ABSTRACT
By applying high-density electric current pulses (ECP) on the Cu–Zn alloy, the high-temperature precipitated phase is explored and the related mechanical properties are investigated. Results show that the nucleation rate of the high-temperature β precipitation can be greatly accelerated due to the ECP treatment. Especially, an obvious orientation relationship can be detected between the matrix α phase and the product β precipitation by increasing the electric current density. In addition, for the samples with a dense distribution of refined β precipitation, a slight decrease in the tensile strength and a great increase in the elongation-to-failure can be observed.
This paper is part of a themed issue on Materials in External Fields.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Professor J. D. Guo of Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for many helpful discussions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.