Microstructure and properties of Cu-Fe alloys fabricated via powder metallurgy and rolling
Chenzeng Zhang, Cunguang Chen, Lina Huang, Tianxing Lu, Pei Li, Wenwen Wang, Fang Yang, Alex A. Volinsky, Zhimeng Guo
Abstract
In this work, copper ferroalloys (CFAs) with various Fe contents (5, 10 and 30 wt-%) were fabricated via the mechanical alloying and vacuum sintering method, followed by hot and cold rolling. Microstructure, mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), tensile testing, four-point probe, vibration sample magnetometer and dc BH circuit tracer, respectively. The CFAs with homogenous and fine in-situ Fe particles prepared by powder metallurgy showed better performance compared with previously reported conventional casting. After annealing at 400°C, the cold-rolled CFA with 30 wt-% Fe had the tensile strength of 621 MPa, the electrical conductivity of 50.2% IACS, magnetic saturation strength (Ms) of 60.39 emu g−1 and coercivity (Hc) of 98.2 Oe, achieving a good combination of mechanical and functional properties. Relations between the microstructure and mechanical and functional properties are discussed in detail.