Characterization and simulation of precipitation development in copper alloys

Precipitation particle size and distribution has a decisive influence on the subsequent mechanical properties of high-strength and highly conductive precipitation hardened copper alloys. The precipitation particle size for a specific Cu-Ni-Si alloy was investigated for various rolling and annealing processes. The data is entered into a thermodynamic-kinetic model that is capable of calculating the development of particle size in relation to temperature and time. This makes it possible to simulate changes to important microstructural parameters during manufacturing or during operation.