Investigation of microstructural, mechanical, and electrical characteristics of CuNi5W alloy synthesized by warm compaction

Agung Ardiansyah, Bagus Prasetiyo, Suprianto Suprianto, Irfan Sitorus

Abstract


In the Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) process, electrode materials require high electrical conductivity and sufficient mechanical strength. These electrodes can be fabricated by the Powder Metallurgy (PM) technique from copper-based alloys. The electrode strength can be improved by adding refractory materials through a properly selected warm compaction parameter, such as temperature and pressure compaction. The study focused on analyzing microstructural changes, compressive strength, hardness, and electrical behavior of the alloy. High-purity (Cu, Ni, W) elements were synthesized by warm compaction with different penetration loads and temperatures to produce CuNi5W alloys. The physical, mechanical, and electrical testing were carried out at room temperature. The results indicate that incorporating tungsten (W) into Cu-Ni-based alloys, combined with higher compaction temperatures and pressures during warm compaction, leads to an improvement in density, hardness, and electrical conductivity. The optimum values for these properties were achieved in the Cu-Ni-W-based alloy compacted at 250°C and 250 MPa. The CuNi5W alloys exhibited a microstructure characterized by a solid solution matrix in which tungsten particles were evenly distributed, playing a key role in enhancing the hardness of the model CuNi5W-based alloy.


Keywords


Alloys, electrical conductivity, microstructure, mechanical properties, warm compaction

Full Text:

PDF

References


M. A. H. Ahmad et al., “Catalytic aided electrical discharge machining of polycrystalline diamond - parameter analysis of finishing condition,†IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng, vol. 295, p. 012042, Jan. 2018, doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/295/1/012042.

Y. JIANG, T. ZHANG, Y. LEI, S. HE, X. LIU, and J. XIE, “Effects of Ni content on microstructure and properties of aged Cu−0.4Be alloy,†Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 679–691, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1016/S1003-6326(21)65529-2.

S. S. Kumar, T. Varol, A. Canakci, S. T. Kumaran, and M. Uthayakumar, “A review on the performance of the materials by surface modification through EDM,†International Journal of Lightweight Materials and Manufacture, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 127–144, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.ijlmm.2020.08.002.

D.-G. Liu et al., “Fabrication and characterization of W/Cu/Ni-based high specific gravity alloy with Zr and Ti combined addition,†Int J Refract Metals Hard Mater, vol. 101, p. 105674, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2021.105674.

Y.-H. Yang, S.-Y. Li, Z.-S. Cui, Z. Li, Y.-P. Li, and Q. Lei, “Microstructure and properties of high-strength Cu–Ni–Si–(Ti) alloys,†Rare Metals, vol. 40, no. 11, pp. 3251–3260, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.1007/s12598-020-01699-5.

A. M. Sabri et al., “The Effect of Powder Metallurgy Parameters on Electrical Conductivity of Copper-Nickel-Tungsten Electrode,†International Journal of Engineering & Technology, vol. 8, no. 1.1, pp. 111–116, Jan. 2019, doi: 10.14419/ijet.v8i1.1.24788.

X. Zhang et al., “Microstructure and properties of Cu-TiNi composites prepared by vacuum hot pressing,†J Alloys Compd, vol. 897, p. 162729, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2021.162729.

Z. Hussain, H. Jang, H. Choi, and B.-S. Choi, “Microstructure, Mechanical Behavior, and Thermal Conductivity of Three-Dimensionally Interconnected Hexagonal Boron Nitride-Reinforced Cu-Ni Composite,†J Mater Eng Perform, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 2792–2800, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s11665-021-06450-4.

S. Suprianto, D. Hadiarsa, A. Syahputra, M. Mahadi, and A. Pintoro, “Studi sifat mekanis dan elektrik paduan Cu-Ni-Wx (2 ≤ x ≤ 5wt.%) disintesis menggunakan cold compaction,†Dinamika Teknik Mesin, vol. 14, no. 2, p. 136, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.29303/dtm.v14i2.839.

