Papers by Keyword: Pure Copper

Abstract: Recently, friction stir processing (FSP) was developed as an effective method to modify microstructural and mechanical properties of materials. During process, a rotating tool is inserted in a plate, providing frictional heating and mechanical mixing. In this investigation, the effect of annealing heat treatment on the microstructure characteristics of the nugget zone was investigated during friction stirs processing (FSP) of the pure copper. Plate with 4 mm thickness was friction stir processed at constant traverse speed of 45 mm/min and tool rotation speed of 700 rpm. Samples were processed in various annealing conditions. Results showed that by increasing the annealing duration from 45 to 180 minutes at annealing temperatures of 600°C and 800°C, the grain size and the hardness value of samples significantly decreased. At annealing temperature of 1000°C samples were exposed to extra heat, grains started to coarsen and hardness decreased. Ultrafine-grained microstructure in FSP samples was achieved using annealing heat treatment at annealing temperature of 600°C.

Abstract: mproving ductility in metals using friction stir processing (FSP) is a challenging effort and is made by means of a rotating tool inserted in a work piece providing heat transfer and plastic deformation. In this investigation, improving ductility during FSP was determined as a purpose and the microstructure and mechanical properties of nugget zone were investigated during friction stir processing (FSP) of pure copper. Ductility was measured using tensile elongations at a temperature of 20 °C. By varying the traverse speed from 40 to 100 mm/min at rotation speeds of 300 and 600 rpm, the ultrafine grain microstructure was achieved .Defects were observed in rotational speed of 300 rpm. By increasing traverse speed at constant rotational speed of 600 rpm grain size of the nugget zone decreased and ductility increased. Achievable ductility was limited by cavity formation due to lower heat input and deformation in samples with defects.

Abstract: Recently friction stir processing (FSP) was developed as a generic implement for microstructural modification based on the principles of FSW using a rotating tool inserted in a monolithic work piece which provides frictional heating and mechanical mixing. In this paper, the microstructural evolution characteristics of nugget zone were investigated during friction stir processing (FSP) of pure copper. Pure copper plates were friction stir processed to the depth of 3.4 mm at different process conditions by varying the traverse speed from 30 to 120 mm/min at rotation speeds of 400 and 600 rpm..Defects were observed in rotational speed of 400 rpm. Grain size of NZ depended significantly on plastic deformation and heat input value. By increasing traverse speed at constant rotational speed of 600 rpm grain size of the nugget zone decreased and the hardness increased. Ultimate tensile strength increased with decrease in grain size. FSP was found as an effective method to develop fine-grained microstructure in copper plates.

Abstract: As a novel technique for joining materials, friction stir welding (FSW) has significant advantages over the conventional welding methods and is widely applied for joining different materials including aluminum, magnesium and copper alloys. In this research, the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of friction stir welded annealed pure copper joints were investigated. The influence of the tool rotation speed, welding speed and applied load was studied. The friction stir welding (FSW) was conducted at welding speed ranged from 30 to 70 mm/ min, rotation speed ranged from 400 to 1200rpm and applied load ranged from 1000 to 1500 kg. After welding process, tensile and Vickers hardness tests were performed. It has been found that increasing the tool rotational speed and/or reducing the welding speed increases heat input and causes grain coarsening in stir zone. High applied load refines the microstructure of NZ and increases the hardness and tensile strength of NZ. An optimum heat input condition was found to reach the best mechanical properties of the joints. The tensile characteristics of the friction stir welded tensile samples depend significantly on the tool rotation speed ,welding speed and applied load.

Abstract: To verify the applicability of a comprehensive constitutive model, which was proposed to analyze size effects in micro plastic deformation, mechanical behaviors of pure copper was adopted as the investigated subject. Unknown parameters were fitted through least square method, and calculated results were compared with experiment data of pure copper as well as those obtained by surface model. Predicted results by the comprehensive model show good agreement with experiment data. Three distinct mechanical domains appear indicating that for pure copper two critical thickness to grain size ratios exist, between which stresses vary rapidly. When concerning the situation of pure copper with only one or several grains across thickness, surface model tends to fail while the comprehensive model performs well, which further verifies the validity and applicability of the comprehensive model.

