influence of silicon additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of manganese bronze alloys

The present investigation aims to synthesize rb031, rb032 manganese bronze alloys equivalent to htb1and htb2 alloys with the addition of silicon and to characterize them with the help of microstructure andmechanical properties. the methodology involves melting of alloys in a 300kg coreless medium frequency inductionfurnace, casting them in permanent and shell molds with optimum values of zinc equivalent and retaining theirhigh mechanical properties. the study includes the development and mechanical property measurements of thealloys synthesized. characterization has been carried out using optical microscopy and scanning electronmicroscopy with edax analysis for investigation of compositional variations and inquisition of hardnessmeasurement & tensile properties. it is concluded from this work that rb032 alloy cast in permanent molds hassuperior hardness and tensile properties compared to shell molds which far exceeds that of nab (ab2) alloysprocessed under similar conditions. further, this investigation includes grain refinement by suitable heat treatmentstudies to combat hot tearing since the strength is adequate enough with rb032 exhibiting higher hardness thanother two alloys.