Study on the synergistic enhancement mechanism of strength and electrical conductivity in Cu–3Ti-0.5 Mg–1Sn alloy

To address the challenge of simultaneously achieving high electrical conductivity and strength in Cu–Ti alloys, a Cu–3Ti-0.5 Mg–1Sn (wt. %) alloy was designed. The alloy underwent to, 60 % cold rolling, aging at 380 °C for 6000 min, 60 % cold rolling, and aging at 350 °C for 6000 min, exhibited excellent overall properties, with a tensile strength of 1137 MPa and an electrical conductivity of 25.2 %IACS. The addition of Sn leads to the formation of Ti 3 Sn, which improves the electrical conductivity of the alloy. The addition of Mg suppressed the formation of the β'-Cu 4 Ti phase, thereby maintaining the alloy's high strength. The dislocations induced by cold rolling served as heterogeneous nucleation sites for the β'-Cu 4 Ti phase. Long-term aging treatment at low temperatures after cold rolling suppresses the recovery and recrystallization and promotes the formation of the nanoscale β'-Cu 4 Ti phase, which pins the dislocation and promotes dislocation multiplication. The interaction between dislocations and β'-Cu 4 Ti phases during thermal mechanical treatment is the key to improving the overall performance of alloys. The alloy prepared in this study meets the requirement of connectors.