Preparation and Arc Erosion Behavior of Cu-Based Contact Materials Reinforced with High Entropy Particles CuCrNiCoFe
摘要
In this study, Cu-based electrical contact materials reinforced with high-entropy alloy particles of CuCrNiCoFe were successfully prepared by combining high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS) technology. The microstructure, fundamental physical and mechanical properties of the novel Cu–10HEAs samples were investigated, and their arc erosion behavior was evaluated. After sintering using SPS, the material exhibits excellent comprehensive performance with a conductivity of 38.2 pct IACS, hardness of 72.3 HV, and density of 8.79 g/cm3. As the number of vacuum arc breakdown experiments increases, the arc-eroded region progressively expands from the edge region to encompass the entire surface of the HEAs phase. The Cu–10HEAs novel samples exhibit characteristics of arc confinement during vacuum arc breakdown testing. After 500 breakdown tests, the breakdown voltage only slightly decreased from 55.49 to 54.12 kV, indicating strong voltage resilience. Meanwhile, the samples demonstrate excellent resistance to arc erosion, with a relatively flat profile in the arc-affected area and minimal splash erosion.