Aging Behavior of Cu-Ni-Si Alloy Processed by High-Pressure Torsion

An age-hardenable Cu-2.9%Ni-0.6%Si alloy was subjected to high-pressure torsion. Aging behavior was investigated in terms of hardness, electrical conductivity and microstructural features. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the grain size is refined to similar to 150 nm and the Vickers microhardness was significantly increased through the HPT process. Aging treatment of the HPT-processed alloy led to a further increase in the hardness. Electrical conductivity is also improved with the aging treatment. It was confirmed that the simultaneous strengthening by grain refinement and fine precipitation is achieved while maintaining high electrical conductivity. Three dimensional atom probe analysis revealed that fine precipitates with sizes of similar to 20 nm or smaller were formed in the Cu matrix and some particles consist of Ni and Si with no appreciable amount of Cu.