Abstract
An investigation was carried out to assess the effect of the Sn content on the microstructure, hardness and wear properties of surface refined Cu-Sn bronze alloys. The surface refining was carried out using the Gas Tungsten Arc (GTA) as heat source. Alloys of various compositions, (4, 6, 8, 10, 12 wt% Sn) were melted in a melting furnace under an argon atmosphere and cast into sand moulds in the form of rods. Microstructural evaluation of the as-cast, refined and homogenized specimens were conducted using an optical microscope. The Vicker's Hardness Tester was used to measure the hardness of the modified layer and the wear testing was conducted using DUCOM Pin-On-Disc wear testing machine as per ASTM G99 standard under dry sliding condition in air. The microstructure of the modified layer showed a refined grain structure as compared to the coarse dendritic structure observed in the as cast sample. The homogenized specimen showed that there was no formation of any non-equilibrium phase due to rapid cooling. It was found that the hardness of the modified layer increases when the Sn content was increased from 4-12%. The wear rate decreases linearly with the Sn content. The Coefficient of Friction was found to remain constant irrespective of the hardness. The results of this study using GTA as heat source are comparable to those of previous works in which laser and e-beam heat sources were used.
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