Microstructure and Properties of Cu–Ti Alloys Prepared by Aluminothermic Reaction and Subsequent Rolling

By studying the effect of preparation technology and plastic deformation on the microstructure and property evolution of Cu–Ti alloys with a larger composition range, its application scope can be further expanded. In present paper, Cu–Ti alloys with Ti content of 1.0, 4.5 and 10.0 wt % were prepared by aluminothermic reaction and their microstructures and properties were regulated by rolling deformation. The results show that Cu–1.0 wt % Ti alloy is in the solid solution state, Cu–4.5 wt % Ti alloy has a small number of punctate precipitates, and Cu–10.0 wt % Ti alloy has a large number of Cu₄Ti precipitate distributed in a network at grain boundaries. For the as-cast Cu–Ti alloys, they consist of a large number of equiaxed micron crystals and a few nanocrystals. With the increase of Ti content, the relative density and grain size of the alloys decrease, the strength and hardness increase, but the elongation and electrical conductivity decrease. Compared with the as-cast alloys, the phase composition of the rolled alloy does not change, but the relative density increases, the grains are elongated along the deformation direction and some grains are crushed into nanocrystals. The precipitated phases are broken and the distribution in the matrix is more uniform and dispersed. For the rolled alloys with the same composition, with the increase of rolling deformation, the strength and hardness increase sharply, but the plasticity decreases significantly, and the electrical conductivity increases slightly at first and then decreases.