journal article·2026-01Open access

Superior strength-ductility-conductivity synergy of GRCop-42 alloy manufactured via electron beam powder bed fusion

Qingbo Yan, Yunzhe Li, Yingkang Wei, Zhuoran Shi, Sitong Chen, Jilei Zhu, Wenpeng Jia, Shifeng Liu

Abstract

In response to the urgent demand for high-strength and high-conductivity copper alloys in the regenerative cooling combustion chambers of rocket engines, in this study, GRCop-42 alloy was formed in one go by electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF). The influence of EB-PBF linear energy density (LED) on the density-microstructure-comprehensive performance of alloy samples was systematically studied. When the LED was 408 J m −1 , almost fully dense alloy samples were obtained with a relative density of 99.54 %. Under this parameter, the sample exhibits excellent coupling of mechanical and electrical properties, with tensile strength and electrical conductivity of 300 MPa and 70 %IACS, respectively. The sample melt pool shows a gradient of fine to coarse grains, and the average grain size gradually increases with the increase of the LED. In addition, the samples formed by EB-PBF in-situ precipitated Cr 2 Nb, Cr 2 O 3 and Cr phase <10 nm in the matrix. These precipitated particles are the main reason for the excellent mechanical and electrical properties of the sample. This work has expanded the application scope of EB-PBF in the field of high-performance copper alloys and reserved technical solutions for achieving lightweight and integrated manufacturing of rocket combustion chambers.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Additive Manufacturing Materials and Processes · High Entropy Alloys Studies · Intermetallics and Advanced Alloy Properties

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

References (43)

Show source-provided references
1. Thermophysical properties of additively manufactured (AM) GRCop-42 and GRCop-84
2. A phenomenological understanding of the influence of processing methods on creep of Cu-8Cr-4Nb (GRCop-84)10.1016/j.msea.2019.04.074 ↗
3. Stress localization investigation of additively manufactured GRCop-42 thin-wall structure10.1016/j.tws.2024.112022 ↗
4. Size effects on microstructure and mechanical properties of additively manufactured copper–chromium–niobium alloy10.1016/j.msea.2021.141511 ↗
5. Metal fabrication by additive manufacturing using laser and electron beam melting technologies10.1016/S1005-0302(12)60016-4 ↗
6. Metallurgy of additive manufacturing: examples from electron beam melting
7. Frontiers of 3D printing/additive manufacturing: from human organs to aircraft fabrication†10.1016/j.jmst.2016.08.011 ↗
8. Open-cellular copper structures fabricated by additive manufacturing using electron beam melting10.1016/j.msea.2011.03.053 ↗
9. Electron-beam additive manufacturing of high-temperature metals10.1557/mrs.2016.210 ↗
10. Process development for the manufacturing of 99.94% pure copper via selective electron beam melting10.1016/j.matlet.2014.12.105 ↗
11. Thermal and electrical conductivity of 99.9%
12. Effect of the oxygen content of pure copper powder on selective electron beam melting10.1016/j.msea.2020.139106 ↗
13. Process development of 99.95% pure copper processed via selective electron beam melting and its mechanical and physical properties10.1016/j.matchar.2018.04.009 ↗
14. Process and geometrical integrity optimization of electron beam melting for copper10.1016/j.cirp.2022.03.041 ↗
15. Microstructure development and properties of micro-alloyed copper, Cu-0.3Zr-0.15Ag, produced by electron beam additive manufacturing10.1016/j.matchar.2023.112675 ↗
16. Development of CuCrZr via electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF)10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152841 ↗
17. On the feasibility to obtain CuCrZr alloys with outstanding thermal and mechanical properties by additive manufacturing10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155304 ↗
18. Novel precipitate–microstructural architecture developed in the fabrication of solid copper components by additive manufacturing using electron beam melting10.1016/j.actamat.2011.03.033 ↗
19. Effect of electron beam energy density on the microstructure and properties of CuCrZr alloy prepared by electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF)10.1016/j.matchar.2024.114031 ↗
20. Abrasive flow finishing of 3D-Printed aerofoils: Design, numerical simulation, and experimental analysis10.1016/j.optlastec.2024.110578 ↗
21. 1999
22. Effects of processing parameters on consolidation and microstructure of W–Cu components by DMLS10.1016/j.jallcom.2008.05.065 ↗
23. Selective laser melting of WC-Co reinforced AISI 1045 steel composites: microstructure characterization and mechanical properties10.1016/j.jmrt.2022.05.158 ↗
24. High wear resistance WC-Co reinforced GCr15 bearing steel composite prepared via selective laser melting (SLM)10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2022.105988 ↗
25. About the banded structure in rapidly solidified dendritic and eutectic alloys10.1016/0956-7151(92)90076-Q ↗
26. In-situ generation of high-strength AISI 1045 steel with SiO2 nano-precipitation by selective laser melting (SLM)10.1016/j.jmapro.2023.03.064 ↗
27. Equiaxed dendrite growth in alloys at small supercooling10.1007/BF02825716 ↗
28. Theory of microstructural development during rapid solidification10.1016/0001-6160(86)90056-8 ↗
29. Lipton · 1984 · vol. 65 · 57
30. Achieving high strength, high ductility and high conductivity of additively manufactured CuCrZr alloy via control of powder bed temperature10.1016/j.msea.2025.148114 ↗
31. Solidification characteristics and precipitation behavior of the Cu–Cr–Nb alloys10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.01.014 ↗
32. The current state of CuCrZr and CuCrNb alloys manufactured by additive manufacturing: a review10.1016/j.matdes.2022.111419 ↗
33. CuCrZr alloy obtained via electron-beam powder bed fusion: microstructural insights and precipitation behaviour10.1016/j.matchar.2024.114559 ↗
34. Effect of wall thickness on the precipitation behavior, microstructure, electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of copper alloy prepared by electron beam powder bed fusion10.1016/j.matchar.2024.114518 ↗
35. Austenitic stainless steel strengthened by the in situ formation of oxide nanoinclusions10.1039/C4RA16721J ↗
36. Effects of process parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AISI 1045 steel prepared by selective laser melting
37. Modeling the electrical resistivity of deformation processed metal–metal composites10.1016/j.actamat.2014.06.013 ↗
38. Enhanced electrical, mechanical and tribological properties of cu-cr-zr alloys by continuous extrusion forming and subsequent aging treatment10.1016/j.jmst.2021.10.012 ↗
39. Dual-heterostructured Cu-Cr-Nb alloy with ultra-high strength and high conductivity fabricated by selective laser melting10.1016/j.msea.2025.149057 ↗
40. Microstructure evolution and properties of multi-scale precipitate strengthened Cu-Cr-Nb alloy10.1016/j.matchar.2024.114140 ↗
41. Microstructure and mechanical properties of cold spray additive manufactured Cu-Cr-Nb and Fe-Ni-Cr alloys
42. Effects of deposition sequence on microstructural evolution in additively manufactured Cu-Cr-Nb alloy/superalloy bimetallic structures10.1016/j.addlet.2023.100151 ↗
43. GRCop-42: comparison between laser powder bed fusion and laser powder direct energy deposition10.1016/j.addlet.2024.100224 ↗