Cu-Zn alloys, usually known as brass, have been utilized in numerous engineering applications because of their good mechanical properties as well as the high corrosion resistance. Furthermore, bcc-β Cu-Zn alloys exhibit shape memory effect or superelasticity. Recently, Eastman et al. have reported the Cu-Zn binary phase diagram by the diffusion couple method [1], in which the phase boundaries of the γ and ε phases deviate from the previous reports [2]. Concentration at phase boundary in a diffusion couple occasionally differs from the equilibrium concentration. In this study, therefore, the phase equilibria of the Cu-Zn binary system were experimentally redetermined mainly by two-phase alloys.

Reference: [1] C.M. Eastman et al., Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion 41.5, 642-653 (2020). [2] A.P. Miodownik, Phase Diagrams of Binary Copper Alloys, ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 487–496 (1994).