Development of Al-Fe-(Cu) Series Alloys for Aluminum Cables and the Related Annealing Behaviors

Abstract

In this work, Al-Fe-(Cu) alloys for aluminum cables were designed and the related annealing behaviors were discussed in detail to help understand the influence of processing and heat treatment on the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of the studied alloys. The interaction between different solute elements was tracked by using hardness and electrical conductivity testing. The microstructure was investigated by using Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique, along with Scanning Electron Microscopy with Backscattered Electron Detector (BSE). The results show that the conductivities of Al-Fe-Cu alloy increased with the elongated annealing time, and reaches its maximum at 6 h, when annealed at temperatures from 275 °C to 375 °C. The addition of Fe to Al can strengthen the alloy and decrease its conductivity slightly, while the addition of Cu will influence the alloy conductivity significantly. The morphologies of precipitates will change with different amount of alloying elements as well.