Microstructure and arc erosion behavior of WC/CuCr30 composites based on nano-Cr precipitation

CuCr alloys with high contact performance for medium and high voltage vacuum circuit breakers are becoming increasingly urgent. In this work, WC/CuCr30 composites were prepared by SPS process, and nanometer-sized precipitated Cr phases were obtained by subsequent heat treatment. The microstructure and arc erosion behavior were investigated. The results show that nano-Cr phase precipitated in copper matrix can effectively improve the interfacial bonding strength between the Cu matrix and WC particles, and part of the precipitated nano-Cr phase is combined with the C element in WC to form nano-Cr23C6. Both nanophases can improve the resistance to dislocation and sub-grain boundary movement in the deformation process of WC/CuCr30 composite, thus improving the hardness of the copper matrix with a slight decrease in electrical conductivity. The results of electrical contact show that the addition of WC particles and nano-Cr precipitates can not only extend contact life of CuCr material, but also help to disperse the arc to avoid concentrated erosion. The presence of Cr23C6 phase around WC particles effectively improves the interfacial bonding between Cu phase and WC phase and reduces the probability of pore existence at the interface, which is beneficial to vacuum breaking performance

Enhanced plastic deformation ability of copper matrix composites through synergistic strengthening of nano-Al2O3 and Cr particles

The commercial application of Al2O3/Cu composites (ODS copper) with high Al2O3 content is consistently restricted by their plastic deformability. In order to synergistically improve the plastic deformability of Al2O3/Cu composites, Al2O3/Cu–Cr composites with different Cr contents are prepared by internal oxidation combined with heat treatment by replacing part of the Al2O3 particles with Cr phases heat treatment. The effects of Cr content on the microstructure and plastic deformability of Al2O3/Cu–Cr composites are investigated. It is found that the nano-Al2O3 (8 nm) and Cr (25 nm) particles are uniformly distributed in the copper matrix, and both reach a semi-congruent interface with copper matrix. Meanwhile, the copper matrix undergoes a transition from a [111]Cu hard orientation to a [100]Cu soft orientation, and the increase in Cr content leads to a more pronounced degree of recrystallization in the Al2O3/Cu–Cr composites. The results of geometric phase analysis (GPA) show that the coordinated deformability between Cr and Cu is better than that between Al2O3 and Cu. The elongation of 2.5Al2O3/Cu-0.3Cr composite increased to 24.48 % from 22.47 % of the Cr-free 2.8Al2O3/Cu composite. The results of tensile strength calculations show that the tensile strength of Al2O3/Cu–Cr composites is mainly dominated by matrix strengthening and Orowan strengthening induced by Al2O3 particles, while grain strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and Orowan strengthening induced by Cr particles play a secondary role. The correlation coefficient (R2) is 0.95 after fitting the experimental and theoretical values of tensile strength of Al2O3/Cu–Cr composites

Effect of Coherent Nanoprecipitate on Strain Hardening of Al Alloys: Breaking through the Strength-Ductility Trade-Off

So-called strength-ductility trade-off is usually an inevitable scenario in precipitation-strengthened alloys. To address this challenge, high-density coherent nanoprecipitates (CNPs) as a microstructure effectively promote ductility though multiple interactions between CNPs and dislocations (i.e., coherency, order, or Orowan mechanism). Although some strain hardening theories have been reported for individual strengthening, how to increase, artificially and quantitatively, the ductility arising from cooperative strengthening due to the multiple interactions has not been realized. Accordingly, a dislocation-based theoretical framework for strain hardening is constructed in terms of irreversible thermodynamics, where nucleation, gliding, and annihilation arising from dislocations have been integrated, so that the cooperative strengthening can be treated through thermodynamic driving force ∆G and the kinetic energy barrier. Further combined with synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction, the current model is verified. Following the modeling, the yield stress σy is proved to be correlated with the modified strengthening mechanism, whereas the necking strain εn is shown to depend on the evolving dislocation density and, essentially, the enhanced activation volume. A criterion of high ∆G-high generalized stability is proposed to guarantee the volume fraction of CNPs improving σy and the radius of CNPs accelerating εn. This strategy of breaking the strength-ductility trade-off phenomena by controlling the cooperative strengthening can be generalized to designing metallic structured materials

Effect of Al Element on the Microstructure and Properties of Cu-Ni-Fe-Mn Alloys

The effects of aluminum on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior in artificial seawater of Cu-Ni-Fe-Mn alloys were investigated. Cu-7Ni-xAl-1Fe-1Mn samples, consisting of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt % aluminum along with the same contents of other alloying elements (Ni, Fe, and Mn), were prepared. The microstructure of Cu-7Ni-xAl-1Fe-1Mn alloy was analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and its corrosion property was tested by an electrochemical system. The results show that the mechanical and corrosion properties of Cu-7Ni-xAl-1Fe-1Mn alloy have an obvious change with the aluminum content. The tensile strength has a peak value of 395 MPa by adding 3 wt % aluminum in the alloy. Moreover, the corrosion rate in artificial seawater of Cu-7Ni-3Al-1Fe-1Mn alloy is 0.0215 mm/a which exhibits a better corrosion resistance than the commercially used UNS C70600. It is confirmed that the second-phase transformation of Cu-7Ni-xAl-1Fe-1Mn alloy follows the sequence of α solid solution → Ni3Al → Ni3Al + NiAl → Ni3Al + NiAl3. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows that the adding element aluminum in the Cupronickel can improve the corrosion resistance of Cu-7Ni-xAl-1Fe-1Mn alloy

Effects of Bonding Parameters on Free Air Ball Properties and Bonded Strength of Ag-10Au-3.6Pd Alloy Bonding Wire

Free air ball (FAB) and bonded strength were performed on an Ag-10Au-3.6Pd alloy bonding wire (diameter of 0.025 mm) for different electronic flame-off (EFO) currents, times and bonding parameters. The effects of the EFO and bonding parameters on the characteristics of the FAB as well as the bonded strength were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that, for a constant EFO time, the FAB of the Ag-10Au-3.6Pd alloy bonding wire transitioned from a pointed defined ball to an oval one, then to a perfectly shaped one, and finally to a golf ball with an increase in the EFO current. On the other hand, when the EFO current was constant and the EFO time was increased, the FAB changed from a small ball to a perfect one, then to a large one, and finally to a golf ball. The FAB exhibited the optimal geometry at an EFO current of 0.030 A and EFO time of 0.8 ms. Further, in the case of the Ag-10Au-3.6Pd alloy bonding wire, for an EFO current of 0.030 A, the FAB diameter exhibited a nonlinear relationship with the EFO time, which could be expressed by a quadratic function. Finally, the bonded strength decreased when the bonding power and force were excessively high, causing the ball bond to overflow. This led to the formation of neck cracks and decrease in the bonded strength. On the other hand, the bonded strength was insufficiently when the bonding power and force were small. The bonded strength was of the desired level when the bonding power and force were 70 mW and 0.60 N (for the ball bonded) and 95 mW and 0.85 N (for the wedge bonded), respectively.</jats:p