Influence of chemical composition on the conductivity and on some mechanical properties of Mg-doped Cu-Si alloy

This study discussed the influence of chemical composition on the conductivity and on some mechanical properties of Mg-doped Cu-Si alloy. The structural changes accompanying variations of the alloy chemical composition was investigated using Carl ZEISS Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) (EVO/NA10) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The study also discussed the implication of structural changes on the electromechanical behavior. The results obtained were analyzed statistically using one-factor response surface method (RSM-Design Expert software) to evaluate the level of significance of magnesium addition on Cu-3Si-Mg ternary alloy properties. The SEM results revealed fine grains in the Mg-doped Cu-3Si alloy. The study recorded improvement of properties: average ductility of 25.1%, UTS of 285 MPa; hardness of 318 BHN and average electrical conductivity of 53.9% IACS. The statistical analysis indicated that magnesium significantly improved all the tested properties haven recorded P-values < 0.05. The result of optimization revealed Cu-3Si-0.837 Mg as the optimal composition. © 2019 The Authors