Effects of ZrO2 and Al2O3 Addition on the Physical Properties of Cu-Mo-Cr Alloy by Liquid Phase Sintering

Abstract

In this study, the effect of the addition of ZrO2 and Al2O3 ceramic powders to Cu-Mo-Cr alloy was studied by examining the physical properties of the composite material. The ceramic additives were selected based on the thermodynamic stability calculation of the Cu-Mo-Cr alloys. Elemental powders, in the ratio Cu:Mo:Cr = 60:30:10 (wt.%), and approximately 0-1.2 wt.% of ZrO2 and Al2O3 were mixed, and a green compact was formed by pressing the mixture under 186 MPa pressure and sintering at 1250°C for 5 h. The raw powders were evenly dispersed in the mixed powder, as observed by scanning electron microscopy. After sintering, the microstructures, densities, electrical conductivities, and hardness of the composites were evaluated. We found that the addition of ZrO2 and Al2O3 increased the hardness and decreased the electrical conductivity and density of the composites.