Effects of wall thickness on microstructures and properties of α/β brasses pipes produced by horizontal continuous casting

Horizontal continuous casting after 100 years experience is now an important way for manufacturing of finished and semifinished products in industries. In the present work, microstructures of an alloyed brass in the form of pipe produced by this method were investigated. The microstructural features such as porosities, cavities, phases as well as quantitative and morphological aspects were related to the solidification conditions and process parameters. Optical and scanning electron microscopes as well as X-ray diffraction technique were employed to characterise the material. The results showed that distinct differences were observed between microstructures in different parts of the cross-section reflecting the differences in the solidification conditions at different parts and dimensions of the product. Hardness measurements also showed corresponding differences at different parts of the cross-section. The change in wall thickness of the pipe had a remarkable effect on final structures and properties.