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Microstructure and Properties of Ternary Cu-Ti-Sn Alloy

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Abstract

The effect of Sn addition and heat treatment on the microstructure and properties of Cu-3Ti and Cu-2Ti alloys was studied. The microstructure and phase constituents were characterized by an optical microscope, x-ray diffractometer, and transmission electron microscope, and the electrical conductivity and hardness were determined as well. The results show that the as-cast microstructure of Cu-Ti-Sn alloys consists of α-Cu(Ti,Sn) and primary CuSn3Ti5 intermetallic compound. CuSn3Ti5 phase has a hexagonal structure with the lattice parameters a = 0.81737 nm, b = 0.81737 nm, and c = 0.55773 nm. With the increase of aging time, the electrical conductivity progressively increases, while the hardness increases and then decreases. After aging at 450 °C for 8 h, Cu-3Ti-2Sn alloy has an electrical conductivity of 23.1 MS/m and a hardness of 134.5 HV, and the electrical conductivity and hardness of Cu-2Ti-2Sn alloy are 21.5 MS/m and 119.3 HV, respectively. An appropriate aging is beneficial for the precipitation of coherent metastable β′-Cu4Ti phase, which can strengthen Cu-3Ti-2Sn and Cu-2Ti-2Sn alloys. However, a prolonged aging time results in the decrease of hardness due to the formation of incoherent equilibrium β-Cu3Ti phase. The presence of CuSn3Ti5 phase reduces the solute Ti content in the copper matrix and, thus, gives rise to the increase of the electrical conductivity of Cu-Ti-Sn alloys.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51201132 and 51274163), the Research Program of Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory (13JS076), the China Scholarship Council, and Shaanxi Provincial Project of Special Foundation of Key Disciplines (2011HBSZS009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, People’s Republic of China

    Xianhui Wang, Chunyu Chen, Juntao Zou & Xiaohong Yang

  2. Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus, Victoria, 3220, Australia

    Xianhui Wang & Tingting Guo

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  1. Xianhui Wang
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Correspondence to Xianhui Wang.

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Wang, X., Chen, C., Guo, T. et al. Microstructure and Properties of Ternary Cu-Ti-Sn Alloy. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 24, 2738–2743 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-015-1483-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-015-1483-4

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