Electropulsing rapidly refined the microstructure and enhanced the strength and plasticity of Cu-3.5Ti alloy

Recrystallization annealing is a necessary process for refining the grain of processed metallic materials and eliminating work hardening. However, it can cause a large amount of precipitation and coarsening of the second phase in supersaturated solid solution alloys, which is detrimental to the subsequent processing and aging processes aimed at controlling the precipitation phase. This article compared the effects of electropulsing (EPT) and conventional heat treatment (CHT) processes on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cold-rolled Cu-3.5Ti alloy. The results indicated that compared with CHT, EPT achieved full recrystallization of the alloy at a lower temperature (650 °C, 100 °C lower than CHT) and in a shorter time (10 s, 1/360 of CHT), and effectively inhibited the precipitation of β-Cu ₄Ti phase, resulting in a fine and uniform supersaturated solid solution. This process significantly improved both the strength and plasticity of the alloy. The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation to failure of the EPT-650 °C/10 s sample were 570 MPa, 598 MPa and 21.2 %, respectively, which were 27.8 %, 25.9 % and 19.1 % higher than those of the CHT-750 °C/1 h sample. EPT significantly increased the recrystallization nucleation rate of the alloy, while its rapid heating method inhibited the precipitation of β-Cu ₄Ti phase, ensuring the recrystallization process was not affected by the precipitated phase, which was the main reason for rapid recrystallization and grain refinement of Cu-3.5Ti alloy by EPT at lower temperatures and shorter time.