Fabrication and Properties of Nano-TiCx/Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy Composites

Nano-sized TiCx/Cu master alloy was prepared by the in situ method of combustion synthesis and hot press consolidation in Cu-Ti- CNTs system. The nano-TiCx/Cu-Cr-Zr alloy composites were fabricated by dispersing the nano-sized TiCx/Cu master alloy into molten Cu-Cr-Zr alloy via stir casting. It was revealed that the average grain size of TiCx/Cu-Cr-Zr alloy composites was significantly refined from 90 μm to 20 μm, the Brinell Hardness of nano-TiCx/Cu-Cr-Zr alloy composites increased from 75.1 HB to 86.8 HB, and the wear resistance increased by 12.6%, compared with the Cu-Cr-Zr alloy. The electric conductivity slightly decreased from 64.71% IACS to 52.93% IACS. The improvements of hardness and wear resistance result from nano-TiCx and grain refinement strengthening