Design of low-alloying and high-performance solid solution-strengthened copper alloys with element substitution for sustainable development

Solid solution-strengthened copper alloys have the advantages of a simple composition and manufacturing process,high mechanical and electrical comprehensive performances,and low cost;thus,they are widely used in high-speed rail contact wires,electronic component connectors,and other devices.Overcoming the contradiction between low alloying and high performance is an important challenge in the development of solid solution-strengthened copper alloys.Taking the typical solid solution-strengthened alloy Cu-4Zn-1Sn as the research object,we proposed using the element In to replace Zn and Sn to achieve low alloying in this work.Two new alloys,Cu-1.5Zn-1Sn-0.4In and Cu-1.5Zn-0.9Sn-0.6In,were designed and prepared.The total weight percentage content of alloying elements decreased by 43%and 41%,respectively,while the product of ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and electrical conductivity(EC)of the annealed state increased by 14%and 15%.After cold rolling with a 90%reduction,the UTS of the two new alloys reached 576 and 627MPa,respectively,the EC was 44.9%IACS and 42.0%IACS,and the product of UTS and EC(UTS×EC)was 97%and 99%higher than that of the annealed state alloy.The dislocations proliferated greatly in cold-rolled alloys,and the strengthening effects of dislocations reached 332 and 356 MPa,respectively,which is the main reason for the considerable improvement in mechanical properties.

Effect of process parameters on the morphology of aluminum/copper alloy lap joints by red and blue hybrid laser welding

In order to overcome the problems of many pores,large deformation and unstable weld quality of traditional laser welded aluminumcopper alloy joints,a red-blue dual-beam laser source and a swinging laser were introduced for welding.T2 copper and 6063 aluminum thin plates were lap welded by coaxial dual-beam laser welding.The morphology of weld cross section was compared to explore the influence of process parameters on the formation of lap joints.The microstructure characteristics of the weld zone were observed and compared by optical microscope.The results show that the addition of laser beam swing can eliminate the internal pores of the weld.With the increase of the swing width,the weld depth decreases,and the weld width increases first and then decreases.The influence of welding speed on the weld cross section morphology is similar to that of swing width.With the increase of welding speed,the weld width increases first and then decreases,while the weld depth decreases all the time.This is because that the red laser is used as the main heat source to melt the base metals,with the increase of red laser power,the weld depth increases.As an auxiliary laser source,blue laser reduces the total energy consumption,consequently,the effective heat input increases and the spatter is restrained effectively.As a result,the increase of red laser power has an enhancement effect on the weld width and weld depth.When the swing width is 1.2 mm,the red laser power is 550 W,the blue laser power is 500 W,and the welding speed is 35 mm/s,the weld forming is the best.The lap joint of T2 copper and 6063 aluminum alloy thin plate can be connected stably with the hybrid of blue laser.The effect rules of laser beam swing on the weld formation were obtained,which improved the quality of the joints.

Microstructure and thermal properties of dissimilar M300–CuCr1Zr alloys by multi-material laser-based powder bed fusion

Multi-material laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) allows manufacturing of parts with 3-dimensional gradient and additional functionality in a single step. This research focuses on the combination of thermally-conductive CuCr1Zr with hard M300 tool steel.Two interface configurations of M300 on CuCr1Zr and CuCr1Zr on M300 were investigated. Ultra-fine grains form at the interface due to the low mutual solubility of Cu and steel. The material mixing zone size is dependent on the configurations and tunable in the range of0.1–0.3 mm by introducing a separate set of parameters for the interface layers. Microcracks and pores mainly occur in the transition zone.Regardless of these defects, the thermal diffusivity of bimetallic parts with 50vol% of CuCr1Zr significantly increases by 70%–150%compared to pure M300. The thermal diffusivity of CuCr1Zr and the hardness of M300 steel can be enhanced simultaneously by applying the aging heat treatment.

