Synergistic enhancement of strength and toughness in selective laser melted CuSn10 alloy via particle reinforcement and heat treatment
摘要
Selective laser melting (SLM) has garnered significant attention in the fabrication of copper alloy components due to its technical advantages. However, the strength and toughness of as-deposited copper alloy may fail to meet engineering application requirements. To achieve synergistic improvement in the strength and toughness of SLM-processed CuSn10 alloy, this study employed a hybrid strategy combining pre-treatment (incorporation of ceramic particles) and post-treatment (heat treatment) to investigate the effects of ceramic reinforcement (tungsten carbide (WC) particles) and heat treatment temperatures (400 ℃, 500 ℃, and 600 ℃) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy. The results indicated that the addition of WC particles refined the microstructure of the CuSn10 specimens and significantly increased the number of secondary phase precipitates. After heat treatment, the microstructural uniformity of the CuSn10 specimens was enhanced, and elemental segregation was reduced. Performance tests showed that pre-treatment (incorporation of ceramic particles) significantly increased the strength and hardness of the CuSn10 alloy, while post-treatment (heat treatment) substantially improved its plasticity and toughness. Compared with the as-deposited CuSn10 alloy, the 10% WC/CuSn10 composites heat-treated at 600 °C demonstrated notable enhancements: Vickers hardness increased from 154 HV0.1 to 176 HV0.1, ultimate tensile strength improved from 568 MPa to 591 MPa, yield strength rose from 365 MPa to 371 MPa, and elongation dramatically increased from 15.38% to 28.18%. Additionally, wear resistance and corrosion resistance were significantly improved. In conclusion, the synergistic enhancement of strength and toughness in SLM-processed CuSn10 alloy can be achieved through added reinforcement particles coupled with optimized heat treatment protocols.