Heat treatment effects on electrical conductivity and structure of newly fabricated Cu- 10%Ni alloy

Abstract

The present work focus on the production and heat treatment of Cu-10%Ni alloys, as well as their impact on electrical
conductivity. A bailout crucible furnace was used for the casting of the pure copper-nickel alloy. The as-cast alloy
was modified by subjecting to various precipitation hardening processes such as homogenizing, solutionizing,
quenching, and age hardening. The age hardening conditions were performed at different temperatures of 400oC,
450oC and 500oC at constant time of 2hr, after which the electrical conductivity measurement was carried on the heattreated
and non-heat treated alloy. An optical metallurgical microscope and scanning electron microscopy were used
to analyze the structural properties (SEM). The most essential attribute linked with the age hardening of Cu-Ni alloys
is electrical conductivity, which reflects the internal state of the alloy's electrons. The study reveals that electrical
conductivity improves in the heat-treated Cu-Ni alloy in comparison to non-heat-treated Cu-Ni alloy. The maximum
value of electrical conductivity of 59.01%IACS is obtained after ageing at 500°C for 2hr. The microstructural features
are directly responsible for the considerable improvement in electrical conductivity demonstrated by heat-treated Cu-
10%Ni alloy.