Effects of aging parameters on hardness and electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy by artificial neural network

In order to predict and control the properties of Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy,a model of aging processes via an artificial neural network(ANN) method to map the non-linear relationship between parameters of aging process and the hardness and electrical conductivity properties of the Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy was set up.The results show that the ANN model is a very useful and accurate tool for the property analysis and prediction of aging Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy.Aged at 470-510 ℃ for 4-1 h,the optimal combinations of hardness 110-117(HV) and electrical conductivity 40.6-37.7 S/m are available respectively.

Effect of Deformation and Aging Treatment on Electrical Conductivity of Cu-Cr Alloy

The effect of deformation and aging treatment on the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy was studied. The results show that deformation can reduce the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy, but deformation followed by optimum aging treatment can effectively improve the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy, under the condition of 0～70% deformation, and the electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy by aging treatment increases and the aging time of obtaining much better electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy decreases with increase in deformation quantity of Cu-Cr alloy. The best electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr alloy after deformation can be obtained by aging treatment at 500 ℃. And also the reasons for the variations of alloy's electrical conductivity and the function of adding RE were analyzed.

Creep aging behavior of retrogression and re-aged 7150 aluminum alloy

Creep aging behavior of retrogression and re-aged(RRAed)7150 aluminum alloy(AA7150)was systematically investigated using the creep aging experiments,mechanical properties tests,electrical conductivity tests and transmission electron microscope(TEM)observations.Creep aging results show that the steady-state creep mechanism of RRAed alloys is mainly dislocation climb(stress exponent≈5.8),which is insensitive to the grain interior and boundary precipitates.However,the total creep deformation increases over the re-aging time.In addition,the yield strength and tensile strength of the four RRAed samples are essentially the same after creep aging at 140℃ for 16 h,but the elongation decreases slightly with the re-aging time.What’s more,the retrogression and re-aging treatment are beneficial to increase the hardness and electrical conductivity of the creep-aged 7150 aluminum alloy.It can be concluded that the retrogression and re-aging treatment before creep aging forming process can improve the microstructure within grain and at grain boundary,forming efficiency and comprehensive performance of mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of 7150 aluminum alloy.

Microstructure and properties of Cu-3Ti-1Ni alloy with aging process

The effects of Ni addition and aging treatment on the microstructure and properties of Cu?3Ti alloy were investigated. Themicrostructure and phase constituents were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometerand high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and the hardness and electrical conductivity were measured as well. Theresults show that NiTi phase forms with addition of Ni into as-cast Cu-3Ti alloy during solidification, and the as-cast microstructureevolves from dentrite to equiaxial structure. After aging treatment, coherent metastable β′-Cu4Ti precipitates from the Cu matrix.However, β′-Cu4Ti precipitation phase transforms into equilibrium, incoherent and lamellar Cu3Ti phase after overaging. Meanwhile,aging treatment results in appearance of annealing twins in the residual NiTi phase, and dislocation lines exist in the Cu matrix. Niaddition enhances the electrical conductivity, but decreases the hardness of Cu?3Ti alloy. In the range of experiments, the optimumaging treatment for Cu?3Ti?1Ni alloy is 300 °C for 2 h and 450 °C for 7 h. The hardness and electrical conductivity were HV 205and 18.2%IACS (international annealed copper standard), respectively.

Aging Precipitation of Lead Frame Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn Alloy

Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloys are one of the most popular lead frame alloys due to their high thermal and electrical conductivity as well as high strength. The effects of microstructure and aging processes on hardness and electrical conductivity of Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn alloy were studied. At 450 ℃ aging for 1 h the fine and ordered precipitates Cr are found and are coherent with Cu matrix. Small and fine Cr precipitates make the Cu-Cr-Sn-Zn lead frame alloy possesses higher hardness and conductivity. At 450 ℃ for 3～6 h,the hardness and electrical conductivity can reach 122～106 HV and 68% IACS -70% IACS,respectively. Hardness 113～109 HV and conductivity 66% IACS -69% IACS are available at 500 ℃ aging for 2～3 h.

Aging Kinetics in a CuNiSiCr Alloy

The aging precipitation behavior in solution treated Cu-Ni-Si-Cr alloy has been studied in terms of the analyses of the variations in electrical conductivity. On the basis of the linear relationship between the electrical conductivity and the volume fraction of the precipitates, the phase transformation kinetics equation was deduced from the Avrami empiricai formula. On the basis of this equation, transformation kinetics curves corresponding to 5% and 50% transformation were established.