G. A. Gohar et al., “Synthesis and investigate the properties of Cu–Al–Ni alloys with Ag addition using powder metallurgy technique,†J Alloys Compd, vol. 817, p. 153281, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.153281.

N. Sobahi et al., “Impact of nano-Y2O3 on the physical, microstructure, and mechanical characteristics of Cu composite fabricated via powder metallurgy,†J Alloys Compd, vol. 1010, p. 177042, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2024.177042.

K. C. Nayak, K. K. Rane, P. P. Date, and T. S. Srivatsan, “Synthesis of an Aluminum Alloy Metal Matrix Composite Using Powder Metallurgy: Role of Sintering Parameters,†Applied Sciences, vol. 12, no. 17, p. 8843, Sep. 2022, doi: 10.3390/app12178843.

Y. Y. Li, T. L. Ngai, D. T. Zhang, Y. Long, and W. Xia, “Effect of die wall lubrication on warm compaction powder metallurgy,†J Mater Process Technol, vol. 129, no. 1–3, pp. 354–358, Oct. 2002, doi: 10.1016/S0924-0136(02)00648-9.

O. O. Edosa, F. K. Tekweme, and K. Gupta, “A review on the influence of process parameters on powder metallurgy parts,†2022, Paulus Editora. doi: 10.14456/easr.2022.44.

W. Wang, W. Zeng, C. Li, J. Liang, and D. Zhang, “Microstructure and mechanical properties of ultrafine grained Cu-0.8 wt%C alloy with a bimodal microstructure produced by powder metallurgy techniques,†Materials Science and Engineering: A, vol. 712, pp. 214–222, Jan. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.msea.2017.11.116.

Ş. H. Atapek, R. Bahrami, Ş. Polat, Y. Tabak, and H. Ünsal, “On the properties of cast and powder metallurgical Cu–6Ni-1.5Si-0.15Al (wt.%) alloy,†Vacuum, vol. 222, p. 113014, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.vacuum.2024.113014.

Y. A. Meyer, R. S. Bonatti, D. Costa, A. D. Bortolozo, and W. R. Osório, “Compaction pressure and Si content effects on compressive strengths of Al/Si/Cu alloy composites,†Materials Science and Engineering: A, vol. 770, p. 138547, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.msea.2019.138547.

D. Dong, X. Huang, J. Cui, G. Li, and H. Jiang, “Effect of aspect ratio on the compaction characteristics and micromorphology of copper powders by magnetic pulse compaction,†Advanced Powder Technology, vol. 31, no. 10, pp. 4354–4364, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.apt.2020.09.010.

H. Huang, R. Zhang, H. Sun, J. Zhang, and J. Wang, “High Density Fe-Based Soft Magnetic Composites with Excellent Magnetic Properties Prepared by Warm Compaction,†2023. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.4327371.

D. Wang et al., “Microstructure evolution and densification behavior of TiC/316L composite powders during cold/warm die compaction and solid-state sintering: 3D particulate scale numerical modelling and experimental validation,†Advanced Powder Technology, vol. 33, no. 8, p. 103667, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.apt.2022.103667.

D. Wang, M. Li, and X. An, “Numerical study on the warm compaction and solid-state sintering of TiC/316L composite powders from particulate scale,†Powder Technol, vol. 402, p. 117361, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2022.117361.

ASTM B925-03, “Practices for Production and Preparation of Powder Metallurgy (PM) Test Specimens,†Apr. 10, 2003, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. doi: 10.1520/B0925-03.

ASTM E384, “Test Method for Microindentation Hardness of Materials,†Jun. 01, 2017, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. doi: 10.1520/E0384-17.

İ. Ak, H. Adin, A. Arafat, and M. Okumuş, “Mechanical properties of Cu-Ni alloys: Comparison of experimental and MD simulation approaches,†Physica B Condens Matter, vol. 700, p. 416928, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.physb.2025.416928.

J. Li, G. Huang, X. Mi, L. Peng, H. Xie, and Y. Kang, “Microstructure evolution and properties of a quaternary Cu–Ni–Co–Si alloy with high strength and conductivity,†Materials Science and Engineering: A, vol. 766, p. 138390, Oct. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.msea.2019.138390.

