Structure and properties of Cu-Cr alloys subjected to shear under pressure and subsequent heating

The effects of the chromium content (0.75, 9.85, 27%) in Cu-Cr alloys, their initial state, and the heating temperature on their thermal stability after severe plastic deformation are studied by microhardness and electrical resistivity measurements and metallography. The microhardness and electrical resistivity of Cu-Cr alloys are determined as functions of the heating temperature in the range 50–600°C, and microhardness distributions over the diameter of samples differing in the chromium content are plotted. The difference in the strengthening and softening of low- and high-alloy copper-chromium alloys subjected to high-pressure torsion is shown to be related to the initial structure of the material.