Aging Behavior of Cu-Ag-Zr-Ce Alloy

Cu-Ag-Zr-Ce alloy has an excellent combination of high mechanical strength and high electrical conductivity. By means of a vacuum induction melting, Cu-Ag-Zr-Ce alloy was produced. The effects of aging processes and rare earths element cerium on microhardness and conductivity of Cu-Ag-Zr-Ce alloy were studied. By aging at 480 ℃ for 2 h, the alloy has an excellent combination of microhardness and conductivity, the microhardness and conductivity reach 132 HV and 80.24%IACS, respectively. The precipitates responsible for the age-hardening effect are f. c. c. Cu_5Zr, the fine and dispersed precipitates are fully coherent with the Cu matrix, and make the Cu-Ag-Zr-Ce alloy possesses higher hardness and conductivity. With the addition of trace rare earth element cerium, the strength is increased about 9～49 MPa, but the effect on conductivity is very little.

Aging Behavior of Cu-Cr-Zr-Ce Alloy

The aging properties of Cu-0.35Cr-0.038Zr-0.055Ce alloy are studied. The results show that can obtain higher electrical conductivity and microhardness after solutioned at 920°Cfor Ih, and aged at 500°C. The process of precipitation of the secondary phase can be accelerated with cold deformation before aging, so properties of the alloy are improved. Upon aging at 500°C for 30 minutes after 60% cold deformation, the values of electrical conductivity and microhardness are 69.0%IACS and 152HV respectively, but they are only 66.2%IACS and 136HV upon directly aging after solution. With the addition of a trace of rare earth element Ce, the value of microhardness of Cu-0.35Cr-0.038Zr alloy increases 18-25HV, while the value of electrical conductivity drops a little.

Aging Precipitation Characteristics of Lead Frame Cu-Cr-Zr-Mg Alloy

This paper presents the effects of aging processes on the properties and microstructure of Cu-0.3Cr-0.15Zr-0.05Mg lead frame alloy. Optimal conditions for good hardening and electrical conductivity can be obtained by solution treating at 920 °C for Ih and aging at 470^0 for 4h and at 550^ for Ih. The hardness and electrical conductivity can reach 108HV, 73%IACS and 106HV, 76%IACS, respectively. Aging precipitation was dealt with by transmission electronic microscope (TEM). At 470 °C aging for 4h the fine precipitation of an ordered compound CrCu2(Zr,Mg) is found in matrix as well as fine Cr and Cu4Zr. Aging at 550’C for Ih some precipitates are still coherent with matrix. The CrCu2(Zr,Mg) completely dissolves into Cr and Cu4Zr.

Electrical conductivity of Cu-Ag in situ filamentary composites

The electrical conductivity of Cu-10Ag in situ filamentary composite was studied during the deformation and annealing processes. The dependence of electrical resistivity of the deformed composites on the true strain presents a two-stage change with increase of the true strain. The intermediate heat treatment and the stabilized annealing treatment to the deformed composite promote the separation of Ag precipitate, and increase the electrical conductivity. The maximum conductivity of the composite experienced the stabilizing heat treatment can reach about 97% IACS with σb≥400 MPa at 550 ℃ annealing, and reach about 70% IACS with σb≥1 250 MPa at 300 ℃ annealing. The corresponded strength of the composite was reported. The microstructure reason for the changes of the conductivity was discussed.

Nanostructures and nanoprecipitates induce high strength and high electrical conductivity in a CuCrZr alloy

The mixed nanostructure mainly consisting of nanotwins and nanograins was obtained in a solid solution CuCrZr alloy by means of dynamic plastic deformation at cryogenic temperature.After subsequent aging treatments,the precipitation of Cr at nanometer scale provided further strengthening and brought substantial recovery of electrical conductivity.The aged nanostructured CuCrZr alloy exhibited a high tensile strength of 832MPa and a high electrical conductivity of 71.2%IACS.The details of precipitation tuned by nanotwin boundaries were demonstrated in this work.The combined strengthening of nanostructures and nanoprecipitates was discussed.

Enhancement of strength and electrical conductivity for a dilute Al-Sc-Zr alloy via heat treatments and cold drawing

