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Focused Review on Cu–Ni–Sn Spinodal Alloys: From Casting to Additive Manufacturing

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Abstract

The present review article evaluates the research and progress status of Cu–Ni–Sn-based spinodal alloys focussed on the methods and technologies implemented to enhance the properties of cast Cu–Ni–Sn alloys in industrial applications, particularly in components such as bearings, bushings, propellers, and impellers that find extensive demand in the marine and automotive industry. The review introduces the limitations of employing copper-beryllium alloys in the industry and discusses how Cu–Ni–Sn alloys represent a potential alternative. Subsequently, a comprehensive overview of spinodal decomposition is provided, considering the thermodynamic aspects and the Cu–Ni–Sn ternary phase diagram. The processing of Cu–Ni–Sn alloys via traditional casting is explored with an overview of various casting techniques and ensuing microstructure-property relationships. The two significant limitations, segregation during solidification and discontinuous precipitation, are highlighted. Strategies to overcome these limitations, such as precipitation hardening, spinodal decomposition, thermo-mechanical processing, and composition design (with the effect of varying elemental additions), are further elaborated. The review summarises novel processing routes encompassing mechanical alloying, rapid solidification, powder metallurgy, and spray deposition for developing spinodal Cu–Ni–Sn alloys. Finally, the progress in fabricating Cu–Ni–Sn spinodal alloys using additive manufacturing techniques such as selective laser melting is highlighted. There are published review papers on the wrought processing of Cu–Ni–Sn alloys, so this area has not been covered here. Overall, this review article is intended to streamline an overview of the characteristics and gradual developments from cast Cu–Ni–Sn spinodal alloys to additive manufacturing-based Cu–Ni–Sn spinodal alloys.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, India

    Bipin Sankar, Karthik V. Shankar, G. P. Gokul Krishna, V. Govind & A. J. Jayakrishna

  2. OVDF Fellow, School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Chaitanya Vinay

  3. School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India

    Chaitanya Vinay

  4. Institute for Complex Materials, Leibniz IFW Dresden, Helmholtzstr-20, 01069, Dresden, Germany

    Jithin Vishnu

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Sankar, B., Vinay, C., Vishnu, J. et al. Focused Review on Cu–Ni–Sn Spinodal Alloys: From Casting to Additive Manufacturing. Met. Mater. Int. 29, 1203–1228 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12540-022-01305-6

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