Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructural Changes in Aluminium Bronze

Abstract

Abstract This paper attempts to summarise the microstructural changes which take place in aluminium bronzes during heat treatment. Another objective of this study was to map the potential of a certain type of aluminium bronzes for undergoing martensitic transformation. The methods, which were chosen for assessing the results of heat treatment with regard to their availability, included measurement of hardness and observation of microstructure using light and scanning electron microscopy, Additional tools for evaluation of microstructure comprised measurement of microhardness and chemical analysis by EDS. An important part of the experiment is observation of microstructural changes in the Jominy bar during the end-quench test. Upon completing experiments of this kind, one can define the heat treatment conditions necessary for obtaining optimum properties. In addition, the paper presents important findings on how to improve the corrosion resistance of aluminium bronzes by special heat treatment sequences.