Dezincification of boron implanted brass

This study investigates the dezincification resistance of brass with boron additions using transmission electron microscopy and various yield analyses of reactions such as B(p, ay)Be, g(u, PY)C and B(p, y)C. The methodology employed a 2.5 MV Van de Graaff accelerator for conducting corrosion, structure, and composition analyses aimed at improving the dezincification resistance of boron implanted brass. The findings reveal that as-cast brasses with significant boron additions exhibited poor dezincification resistance, associated with a substantial accumulation of boron near the centerline. In contrast, boron implantation at a maximum concentration of 5 at. % demonstrated a temporary increase in dezincification resistance due to the trapping of vacancies by boron atoms. The experiments also indicated that boron implantation created a fine grain size polycrystalline sub-surface zone, which could maintain the boron concentration-death profile initially upon exposure to a rapid dezincification test solution, although corrosion eventually penetrated this zone over time, leading to a severe attack on the bulk material. This research contributes to understanding the role of boron in enhancing the resistance of brass to dezincification. It underscores the importance of boron distribution and its implications for the corrosion performance of brass alloys.