Spectra-assisted laser focusing in quantitative analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for copper alloys

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)is a capable technique for elementary analysis,while LIBS quantitation is still under development.In quantitation,precise laser focusing plays an important role because it ensures the distance between the laser and samples.In the present work,we employed spectral intensity as a direct way to assist laser focusing in LIBS quantitation for copper alloys.It is found that both the air emission and the copper line could be used to determine the position of the sample surface by referencing the intensity maximum.Nevertheless,the fine quantitation was only realized at the position where the air emission(e.g.O(I)777.4 nm)reached intensity maximum,and also in this way,a repeatable quantitation was successfully achieved even after 120 days.The results suggested that the LIBS quantitation was highly dependent on the focusing position of the laser,and spectra-assisted focusing could be a simple way to find the identical condition for different samples’detection.In the future,this method might be applicable in field measurements for LIBS analysis of solids.

Wear Evaluation of Copper-Nickel-Aluminum Alloys under Extreme Conditions

Cu-Ni-Al alloys at different concentrations were obtained using a high frequency induction melting unit, keeping a balance in the nominal compositions. Light alloys are important to be used in industrial applications. Aluminum additions result in a positive hardness increment of the ternary alloys in comparison with the binary Cu-Ni alloys. Generalized wear mechanisms of the alloys with low aluminum content are basically type abrasive, while samples with 5 and 10 at.% Al present an oxidative-adhesive wear mechanism. Wear results have indicated that aluminum addition affects positively the wear resistance, mainly in samples with high aluminum content product of the creation during the test of different oxides corresponding to the elements present in the alloys.

Electrochemical CO_(2) reduction:Progress and opportunity with alloying copper

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) into value-added chemicals offers an entrancing approach to main-taining the global carbon cycle and eliminating environmental threats.A key obstacle to achieving long-term and large-scale implementation of electrochemical CO_(2) reduction technology is the lack of active and selective cat-alysts.Copper(Cu)is one of the few candidates that can facilitate C–C coupling to obtain high-energy oxygenates and hydrocarbons beyond carbon monoxide(CO),but it suffers from poor selectivity for products of interest and high overpotentials.Alloying is an effective way to break the linear scaling relations and uniquely manipulate the reactivity and selectivity,which is hard to achieve by using monometallic compositions alone.By alloying Cu with other metals,one could change the catalytic properties of the catalyst by tuning the local electronic structure and modulating the adsorption strength of the reaction intermediates,thus improving the catalytic activity and selectivity.In this review,we focus on the recently developed Cu-based alloy catalysts(including conventional alloys,high-entropy alloys and single-atom alloys)that have been applied in electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction(ECR).Theoretical calculations and experimental advances in understanding the key rate-limiting and selectivity-determining steps in those alloys are summarized,with a particular focus on identifying binding energy de-scriptors and the dynamic product formation mechanisms.In addition,we outline the opportunities and chal-lenges in the fundamental understanding of ECR by recommending advanced in-situ characterization techniques and standardized electrochemical methods and offer atomic-level design principles for steering the reaction pathways to the desired products.

Effect of process parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of a nickel-aluminum-bronze alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

This work investigated the effect of process parameters on densification,microstructure,and mechanical properties of a nickel-aluminum-bronze(NAB)alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)additive manufacturing.The LPBF-printed NAB alloy samples with relative densities of over 98.5%were obtained under the volumetric energy density range of 200−250 J/mm^(3).The microstructure of the NAB alloy printed in both horizontal and vertical planes primarily consisted ofβ'martensitic phase and bandedαphase.In particular,a coarser-columnar grain structure and stronger crystallographic texture were achieved in the vertical plane,where the maximum texture intensity was 30.56 times greater than that of random textures at the(100)plane.Increasing the volumetric energy density resulted in a decrease in the columnar grain size,while increasing the amount ofαphase.Notably,β_(1)'martensitic structures with nanotwins and nanoscaleκ-phase precipitates were identified in the microstructure of LPBF-printed NAB samples with a volumetric energy density of 250 J/mm^(3).Furthermore,under optimal process parameters with a laser power of 350 W and scanning speed of 800 mm/s,significant improvements were observed in the microhardness(HV 386)and ultimate tensile strength(671 MPa),which was attributed to an increase in refined acicular martensite.

