Effect of sintering temperature on fine-grained Cu W composites with high copper

Fine-grained Cu(70–90%)-W composites were successfully produced using nano-scale CuW powders in vacuum condition. The sintering process of CuW composites is ascribed to the sintering interactions that occur both within the powders and between the powders. Microstructure analysis of the CuW composites showed that the big spherical and nano-sized tungsten particles were evenly embedded in the copper matrix. The CuW interface had a semi-coherent relation and displayed good contact. The relative density, hardness, electrical conductivity and W crystal size in the CuW composites increased when the sintering temperature rose from 1000 °C to 1090 °C. With elevating copper content, the hardness and the tungsten grain size of CuW composites were found to decrease, but the relative density and electrical conductivity improved. The relation of the electro-conductivity, sintering temperature, and W crystal size of the CuW composites was described with a regression formula.