Microstructure and mechanical properties of magnetic levitation fabricated Cu35Ni35Co30 multi-principal element alloy
摘要
The urgent need to overcome the strength-ductility trade-off of nickel-aluminum bronze (NAB) in deep-sea engineering motivates the design of a Cu-bearing multi-principal element alloy (MPEA), Cu35Ni35Co30, via magnetic levitation melting. The as-cast Cu35Ni35Co30 MPEA exhibits a dual face-centered cubic (FCC) structure with superior mechanical properties (yield strength: ~ 503 MPa, ultimate tensile strength: ~ 686 MPa, total elongation: ~ 11.0%) over its counterparts fabricated by vacuum arc melting. A single-phase FCC structure was obtained by homogenizing at 1030 °C for 15 h. Cold rolling and post-deformation annealing (PDA) were used to construct heterogeneous grain structures, which were achieved in PDA-treated samples at 1030 °C for 45 s (PDA-1030-45s) and 60 s (PDA-1030-60s). The PDA-1030-45s sample, composed of nano-sized recrystallized grains and residual deformed grains (RDGs), showed the best strength among the PDA-treated samples (a yield strength of ~ 864 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of ~ 959 MPa, and a total elongation of ~ 13.4%). The PDA-1030-60s sample with micro-sized recrystallized grains and RDGs exhibits an excellent combination of strength and ductility, showing a yield strength of ~ 560 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of ~ 761 MPa, and a total elongation of ~ 32.9%. These mechanical strengths are superior to those reported by NAB. The dominant strengthening mechanisms of the PDA-1030-45s and the PDA-1030-60s samples are dislocation strengthening and hetero-deformation-induced strengthening, respectively.
Graphic abstract