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Influence of Zinc on Coarsening of δ-Ni2Si Particles, Aging Behavior and Hardness in a Cu-Ni-Si Alloy

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Abstract

In the present paper, the aging precipitation and coarsening of disk-like δ-Ni2Si particles in Cu and Cu-10Zn alloys aged at 450 °C have been investigated by hardness, electric resistivity measurement and transmission electron microscopy observation. The coarsening dynamics of the average diameter of the δ-Ni2Si particles coincides with the t 1/3 time law for both alloys. The coarsening of the diminution of supersaturation related to aging time t coincides with the t −1/3 time rule. Adding Zn to the Cu-Ni-Si alloy increases the growth and coarsening rate of the particles mainly because of the increased diffusivity D of the δ-Ni2Si particles in the matrix. The value of D of the δ-Ni2Si particles in the Cu-xZn (x = 0, 10 wt.%) matrix and the Cu/δ-Ni2Si interfacial energy γ are independently calculated by using the Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner theory which was extended to include disk-like particles by Boyd and Nicholson. The values of D and γ increase from 0.77 × 10−19 to 2.21 × 10−19 m2/s and 0.19 to 0.63 J/m2, respectively, when Zn is added to the Cu-Ni-Si alloy. These calculations and the analysis show that the properties of Cu-Ni-Si-Zn alloy can significantly be enhanced by reducing the aging temperature.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial supply supported by the Project supported by the National Key Technology Support Program (2014BAC03B08) and the Project of Innovation-driven Plan in Central South University.

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Correspondence to Mingpu Wang.

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Chen, W., Li, Z., Xie, H. et al. Influence of Zinc on Coarsening of δ-Ni2Si Particles, Aging Behavior and Hardness in a Cu-Ni-Si Alloy. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 26, 2459–2464 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-017-2738-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-017-2738-z

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