stress relieving annealed at 450℃. Hardness, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and impact toughness values were evaluated at every stage of reduction. It was discovered that the strength, hardness and impact energy all increased with increased percentage reduction. Finally, the optical microscope of the samples was done and the result achieved correlated with the mechanical properties.