Processing map and hot deformation mechanism of novel nickel-free white copper alloy

Hot compression test of a novel nickel-free white alloy Cu?12Mn?15Zn?1.5Al?0.3Ti?0.14B?0.1Ce (mass fraction, %) was conducted on a Gleeble?1500 machine in the temperature range of 600?800 °C and the strain rate range of 0.01?10 s?1. The constitutive equation and hot processing map of the alloy were built up according to its hot deformation behavior and hot working characteristics. The deformation activation energy of the alloy is 203.005 kJ/mol. An instability region appears in the hot deformation temperature of 600?700 °C and the strain rate range of 0.32?10 s?1 when the true strain of the alloy is up to 0.7. Under the optimal hot deformation condition of 800 °C and 10 s?1 the prepared specimen has good surface quality and interior structure. The designed nickel-free alloy has very similar white chromaticity with the traditional white copper alloy (Cu?15Ni?24Zn?1.5Pb), and the color difference between them is less than 1.5, which can hardly be distinguished by human eyes.

Electron beam welding of 304 stainless steel to QCr0.8 copper alloy with copper filler wire

Electron beam welding （EBW） of 304 stainless steel to QCr0.8 copper alloy with copper filler wire was carried out. Orthogonal experiment was performed to investigate the effects of process parameters on the tensile strength of the joints, and the process parameters were optimized. The optimum process parameters are as follows：beam current of 30 mA, welding speed of 100 mm/min, wire feed rate of 1 m/min and beam offset of-0.3 mm. The microstructures of the optimum joint were studied. The results indicate that the weld is mainly composed of dendriticαphase with little globularεphase, and copper inhomogeneity only occurs at the top of the fusion zone. In addition, a melted region without mixing exists near the weld junction of copper side. This region with a coarser grain size is the weakest section of the joints. It is found that the microhardness of the weld decreases with the increase of the copper content in solid solution. The highest tensile strength of the joint is 276 MPa.

Microstructure evolution of alumina dispersion strengthened copper alloy deformed under different conditions

Microstructure and texture evolution of Cu-0.23%Al2O3 dispersion strengthened copper alloy, deformed at room temperature or cryogenic temperature, were investigated. The main textures in hot-extruded specimen were Brass {011} 〈211〉 and Cube {100} 〈100〉. Textures of Brass {011} 〈211〉 and Goss {011} 〈100〉 were observed in specimen after deformation at room temperature; while textures of Brass {011} 〈211〉, Goss {011} 〈100〉 and S {123} 〈634〉 were detected after deformation at cryogenic temperature. It is believed that the additional Al2O3 nanoparticles can result in dislocation pinning effect, which can further lead to the suppression of dislocations cross-slip. While in the specimen deformed at cryogenic temperature, both pinning effect and cryogenic temperature are responsible for the formation of Brass, Goss and S textures.

High temperature mechanical behavior of alumina dispersion strengthened copper alloy with high content of alumina

The microstructure and its effects on the high temperature mechanical behavior of Cu-2.7%Al_2O_3 （volume fraction） dispersion strengthened copper （ADSC） alloy were investigated. The results indicate that fine alumina particles are uniformly distributed in the copper matrix, while a few coarse ones are distributed on the grain boundaries. Tensile tests results show that Hall-Petch mechanism is the main contribution to the yield strength of ADSC alloy at room temperature. Its high temperature strength is attributed to the strong pinning effects of alumina particles on the grain and sub-grain boundaries with dislocations. The ultimate tensile strength can reach 237 MPa and the corresponding yield strength reaches 226 MPa at 700℃. Tensile fracture morphology indicates that the ADSC alloy shows brittleness at elevated temperatures. Creep tests results demonstrate that the steady state creep rates at 400 ℃ are lower than those at 700 ℃. The stress exponents at 400 ℃ and 700℃ are 7 and 5, respectively, and the creep strain rates of the ADSC alloy are controlled by dislocation core diffusion and lattice diffusion.

