Just another WordPress site - Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Abstract

The influence of small amounts of segregating impurities on the creep behavior has been studied for Cu specimens containing Bi and Sb. Alloys with a bulk composition of 0.008 wt. % Bi and 1 wt. % Sb respectively were cast and thermomechanically treated to produce a homogeneous microstructure. Two different degrees of segregation of Bi and Sb to the copper grain boundaries were established by different annealing treatments and their presence was confirmed using TEM EDX. Creep experiments were conducted in an inert atmosphere at temperatures between 0.570.64 Tm and stresses of 10, 15 and 20 MPa. The creep data were then compared to those of pure copper. Microstructural features were examined before and after creep testing. We investigate the effects of small amounts of Bi and Sb on the creep strain accumulation and the resulting creep damage. We discuss our results on the basis of previous findings reported in the literature.