Developing heat-resistant conductors with high strength and high electrical conductivity is a key issue in the electrical conductor industries, as the ever-increasing power transmission poses higher requirement on the thermal stability of electrical conductor wires. Dilute Al-Sc-Zr alloys are considered as promising candidates due to the excellent heat resistance and high electrical conductivity, but the low strength always limits their application on electrical wires. Yet, few efforts on process design have been made in dilute Al-Sc-Zr alloys to enhance the strength. Here, various kinds of processing paths via combination of cold drawing, ageing and/or annealing were conducted to improve the strength and electrical conductivity of a dilute Al-Sc-Zr alloy. Results show that enhanced strength and electrical conductivity were obtained after cold drawing + ageing or pre-ageing + cold drawing + annealing treatments processes.Optimal properties(194 MPa in ultimate tensile strength and 61% IACS in electrical conductivity) were obtained through cold drawing followed by ageing. Microstructure evolution which affects strength and electrical conductivity was systematically investigated using TEM and 3 DAP. The enhanced strength was mainly attributed to the suitable interactions between strain strengthening and precipitation strengthening. The enhancement in electrical conductivity was caused by precipitation of solute atoms and recovery of defects. These results provide foundations for the processing design of Al-Sc-Zr conducting wires with good properties and push forward their potential application in heat resistant conductor industries.

Development of high mechanical properties and moderate thermal conductivity cast Mg alloy with multiple RE via heat treatment

A new cast Mg-2Gd-2Nd-2Y-1Ho-1Er-0.5Zn-0.4Zr （wt%） alloy was prepared by direct-chill semicontinuous casting technology. The microstructure, mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of the alloy in as-cast, solid-solution treated and especially peak-aged conditions were investigated. The as-cast alloy mainly consists of α-Mg matrix, （Mg, Zn）3 RE phase and basal plane stacking faults. After proper solid-solution treatment, the microstructure becomes almost Mg-based single phase solid solution except just very few RE-riched particles. The as-cast and solid-solution treated alloys exhibit moderate tensile properties and thermal conductivity. It is noteworthy that the Mg alloy with 8 wt% multiple RE exhibits remarkable age-hardening response （AHV=35.7）, which demonstrates that the multiple RE （RE = Gd, Nd, Y, Ho, Er） alloying instead of single Gd can effectively improve the age-hardening response. The peak-aged alloy has a relatively good combination of high strength/hardness （UTS （ultimate tensile strength） 〉 300 MPa; TYS （tensile yield strength）〉210 MPa; 115.3 HV）, proper ductility （ε≈ 6%） and moderate thermal conductivity （52.5 W/（m K））. The relative mechanisms mainly involving aging precipitation of β″ and β＂ phases were discussed. The results provide a basis for development of high performance cast Mg alloys.2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science ＆ Technology.

Ag含量对低合金化Cu-Ag合金拉拔线材组织和性能的影响

采用热型水平连铸技术制备Ag含量分别为0.6%、1.0%、2.0%和4.0%的Cu-Ag合金杆坯,并将d 16.0 mm杆坯拉拔加工成d 1.0 mm的线材,利用透射电镜分析其微细组织,并测试导电和力学性能。结果表明:拉拔线材由平行于拉拔方向的纤维晶组成,Cu-0.6Ag合金线纤维晶平均宽度约为340 nm;随着Ag含量增加,纤维晶尺寸减小,Cu-4.0Ag合金线纤维晶平均宽度为115 nm。纤维晶存在显著的〈111〉取向,纤维晶晶界主要为由位错塞积形成的小角度晶界,晶内存在大量位错,并发现少量的孪晶。随着Ag含量增加,Ag元素分布由局部富集转变为Ag相析出。Cu-0.6Ag和Cu-4.0Ag合金线材导电率随Ag含量的增大而减小,分别为91.2%IACS和79.5%IACS。Cu-0.6Ag和Cu-4.0Ag合金线材抗拉强度随Ag含量的增加而增大,分别为402.6 MPa和702.9 MPa。抗拉强度提高的主要原因是细晶强化和Ag相沉淀强化作用。

退火温度对小变形拉拔Cu-0.08Ag合金组织性能的影响

目的在分析变形量为25%的小变形拉拔加工Cu-0.08Ag合金组织与性能的基础上,研究不同退火温度对小变形拉拔Cu-0.08Ag合金微观组织、力学性能和导电性能的影响规律,为Cu-Ag合金电磁线漆包工艺的制定提供参考。方法利用电子背散射衍射(EBSD)技术对Cu-0.08Ag合金小变形拉拔及200~500℃不同温度退火1 h后的样品进行组织表征,结合显微硬度计、拉伸试验机和电阻计等手段对性能进行综合分析。结果经变形量为25%的小变形拉拔后,Cu-0.08Ag合金等轴晶组织部分晶粒沿变形方向被拉长,<111>和<100>取向占比均增大,应力集中分布在<111>晶粒内,屈服强度提高了270%,而电导率仅下降了4.1%IACS。小变形拉拔Cu-0.08Ag合金的软化温度为350℃。与小变形拉拔态相比,在300℃及以下退火时显微组织和力学性能未发生明显变化,而电导率提升了2.9%IACS。在400℃及以上退火时,无畸变的等轴晶粒取代变形晶粒,并产生大量的退火孪晶,晶粒取向随机分布,力学性能和电导率与小变形拉拔前的相当。结论在300℃以下退火后,小变形拉拔Cu-0.08Ag合金在保持较高屈服强度的同时,其电导率也获得了提升,可获得强度和电导率良好的匹配关系。

