Effect of Ag on Properties, Microstructure, and Thermostability of Cu–Cr Alloy
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
3.1. Properties
3.1.1. Mechanical Properties
3.1.2. Softening Resistance
3.1.3. Creep Resistance
3.2. Microstructure
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
- The addition of 0.12 at. % Ag increased the hardness of the Cu–0.2Cr alloy and slightly decreased electrical conductivity. The peak hardness of the Cu–0.2Cr alloy was 120.3 Hv after aging at 450 °C for 2 h, while that of the Cu–Cr–Ag alloy reached 135.8 Hv after aging at 450 °C for 4 h. Electrical conductivity corresponding to the peak hardness of the Cu–0.2Cr and Cu–0.2Cr–0.12Ag alloys was 99.5% and 98.3% IACS, respectively.
- The softening resistance of the Cu–0.2Cr alloy was improved by 0.12 at. % Ag elements. The softening temperature of the Cu–0.2Cr alloy was 500~525 °C, and that of the Cu–0.2Cr–0.12Ag alloy was about 550 °C. The softening process was accompanied by the recovery, recrystallization, and coarsening of precipitates. Recovery and recrystallization occurred prior to the coarsening of precipitates. Ag elements inhibited the recrystallization of the Cu–Cr alloy and had little effect on the precipitates.
- The creep strains of the Cu–0.2Cr and Cu–0.2Cr–0.12Ag alloys at 40 MPa and 400 °C for 50 h were 0.18% and 0.05%, respectively. The creep strain of the Cu–0.2Cr alloy was significantly greater than that of the Cu–0.2Cr–0.12Ag alloy at 500 °C. Alloy creep was accompanied by secondary precipitation of the Cr phase, dislocation slip, and recrystallization. The addition of 0.12 at. % Ag increased the creep resistance of the Cu–0.2Cr alloy mainly by hindering the increase in mobile dislocation density.
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Nominal Composition (at. %) | Analyzed Composition (at. %) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Cr | Ag | Cu | |
Cu–0.2Cr | 0.2 | / | Bal. |
Cu–0.2Cr–0.12Ag | 0.2 | 0.12 | Bal. |
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Sun, Y.; Xu, G.; Feng, X.; Peng, L.; Huang, G.; Xie, H.; Mi, X.; Liu, X. Effect of Ag on Properties, Microstructure, and Thermostability of Cu–Cr Alloy. Materials 2020, 13, 5386. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13235386
Sun Y, Xu G, Feng X, Peng L, Huang G, Xie H, Mi X, Liu X. Effect of Ag on Properties, Microstructure, and Thermostability of Cu–Cr Alloy. Materials. 2020; 13(23):5386. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13235386
Chicago/Turabian StyleSun, Yuqing, Gaolei Xu, Xue Feng, Lijun Peng, Guojie Huang, Haofeng Xie, Xujun Mi, and Xinhua Liu. 2020. "Effect of Ag on Properties, Microstructure, and Thermostability of Cu–Cr Alloy" Materials 13, no. 23: 5386. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13235386