Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of additively manufactured Cu–10Sn alloys by laser powder bed fusion

Effects of Low-Temperature Heat Treatment on Mechanical and Thermophysical Properties of Cu-10Sn Alloys Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

“…Cu-Sn (tin bronze) is a copper-based alloy composed of copper (Cu) as the base metal and tin (Sn) (ranging from 5 to 25 wt.%) as its primary alloying element [ 1 ]. Tin bronze possesses outstanding mechanical and thermophysical properties, such as high strength, excellent ductility, good corrosion resistance, and good electrical conductivity [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Cu-10Sn alloy has been extensively explored in bearing applications, hydraulic fittings, pump linings, utensils, bearings, sheets, rods, and wires owing to its excellent hardness, yield strength, wear resistance, good corrosion resistance, and high thermal conductivity [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…The fabrication of Cu-10Sn alloy parts using the LPBF process has also gained significant interest among designers seeking to advance the fabrication process and optimize the microstructural, mechanical, thermophysical, and corrosion-resistant properties of the as-built alloys and tailor them for specific applications [ 2 , 5 , 18 ]. However, presently, the primary challenge towards the advancement of the LPBF process (or even metal AM in general) for parts fabrication is establishing a better understanding of the correlation between process parameters, microstructural properties, and final built material properties [ 15 , 19 , 20 ].…”

“…Specifically, it was reported that a grown grain size would lead to a decrease in mechanical strength of the parts due to the Hall–Petch effect. In addition to the mechanical and microstructural characterization work performed [ 2 , 18 ], thermophysical and corrosion performance of Cu-10Sn alloys fabricated using the LPBF-AM process has also gained a lot of interest [ 5 ]. Thermophysical properties, i.e., thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, are well known to be significantly affected by atomic-level defects, including point defects such as vacancies, solid solution atoms, and line defects like dislocations [ 31 ].…”

“…Conventional methods such as wrought, casting, forging, extrusion, and metallic alloying have been extensively explored in the past for the fabrication of Cu-10Sn alloys and other metallic alloy parts [8][9][10][11]. However, with recent advances, the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM) process has also gained significant attention as a viable rapid metal parts fabrication process to supplant conventional fabrication processes and achieve similar desired mechanical properties with complex shapes using lower production lead times and minimal material waste [2,[12][13][14][15]. Additionally, it has also been considered extensively for research and development of advanced engineering materials because of its higher cooling rates, higher fabrication resolutions, and better surface finishes compared with other additive manufacturing processes, such as laser Materials 2024, 17, 2943 2 of 15 powder direct energy deposition (LP-DED) [16].…”

Electrochemical behaviour of graphene and alumina whisker co-reinforced copper matrix composites

“…Copper is one of the most widely used industrial materials, especially in electrical and electronics, machinery manufacturing, and railway traffic equipment, owing to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, ductility, good wear, and corrosion resistance [1,2]. Considering the wide applications of copper, copper alloys, such as copper-tin (Cu-Sn) alloy [3] and copper matrix composites for improving mechanical properties, have attracted increased research attention. Various reinforcements, such as TiC, TiB 2 , SiC, Al 2 O 3 particles, and carbon fibres, have been incorporated to fabricate Cu matrix composites.…”