COMPARISON OF PHOSPHOR BRONZE METAL SHEET PRODUCED BY TWIN-ROLL CASTING AND HORIZONTAL CONTINUOUS-CASTING

Much effort recently has been expended to study the strip casting proc ess used to produce thin metal strip with a near final thickness, This process eliminates the need for hot rolling, consumes less energy, an d offers a feasible method of producing various hard-to-shape alloys. The finer microstructure that results from the high cooling rate used during the casting process enhances mechanical properties, In this stu dy, strips of phosphor bronzes (Cu-Sn-P) metal were produced using a t win roll strip casting process as well as a conventional horizontal co ntinuous casting (HCC) process. The microstructures, macrosegregations , textures, and mechanical properties of the as-cast and as-rolled met al sheet produced by these two methods were examined carefully for com parative purposes. The results indicate that cast strip produced by a twin roll easter exhibit significantly less inverse segregation of tin compared to that produced by the HCC process. The mechanical properti es including tensile strength, elongation, and microhardness of the pr oducts produced by the I:win roll strip casting process are comparable to those of the HCC processed sheet. These properties meet specificat ions JIS H3110 and ASTM B 103M for commercial phosphor bronze sheet. T he texture of the as-rolled sheet from these two processes, as measure d from XRD pole figures, mere found to be virtually the same, even tho ugh a significant difference exists between them in the as-cast condit ion.