Evolution of the dendrite structure of a copper-based metallic composite material during heat and thermomechanical treatment

Abstract

The stages of transformation of the dendrite structure of a Cu-Fe metallic composite material are studied under conditions of heat and thermomechanical treatment. It is shown that individual near-equiaxed structural elements are only formed as a result of heat treatment after a complete treatment cycle from 500 to 930°C. Thermomechanical treatment (uniaxial upsetting in the temperature range from 500 to 930°C) provides more effective transformation of initial copper and iron phases, in particular, at high hydrostatic components of compressive stresses. The highest degrees of refining the initial as-cast structure are obtained using thermomechanical treatment by upsetting samples in a steel sheath at a strain of ∼70% and 600°C.