Influence of processing on the microstructure of Cu–8Cr–4Nb

The particle-strengthened Cu–8 at.%Cr–4 at.%Nb alloy is processed by consolidation of atomized powders followed by extrusion to obtain bars and rolling to produce sheets. Comparison of copper matrix grain and second-phase particle structures in both extruded and rolled Cu–8Cr–4Nb was performed. Extruded material displayed locally banded arrangements of Cr2Nb particles, while the distribution of particles was more uniform in rolled material. Mean Cr2Nb particle sizes were found to be essentially the same for both processing methods. Non-spherical particles in the extruded alloy showed some preferred orientation, whereas the rolled material displayed a more uniform particle orientation distribution. Extruded material exhibited a dual grain size distribution with smaller grains in banded regions. The mean grain size of 1.36 μm in extruded material was larger than the 0.65 μm grain size of rolled material. A [101] texture was evident in extruded material, whereas the rolled material was only slightly textured along the [001] and [111] directions. The processing differences for the rolled and extruded forms give rise to different microstructures and hence higher creep strength for the extruded material in the temperature range of 773–923 K.