Solidification Characteristics and Segregation Behavior of Cu-15Ni-8Sn Alloy

The solidification characteristics and segregation behavior of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy were systematically investigated in the present study. The solidification characteristics were revealed with the assistance of a solidification quenching experiment, DTA analysis and Scheil simulation. The solidification microstructure of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy was characterized by SEM, and the results indicated that the as-cast microstructure of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy mainly consists of Sn-depleted α-Cu(Ni,Sn) matrix, Sn-rich γ phase and lamellar (α + γ) structure. It has been demonstrated that the solidification process begins with the nucleation and growth of primary Sn-depleted α1 phase (\( L \to \alpha_{1} \) at 1114 °C) and terminates with the divorced eutectic reaction (\( L_{2} \to \alpha_{2} + \gamma \) at 868 °C). During the subsequent cooling process, the discontinuous precipitation (\( \alpha_{2} \to \alpha_{1} + \gamma \)) takes place in the temperature range from about 700 °C to 600 °C. In addition, the macrosegregation behavior of Sn in Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy was investigated by adopting vertical unidirectional solidification and measuring the cooling curves at different positions. The results indicated that an inverse macrosegregation of Sn solute exists in the as-prepared ingot, which mainly segregates at the chill surface of the alloy ingot. Namely, the Sn content is higher than 8 wt pct at the chill surface and about 8 wt pct inside the ingot for Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy.