Cu-Zn alloy (Brass) is widely used as an industrial material because of its excellent characteristics such as high corrosion resistance, non-magnetism and good forging ability. This paper evaluates the mechanical and microstructure properties of α-brass alloy gotten from scrap copper and zinc metal, and compares the properties with normal α-brass billets. Five different compositions of the α-brass alloy (Cu-5%Zn, Cu-10%Zn, Cu-15%Zn, were produced from scraps of copper wire and zinc batteries casing respectively by method of sand casting. The parts of the cast rods were machined to a specification of 60 mm × 100 mm × 300 mm on a lathe to obtain tensile test specimens. After homogenization annealing, the samples were heated in an electric furnace at 500˚C for 3 hours. The samples were etched with ferric chloride solution for 20 seconds and sent for metallographic examination. The result of the hardness test shows variation in hardness of the cast Cu-Zn alloys with increasing zinc content. The ductility and elongation of the α-brass decrease with increasing zinc content. The colouration of the α-brass changed from red to yellow as the zinc content increases. In conclusion, hard brass can be obtained from recycled Cu and Zn as compared to normal brass billets.
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