Effects of pre-deformation on precipitation behaviors and properties in Cu-Ni-Si-Cr alloy

The effects of pre-deformation on the precipitation behaviors and properties in Cu-Ni-Si-Cr alloy were investigated. The results showed the electrical conductivity and the strength of the alloys after peak aging increased with the pre-deformation amount. Quantitative analyses demonstrated the deformation-induced defects improved the precipitation and the number density of precipitates but reduced their average radii. As a result, the conductivity improved due to the slight promotion of precipitation while the strength increased mostly from the enhanced precipitate strengthening and then from the unremoved work hardening. At elevated temperatures, the effects of pre-deformation were greatly weakened and then the difference among the alloys after different treatments disappeared.