Materials Science Forum, Vol.299, 470-477, 1999
Fabrication and hot extrusion of mechanically alloying Cu-15wt%Cr alloy
Mechanical alleging (MA) of copper-chromium (Cu-15wt%Cr) elemental powders was carried out using a planetary ball mill with tungsten carbide balls during 60 h, using rotation speed of 200 and 350 rpm The evolution of element combination in the milling was examined through X-rays diffraction, observing that the saturation grade of chromium depends on the milling time and rotation speed of the mill. The lattice parameter of copper decreases as the chromium enters into solution, reaching a minimum value of 3.599 Angstrom for 50 h. The Vickers hardness of mechanically alloyed powder increased with milling time due to plastic deformation, tending to a value of 594 HV. The mechanical alloyed powders were consolidated by hot extrusion after encapsulation and degassing at 500, 600 and 700 degrees C, using an extrusion ratio of 10:1 and an extrusion speed of about 5 mm(-1). The powder consolidation and the final Vickers hardness depended strongly on the pre-heating temperature. Chemical analysis of the extruded bars showed that it was contaminated with W and Fe, Finally, aging heat treatments at 900 and 1000 degrees C aiming to raise the hardness of the extruded bars were performed.