Microstructure and Properties of Cu-Cr-Nd Alloys after Cold Deformation and Solid Solution Aging

The effects of mass fraction of rare earth neodymium (0, 0.05%, 0.1%), cold deformation (70%, 90%, 95%) and aging time on microstructure and properties of Cr-Nd-Cu alloys were studied. The results show that the fiber microstructure was found in aged alloys when the deformation was 90%.The rare earth neodymium could increase the hardness of the alloy. The hardness of the alloy increased with the increase of deformation, and the bigger the deformation before aging, the more the increase of the alloy′s conductivity after aging. With the increase of aging time, the hardness of the alloy increased and then decreased, and the conductivity rapidly raised and then increased slowly.