Influence of the Material Production Route on the Machinability of Lead-Free CuZn42 (CW510L/58V)

Abstract Due to global structural changes in digitalization, energy supply and mobility, the importance of copper-based materials is constantly increasing. This applies in particular to CuZn-alloys, which are characterized by very good electrical conductivity and generally good machining properties. As machining is one of the most important value-added processes for many brass products, the machining properties of these materials are highly relevant. In order to achieve good machining properties, the element lead with mass contents of up to mPb = 4 % was added to CuZn-alloys in the past. The efficient machinability of these materials is offset by the harmful effects of the element lead on the environment and health. For this reason, the maximum permissible lead content in metallic alloys has been increasingly reduced in recent years by statutory regulations and the affected industries will soon be dependent on lead-free alternative alloys. While lead-free CuZn-alloys generally retain their outstanding application properties, their machinability is challenging. Non-breaking, long chips and high process forces are the result, which is why more and more approaches are being researched to optimize the machinability of lead-free CuZn-alloys. Preliminary work indicates that the mechanical properties and microstructure of CuZn-alloys have a major influence on their machinability. In this work, the influence of the material production route (pressing, wire drawing, heat treatment) on the machinability is to be analyzed by a systematic variation of CuZn42 (CW510L/58V). It was found that the material manufacturing route has an influence on the resulting cutting force components and the underlying chip formation mechanisms, which can be used to improve chip breakage in several machining processes.