Compressive Rheological Behavior and Microstructure Evolution of a Semi-Solid CuSn10P1 Alloy at Medium Temperature and Low Strain

Abstract

Copper–tin alloys are widely used in the machining and molding of sleeves, bearings, bearing housings, gears, etc. They are a material used in heavy-duty, high-speed and high-temperature situations and subject to strong friction conditions due to their high strength, high modulus of elasticity, low coefficient of friction and good wear and corrosion resistance. Although copper–tin alloys are excellent materials, a higher performance of mechanical parts is required under extreme operating conditions. Plastic deformation is an effective way to improve the overall performance of a workpiece. In this study, medium-temperature compression tests were performed on a semi-solid CuSn10P1 alloy using a Gleeble 1500D testing machine at different temperatures (350−440 °C) and strain rates (0.1−10 s−1) to obtain its medium-temperature deformation characteristics. The experimental results show that the filamentary deformation marks appearing during the deformation are not single twins or slip lines, but a mixture of dislocations, stacking faults and twins. Within the experimental parameters, the filamentary deformation marks increase with increasing strain and decrease with increasing temperature. Twinning subdivides the grains into lamellar sheets, and dislocation aggregates are found near the twinning boundaries. The results of this study are expected to make a theoretical contribution to the forming of copper–tin alloys in post-processing processes such as rolling and forging.