Spark plasma sintering of dispersion hardened Cu–Cr–Nb alloy powders

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2013-11, Vol.577, p.70-78
• Main Authors: Shukla, A.K., Narayana Murty, S.V.S., Suresh Kumar, R., Mondal, K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alloy powders; Atomizing; CHROMIUM COPPERS; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; COPPER ALLOYS (40 TO 99.3 CU); Copper base alloys; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Densification; Density; DISPERSION HARDENING MECHANISMS; Dispersions; Elasticity, elastic constants; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Materials synthesis; materials processing; Mechanical and acoustical properties; Mechanical and acoustical properties of condensed matter; Mechanical properties; Mechanical properties of solids; Metals and alloys; Physical properties of thin films, nonelectronic; Physics; Powder metallurgy; POWDERS; PREALLOYED POWDERS; PRECIPITATES; SINTERING; Spark plasma sintering; SPARK SINTERING; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Tribology and hardness
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2013.04.088

•Milled powders show enhanced sinterability during spark plasma sintering (SPS).•Enhanced mechanical properties of SPSed samples made from milled powder.•Mechanism of sintering for SPSed samples of Cu–Cr–Nb alloy is proposed. The densification behavior of dispersion hardened Cu–Cr–Nb alloy powders has been studied by spark plasma sintering using varying stress and temperature. The densification has been strongly inhibited by the presence of intermetallic Cr2Nb precipitates. The mechanically milled powders with disk shaped nature have resulted in higher relative density as compared to spherical shaped gas atomized powders in all the experiments. The hardness and compressive yield strength of the sintered alloy samples have been found to have a linear relationship with relative density and it was independent of process parameters for both the atomized and milled powders.