Electrical and mechanical properties of Cu-Cr-Zr alloy aged under imposed direct continuous current

The Cu-Cr-Zr alloys were aged at different temperatures for different time with different current densities. The results show that both the electrical conductivity and hardness are greatly improved after being aged with current at a proper temperature. The electrical conductivity increases approximately linearly with increasing current density while the hardness remains constant. The microstructure observation reveals that a much higher density of dislocations and nanosized Cr precipitates appear after the imposition of current, which contributes to the higher electrical conductivity and hardness. The mechanism is related with three factors： 1） Joule heating due to the current, 2） migration of mass electrons, 3） solute atoms, vacancies, and dislocations promoted by electron wind force.

Effects of the two-step ageing treatment on the microstructure and properties of 7B04 alloy pre-stretched thick plates

The effects of the two-step ageing parameters （temperature and time） on the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of 7B04 （A1-Zn-Mg-Cu） pre-stretched thick plates were studied. The results reveal that the initial T1 ageing contributes a major increase of the tensile strength, and the 0.2% proof stress value reaches 482 MPa after ageing for 7 h at 115℃. Behavioral differences in the tensile properties of the alloy after the two-step ageing treatment were less with the first-step ageing at 115~C for different time periods （7, 14, and 21 h）. The effects of the second ageing parameters on the properties and microstructure of the 7B04 alloy were remarkable. TEM analysis of the samples aged at Temper I （7 h at 115℃ ＋ 12 h at 160℃） and Temper II （7 h at 115℃ ＋ 16 h at 165℃） indicates that two kinds of phases, i.e. 11＇ and 11 phases, precipitate from the matrix and efficiently improve the tensile strength of the alloy, and the grain boundary precipitates are coarse and discrete. There are obvious precipitate free zones （PFZs） along the grain boundary in the microstructure of the alloy after the two-step ageing treatment.

Effect of thermomechanical treatment on microstructure and properties of Cu-Cr-Zr-Ag alloy

The effects of thermomechanical treatment on the properties and microstructure of Cu-Cr-Zr alloy and Cu-Cr-Zr-Ag alloy were investigated. Ag addition improves the mechanical properties of the alloy through solid solution strengthening and brings a little effect on the electrical conductivity of the alloy. A new Cu-Cr-Zr-Ag alloy was developed, which has an excellent combination of the tensile strength, elongation, and electrical conductivity reaching 476.09 MPa, 15.43% and 88.68% IACS respectively when subjected to the optimum thermomechanical treatment, i.e., solution-treating at 920℃ for 1 h, cold drawing to 96% deformation, followed by aging at 400℃ for 3 h. TEM analysis revealed two kinds of finely dispersed precipitates of Cr and CuaZr. It is very important to use the mechanisms of solid solution strengthening, work hardening effect as well as precipitate pinning effect of dislocations to improve tensile strength of the alloy without adversely affecting its electrical conductivity.

Influence of Cerium Addition on Microstructure and Properties of Cu-Ag Alloy in Situ Filamentary Composites

The in situ filamentary composites based on the Cu-10Ag and Cu-10Ag-Ce alloys were prepared. The microstructure and properties of the composites were studied. The effects of Ce addition on the microstructure as cast, including refining Cu grains and the Ag filaments, increasing the proportion of (Cu+Ag) eutectic and decreasing the proportion of the Ag precipitate, were researched. The average size of the Ag filaments in the composites could be approached by a formula: d=C·exp(-0.228η), here C is a coefficient related to the size of the original grains and 1500 nm for Cu-10Ag and 800 nm for Cu-10Ag-Ce. A two-stage strain strengthening effect was found for the deformed composites, that is the dislocation strengthening at low strain stage and the ultra-fine Ag filaments or interface strengthening at the high strain stage. The intermediate heat treatment at lower temperature further refined the Ag filaments and therefore improved the properties. The high strengthening rate of Ce addition on Cu-10Ag alloy attributed the refining effect to Cu grains and Ag filaments. The typical properties of the heavy deformed composites with 1 IHT reached to UTS=1500 MPa with conductivity 62% IACS for the Cu-10Ag alloy and UTS=1550 MPa with conductivity 65% IACS for the Cu-10Ag-Ce alloy, respectively.