Improving the Quality of Cast Ingot for the Production of Defect-Free Rolled and Polished Blanks of Silver-Copper Coinage Alloy

Abstract

The causes of defect generation in Ag-7.5 wt% Cu coinage alloy billets and in rolled and polished blanks were evaluated in this paper. Microstructural and compositional study of the as-cast billets indicated that excessive formation of gas-porosity and shrinkage cavity was responsible for crack formation during rolling. Carbon pick-up from charcoal flux cover used during melting, formation of CuS inclusions due to high-S content and rapid work-hardening also contributed to cracking during rolling. In order to prevent the defect generation, several measures were adopted. Those measures significantly reduced the defect generation and improved the surface luster of the trial rolled strips.