H.-S. Wang, H.-G. Chen, J.-W. Gu, C.-E. Hsu, and C.-Y. Wu, “Improvement in strength and thermal conductivity of powder metallurgy produced Cu–Ni–Si–Cr alloy by adjusting Ni/Si weight ratio and hot forging,†J Alloys Compd, vol. 633, pp. 59–64, Jun. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2015.02.024.

S. M. Castillo, S. Muñoz, P. Trueba, E. Díaz, and Y. Torres, “Influence of the Compaction Pressure and Sintering Temperature on the Mechanical Properties of Porous Titanium for Biomedical Applications,†Metals (Basel), vol. 9, no. 12, p. 1249, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.3390/met9121249.

A. Muñoz, B. Savoini, M. A. Monge, Y. Ortega, and O. J. Dura, “Fabrication and characterization of Cu reinforced with Y-enriched particles following a novel powder metallurgy route,†Nuclear Materials and Energy, vol. 29, p. 101075, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.nme.2021.101075.

V. Boggarapu, P. S. Rama Sreekanth, and V. B. Peddakondigalla, “Microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of Al/Cu functionally graded material fabricated through powder metallurgy,†Journal of Engineering Research, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 502–510, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jer.2023.100119.

I. Dinaharan and T. Albert, “Effect of reinforcement type on microstructural evolution and wear performance of copper matrix composites via powder metallurgy,†Mater Today Commun, vol. 34, p. 105250, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2022.105250.

G. A. Gohar et al., “Synthesis and investigate the properties of Cu–Al–Ni alloys with Ag addition using powder metallurgy technique,†J Alloys Compd, vol. 817, p. 153281, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.153281.

A. A. Hamid and H. A. M. Aljewaree, “Enhancement of Mechanical Properties in Copper Matrix Composites Through Cold and Hot Powder Compaction Techniques,†Revue des composites et des matériaux avancés, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 247–255, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.18280/rcma.340214.

B. Zhang et al., “Pulsed Electric Current-Assisted Transient Liquid Phase Sintering for Extremely Reliable Cu-Cu Direct Bonding,†2025. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.5223450.

A. Kumar, Y. Tang, D. Y. Li, D. L. Chen, W. Li, and Q. Y. Li, “Influence of solution-hardening on the mechanical properties and wear resistance of copper alloys,†Wear, vol. 523, p. 204869, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.wear.2023.204869.

X. Hu, Z. Liu, X. Liu, H. Xie, C. Zhang, and Y. Zou, “Effect of Warm Compaction and Lubricant on Microstructure and Properties of Iron-Based Alloy,†J Mater Eng Perform, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 3382–3391, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s11665-021-06456-y.

D. Myszka, J. Kasińska, and A. Penkul, “Influence of Tungsten on the Structure and Properties of Ductile Iron Containing 0.8% Cu,†Archives of Foundry Engineering, pp. 121–126, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.24425/afe.2021.139760.

D. Dong, L. Duan, J. Cui, G. Li, H. Jiang, and H. Pan, “Influence of compaction temperature on the mechanical properties and micro morphology of Cu/CNTs composites prepared by electromagnetic impacting,†Powder Technol, vol. 396, pp. 433–443, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2021.11.014.

M. Jabłoński, T. Knych, A. Mamala, B. Smyrak, and K. Wojtaszek, “Influence of Fe and Si Addition on the Properties and Structure Conductivity Aluminium,†Archives of Metallurgy and Materials, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 1541–1547, Sep. 2017, doi: 10.1515/amm-2017-0237.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30811/jpl.v23i6.7568

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Lisensi Creative Commons

Ciptaan disebarluaskan di bawah Lisensi Creative Commons Atribusi-BerbagiSerupa 4.0 Internasional .

 

Alamat Surat :

Politeknik Negeri Lhokseumawe
Jl. Banda Aceh-Medan Km 280
Buketrata, Lhokseumawe, 24301, Aceh, Indonesia