Application of Lanthanum in High Strength and High Conductivity Copper Alloys

China is quite poor in argent resource. Roughly 80% of this industrial argent is imported every year. In order to improve the situation, we took advantage of rare earth (RE) mineral resource and successfully developed the non-argent Lanthanum-tellurium-copper alloy as a substitute for industry argent-copper. In our research, we were able to successfully apply rare earth lanthanum to copper alloy. The defects as porosity, inclusion, etc. originating from nonvacuum melting processing were controlled. Fine grain was obtained. Meanwhile, the comprehensive properties of the copper alloy, such as strength, conductivity and thermal conductivity were improved. The research results in increasing conductivity and thermal conductivity by 5% and 15%, respectively, while the tensile strength is increased by 6% higher than Ag-Cu alloy. The anti-electric corrosion property is good, and there is no argent-cadmium steam population originating from the electric arc effect. The addition of lanthanum further reduces the content of oxygen and hydrogen. The optimum quantity of the addition of RE lanthanum in the copper alloy is 0.010% - 0.020% .

Electrodeposition of aluminium and aluminium-copper alloys from a room temperature ionic liquid electrolyte containing aluminium chloride and triethylamine hydrochloride

The electrodeposition of A1 and A1-Cu binary alloys on to gold substrates from a room temperature ionic liquid electrolyte containing A1C13-EtaNHC1 was studied. The electrochemical behavior of the electrolyte and the mechanism of deposition were investigated through cyclic voltammetry （CV）, and the properties of deposits obtained were assessed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （SEM-EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. A1 of 70μm in thickness and an A1-Cu alloy of 30μm in thickness with 8at% copper were deposited from the electrolyte. SEM images of the deposits indicate that the A1 deposit was smooth and uniform, whereas the Al-Cu deposit was nodular. The average crystalline size, as determined by XRD patterns, was found to be （30±5） and （29±5） nm, respectively, for A1 and A1-Cu alloys. Potentiodynamic polarization （Tafel plots） and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic （EIS） measurements showed that Al-Cu alloys are more corrosion resistant than Al.

Microstructures and properties of Al_2O_3 dispersion-strengthened copper alloys prepared through different methods

Al2O3 dispersion copper alloy powder was prepared by intemal oxidation, and three consolidation methods--high-velocity compaction （HVC）, hot pressing （HP）, and hot extrusion （HE）--were used to prepare Al2O3 dispersion-strengthened copper （Cu-Al2O3） alloys. The microstructures and properties of these alloys were investigated and compared. The results show that the alloys prepared by the HP and HE methods exhibited the coarsest and finest grain sizes, respectively. The alloy prepared by the HVC method exhibited the lowest relative density （98.3% vs. 99.5% for HP and 100% for HE）, which resulted in the lowest electrical conductivity （81% IACS vs. 86% IACS for HP and 87% IACS for HE）. However, this alloy also exhibited the highest hardness （77 HRB vs. 69 HRB for HP and 70 HRB for HE）, the highest compressive strength （443 MPa vs. 386 MPa for I/P and 378 MPa for HE）, and the best hardness retention among the investigated alloys. The results illustrate that the alloy prepared by the HVC method exhibits high softening temperature and good mechanical properties at high temperatures, which imply long service life when used as spot-welding electrodes.

Laser cladding of Ni-based alloy on copper substrate

The laser cladding of Ni1015 alloy on Cu substrate was prepared by a high power continuous wave CO2 laser. Its microstructure was analyzed by optical microscope （OM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, and X-Ray diffraction （XRD）. The average microhardness of the cladding coating was Hv 280, which was almost three times of that of the Cu substrate （Hv 85）. OM and SEM observations showed that the obtained coating had a smooth and uniform surface, as well as a metallurgical combination with the Cu substrate without cracks and pores at the interface. With the addition of copper into the nickel-based alloy, the differences of thermal expansion coefficient and melting point between the interlayer and cladding were reduced, which resulted in low stresses during rapid cooling. Moreover, large amount of （Cu, Ni） solid solution formed a metallurgical bonding between the cladding coating and the substrate, which also relaxed the stresses, leading to the reduction of interfacial cracks and pores after laser cladding.

