The influence of Aluminium and Iron additions on Copper-Manganese-Zinc Alloys

Abstract

MANY alloys in the ternary system Cu-Mn-Zn form the single phase a brass type structure and in particular, the alloys approximating to the composition 70 Cu-20 Mn-l0 Zn are sensibly white in colour.These latter alloys also possess mechanical properties and a corrosion resistance comparable with the brasses and nickel silvers. The potential of these alloys as subs-titutes for the white range of Cu-Ni alloys (nickel silvers) was originally investigated by R. S. Dean et al1 in 1945 but was not pursued commercially due, it is throught, to the limited output and excessive cost of high purity manganese at the time. Today, it is possible to purchase high purity electrolytic manganese at a price similar to copper. The potential of these alloys as substitutes nickel silver has thus become a more attractive proposition. The main aim of the present investigation was to evaluate some of the salient properties of the 70 Cu-20 Mn-10 Zn alloys and also to study the effects of separate additions of aluminium and iron as replacefnent elements for zinc.