Effect of Rare Earth Element Y on Microstructure and Properties of Cu-9Ni-6Sn Alloy

MA Jinghan; ZHANG Jian; LIU Jian; PENG Bo; TAO Meiyue; LI Tao; JIE Jinchuan; CAO Zhiqiang

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.08.014

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Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (8) : 127-135. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.08.014

Copper Alloy Forming

Effect of Rare Earth Element Y on Microstructure and Properties of Cu-9Ni-6Sn Alloy

MA Jinghan¹, ZHANG Jian³, LIU Jian¹, PENG Bo¹, TAO Meiyue¹, LI Tao³, JIE Jinchuan^1,2,*, CAO Zhiqiang^1,2

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Abstract

The work aims to study the effects of different contents of rare earth element Y on the microstructure, properties and discontinuous precipitation behavior during aging of Cu-9Ni-6Sn alloy and determine the optimal Y content that most effectively suppresses discontinuous precipitation. Cu-9Ni-6Sn-xY alloys with varying Y contents, where x equals 0, 0.05, 0.2, and 0.4, were prepared through traditional atmospheric melting. The mechanical properties of each sample were tested and analyzed by Vickers hardness tester and tensile testing machine. The microstructure of each sample in different states was observed by metallographic microscope and scanning electron microscope, and the effect of Y element content on grain size, second phase transformation and discontinuous precipitation was analyzed. The addition of Y element had a significant grain refining effect, which gradually weakened with the increasing Y content. The Cu-9Ni-6Sn alloy reached peak aging after 4 h at 400 ℃, while the Cu-9Ni-6Sn-xY (x=0.05, 0.2, 0.4) alloys reached peak aging after 6 h at 400 ℃. The hardness values after peak aging were reported as 355HV, 335.7HV, and 333.1HV for the three alloys, respectively. The corresponding strengths were 833, 817, 786 MPa, and the electrical conductivities were 14.6%IACS, 15.5%IACS, and 15.2%IACS, respectively. After addition of Y element, NiY phase and NiSnY phase are formed, which will not enter the matrix during solution treatment, and occupy the nucleation sites of discontinuous precipitation during aging, thus inhibiting the discontinuous precipitation. When the Y content (mass fraction) is 0.05%, the grain refining effect and the inhibition effect of discontinuous precipitation are the most obvious.

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Cu-9Ni-6Sn alloy / microalloying / microstructure / spinodal decomposition / discontinuous precipitation (DP)

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MA Jinghan, ZHANG Jian, LIU Jian, PENG Bo, TAO Meiyue, LI Tao, JIE Jinchuan, CAO Zhiqiang. Effect of Rare Earth Element Y on Microstructure and Properties of Cu-9Ni-6Sn Alloy[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering. 2025, 17(8): 127-135 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.08.014

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