Effect of Ag Addition on the Microstructure and Properties of Cu-5Cr Base Alloys

Small amount of Ag was added to high conductivity Cu-5%Cr alloy in order to increase the strength without sacrificing the conductivity. The typical microstructure of thermo-mechanically processed specimen mainly consists of Cu matrix and relatively large Cr phase. Although this typical microstructure was not changed with varied process variables, both the micro-hardness and conductivity were significantly affected by them. The electrical conductivity of alloy was slightly decreased by the Ag addition, but the micro-hardness could be enhanced by it. TEM analyses indicated that very fine Cr precipitates were formed in addition to the relatively large Cr phase in the Cu matrix. It is suggested that the properties of Cu-5Cr-xAg alloys can be optimized by carefully controlling the precipitation of the fine precipitates.