The Effect of the Aging Process on the Microstructure and Wear Properties of Cu-Cr-Zr Alloys

This study investigated the effects of aging processes on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear properties of Cu-Cr-Zr alloys prepared by vacuum melting. The experimental results show that the particles in the alloy are arranged along the rolling direction after rolling. After aging treatment at 450 °C for 6 h, the particles in the alloy are well-distributed without obvious agglomeration, and the alloy exhibits excellent comprehensive properties: the hardness is increased by about 35%, the electrical conductivity is improved by approximately 1.68 times, and the strength is enhanced by 14.46% compared with the unaged rolled samples. It is also found that the wear properties of the samples under different aging processes are related to the material hardness; as the material hardness increases, the wear mechanism transforms from material transfer to abrasive wear.