The effect of prior deformation on spinodal age hardening in Cu-15 Ni-8 Sn alloy

• DOI: 10.1007/bf02668132
• Publication Date: 2007-07-16T21:05:43Z
• Authors: S. Spooner; B. G. Lefevre
• Keywords: Spinodal decomposition; Hardening (computing); Spinodal

The structure and kinetics of aged Cu-15 Ni-8 Sn with and without prior deformation was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Deformation prior to aging is known to accelerate the hardening process in this alloy. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the strengthing mechanisms are kinetically enhanced through modified alloy decomposition or through other mechanisms. Deformation does not affect most of the features of structure development, including DO22 ordering in the tin-rich phase. However, for a given aging treatment, cold worked material shows a reduced strain modulation. The accelerated strengthening response in cold worked alloys cannot be attributed to an accelerated or altered decomposition process. It is suggested that the coarsened spinodal structure and the dislocation structure interact in a synergistic way to give the observed strengthening acceleration.