Rheological Properties of Selected Copper Alloys in Liquid and Semi-Solid State

The analysis of rheological properties provides information that allows the potential for the practical application of metal alloys to be determined and to effectively design their shaping with the use of advanced engineering modelling. The paper presents an analysis of the basic rheological properties of selected copper alloys, CuSn10 and CuAl10Fe3Mn2, in the liquid and semi-solid states. The analysis was based on viscosity measurements and rheological modelling. The measurements were carried out using a high-temperature rheometer with the Searle method. The research described in this article was undertaken to provide data for assessing the potential of using thixoforming technologies to shape copper matrix alloys; research data in this field are insufficient and information in the literature is also limited. The analysis carried out includes the complex characterisation of viscosity in terms of the influence of temperature, strain rate and time. The results were enriched with rheological models that can be used in simulation studies.