Microstructures and properties analysis of dissimilar metal joint in the friction stir welded copper to aluminum alloy

This paper mainly concentrated on the feasibility of friction stir welding of dissimilar metal of aluminum alloy to copper （I2） and a preliminary analysis of welding parameters influencing on the microstructures and properties of joint was carried out. The results indicated that the thickness of workpiece played an important role in the welding parameters which could succeed in the friction stir welding of dissimilar metal of copper to aluminum alloy, and the parameters were proved to be a narrow choice. The interfacial region between copper and aluminum in the dissimilar joint was not uniformly mixed, constituted with part of incomplete mixing zone, complete mixing zone, dispersion zone and the most region＇ s boundary was obvious. Meantime a kind banded structure with inhomogeneous width was formed. The intermetallic compounds generated during friction stir welding in the interfacial region were mainly CugAl4, Al2Cu etc, and their hardness was higher than oihers.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of friction stir-welded C71000 copper–nickel alloy and 304 austenitic stainless steel

Dissimilar joints comprised of copper–nickel and steel alloys are a challenge for manufacturers in modern industries, as these metals are not thermomechanically or chemically well matched. The present study investigated the effects of tool rotational speed and linear speed on the microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir-welded C71000 copper–nickel and 340 stainless steel alloys using a tungsten carbide tool with a cylindrical pin. The results indicated that a rotational-to-linear speed ratio of 12.5 r/mm did not cause any macro defects, whereas some tunneling defects and longitudinal cracks were found at other ratios that were lower and higher. Furthermore, chromium carbide was formed on the grain boundaries of the 304 stainless steel near the shoulder zone and inside the joint zone, directing carbon and chromium penetration toward the grain boundaries. Tensile strength and elongation percentages were 84% and 65% of the corresponding values in the copper–nickel base metal, respectively.

Transient liquid phase diffusion bonding of copper alloy to stainless steel using CuMn alloys as interlayer

With CuMn alloy as interlayer, the transient liquid phase (TLP) diffusion bonding of Cu alloys (CuAlBe) to stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9Ti) was studied. The results show that the bonding pressure, time and temperature and the content of Mn in CuMn alloy have great effects on the strength of bonding interface; when they are 1 MPa, 40 min, 1 223 K and 30% respectively, the maximum joint strength of 487 MPa is attained. The fracture occurring at the bonding interface is a plastic one and the effect of Mn has been analyzed.

Mechanical properties and tribological behavior of a cast heat-resisting copper based alloy

Mechanical properties and tribological behavior of a novel cast heat resisting copper based alloy are investigated. The corresponding properties of a commercial aluminum bronze C95500 (ASTM B30) are compared with the alloy. The results show that the alloy possesses better mechanical properties and tribological behaviors than that of C95500 at elevated temperature. The tensile strength, elongation and hardness at 500℃ are 470MPa, 2.5% and HB220, respectively. The wear rate of the developed alloy at ambient and elevated temperature is about one sixth and one fortieth of that of C95500, respectively. The alloy is very suitable for ma nufacturing heat resisting and wear resisting parts. Major strengthening mechanisms for the alloy are solution strengthening and the second phase strengthening.

Study on Grain Boundary Structure and Corrosion Behavior of Copper Alloys

The grain boundary structure of Cu alloy was observed and the characteristic of the boundaries was studied,including 70∶30 cupronickel and 70∶30 brass. The results show that in the case of the 70∶30 cupronickel thin platelets with nickel and iron enrichment in it precipitate intergranular so that the alloy was sensitive to seawater corrosion. In the case of 70∶30 brass the situation of grain boundary segregation of different inclusions made the corrosion resistance of the alloy even worse. All of those were discovered through the corrosion behavior of the two different copper alloys served in various environments. The experimental methods used here were, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and energy dispersive of X ray(EDX). The intergranular corrosion morphologies of those copper alloys served in engineering or exposed to seawater for a long term were given.