Correlation mechanism of grain orientation/microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu–Ni–Si–Co alloy

Abstract

Abstract The relationship between the microstructure and properties of the different orientations of a Cu–Ni–Si–Co alloy was investigated by tensile testing, X-ray diffraction electron backscattering diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD). The results revealed that the cold-rolled alloy contained mainly a Brass {110} and R {124} texture. The alloy was aged, and it exhibited mainly an R texture, and its volume and distributing width were 45.2% and 10.8°, respectively. The aged alloy exhibited obvious anisotropy, and its tensile strength and electrical conductivity in the rolling direction were 870 MPa and 50% IACS, respectively. In the Cu–Ni–Si–Co alloy, the orientation grains close to the [111] crystal plane were in the hard orientation zone, the Schmid factor value was low, and the material strength was relatively high. At the same time, the [111] crystal plane was close-packed and exhibited good conductivity. The oriented grains close to the [100] crystal plane was in the soft oriented zone and had lower strength and conductivity. Through HEXRD analysis, it was found that the oriented grains with a high twin stacking-fault probability had lower stacking fault energy, and the probability of aging-induced twinning was high.