Effect of Doping Elements on Machining Performance of Brass

In order to investigate the influence of different doping elements on the machinability of brass alloys, five types of doped brass alloys were prepared: 2%Sn brass, 0.5% Sn brass, Sn-Fe brass, Pb brass, and Si brass. Their microstructure, mechanical properties, and machinability were compared with H59 brass. The results indicate that the cutting performance of tin-brass with 2% (mass fraction) Sn is superior to that of Sn brass with 0.5% (mass fraction) Sn. Sn-Fe and Pb-brasses exhibit excellent cutting abilities and chip-breaking properties due to the presence of second phase particles dispersed along their grain boundaries. The ranking order for cutting forces among these six types of brasses is as follows: 0.5% Sn brass > 2% Sn brass > Sn-Fe brass > Si brass > H59 brass > Pb brass; while Pb-brass demonstrates good machinability but poor mechanical strength, Si-brass exhibits both good machinability and improved mechanical strength.