Abstract: Burnishing is an important mechanical surface enhancement technique which can smooth the component surface and improve the component’s fatigue, wear and anti-corrosion properties. Fretting tests lubricated with mineral oil were performed on a pure copper (PC) against a Si3N4 ball. The burnished surface exhibited a significantly improved fretting wear resistance and higher friction coefficient in comparison with the coarse-grained (CG) form. The wear volume of the burnished PC is quite lower than that of the CG PC. The friction coefficient of the CG PC increases with an increasing load, while the friction coefficient of burnished PC decreases with an increasing load up to 100N and then increases. The enhanced wear properties of the burnished surface are correlated with the compressive residual stress and work-hardening, which may partly result from grain refinement induced by burnishing.

Abstract: Zn-Al filler metal wettability tests were performed. With the match of CsF-AlF3 flux, Zn-Al filler metal wettability is poor on pure copper surface. The Cu-Al-Zn intermetallic compound interface layer exits between Zn-Al filler metal and Cu base metal. When Al content is low in Zn-Al filler metal, the filler metal wettability is poor and the filler metal melting point is low. In the wettability test course, the time is long in which Cu base metal interacts with liquid Zn-Al filler metal. And the Cu-Al-Zn intermetallic compound interface layer grows thick between filler metal and base metal. With the increase of Al content in Zn-Al filler metal, the interaction strengthens between Zn-Al filler metal and Cu base metal. In the wettability test course, the time beocome short in which Cu base metal interacts with liquid Zn-Al filler metal. The Cu-Al-Zn intermetallic compound interface layer gets thin between filler metal and base metal. Meanwhile, Zn-Al filler metal wettability improves on pure copper surface. But the improvement is not remarkable. Its wettablility is still poor on pure copper surface.

Abstract: The corrosion behaviors of pure copper were studied in initial exposure to a simulated marine atmosphere. A two-electrode cell system with two identical pure copper plates had been employed in electrochemical tests of potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The copper electrodes were deposited with 70 µg cm^-2 NaCl particles and then exposed in a humidified pure air of 97% RH at 25 °C. The time-evolution of corrosion current density obtained from the cathodic polarization curves had a trend of firstly decreasing, then increasing and finally getting a relative stable stage. The EIS data showed that the transition of two time constants corrosion stage to three time constants corrosion stage. The initial atmospheric corrosion behaviors of pure copper could be divided into three stages, including rapid corrosion stage, diminished corrosion stage and balanced corrosion stage.

Abstract: Microstructures and mechanical properties of pure copper weld joints are discussed under different parameters of friction stir welding. The results reveal that it is conducive to the formation of compact joint in friction stir welding by applying high speed steel tool with high anti-bonding temperature. The friction stir welding joint with compact and defect-free microstructure could be obtained when the tool rotation rate is 1250- 1650 r/min and the tool traverse speed is 20-50 mm/min. Intensively plastic deformation occurs in the soften materials of the weld nugget zone and numerous crystal particles are broken under the influence of tool stirring. The microstructure of weld nugget zone is composed of tiny isometric crystals, which is due to the dynamic recrystallization of broken crystal particles. The structure of thermo-mechanical affected zone on both sides is asymmetric. Obvious boundary of the thermo affected zone could be seen on the advancing side, and the plastic streamline is apparent.

Abstract: The cold-rolled pure copper sheets were annealed without and with a high magnetic field of 12T. The results showed that the application of the magnetic field could promote the recovery and recrystallization processes of cold rolled pure copper. The intensity of Cube component in the field treated samples was obviously higher than that in the non-field treated ones at the same annealing temperature.