Influence of trace additions of titanium on grain characteristics, conductivity and mechanical properties of copper-silicon-titanium alloys

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to explore the influence of trace additions of titanium on grain characteristics (morphology and size), conductivity, and mechanical properties of copper-silicon-titanium alloys. The alloys compositions were designed using response surface optimal design (RSOD). The designed alloy compositions were melted, cast, and subjected to normalizing heat treatment at 900 C for 0.5 hr. The grain characteristics and the elemental constituents of the produced alloys were analyzed using an optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The average grain size and distribution were also determined. The properties investigated were percentage elongation, tensile strength, hardness, electrical conductivity, and density. The results were analyzed statistically using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to obtain the significance of titanium content on the tested properties and to generate statistical model equations for future applications. The experimental results were optimized to ascertain the optimal alloy composition and properties. The OM and SEM results revealed a decrease in the average grain size of the parent alloy (Cu-3Si) from %10.1 μm to %4.4 μm and change in grain morphology after adding titanium, leading to improvement of properties. The results were confirmed to be statistically significant. The optimization results revealed Cu-3Si-0.47wt%Ti as the optimal alloy composition.

Grain characteristics, electrical conductivity, and hardness of Zn-doped Cu–3Si alloys system

“…The increase in hardness is confirmed to be significant from the statistical data (Table 1). The addition of zinc nano-particles refined and modified the grains of the parent alloy, leading to an improvement of hardness [2,3,5,37]. The improvement of hardness can also be linked with the decrease in the average grains size of the parent alloy from 12 to 7.0 µm by the addition of 0.1 wt% zinc nano-particles (Figs.…”

“…The electrical conductivity showed a decreasing trend with increasing zinc content. The electrical behavior of the alloys can be attributed to the reduction of free copper atoms in the alloy structure, resulting from the increasing solubility of zinc in the copper matrix [2,3,5,8,37]. The density of the parent alloy was increased by 8.4% (from 8.21 g/cm 3 to 8.9 g/cm 3 ) after adding 0.1 wt% zinc (Fig.…”

Experimental Investigation and Thermodynamic Modeling of Influence of Nickel and Titanium Content on the Structure and Selected Properties of Tin Bronzes

“…In Cu-Sn alloys, Sn content is important since it influences its strength and functional properties [13][14][15][16][17][18]. Due to higher requirements to modern materials, high prices of tin and its short supply, the substitutes of this group of elements are looked for and applied [19][20][21][22]. This is realised by the development of new alloys based on alloying additions, such as: zinc, lead, phosphor, nickel, iron, titanium and aluminium, as well as on refining, modification and the way of casting (gravity, centrifugal, sand or metal moulds) [23][24][25][26][27][28][29].…”