Investigation on Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Cu-Ti Nanocomposite Produced by Mechanical Alloying

In this paper, Cu-Ti nanocomposite synthesized via ball milling of copper-titanium powders in 1, 3, and 6 of weight percentage compounds. The vial speed was 350 rpm and ball to powder weight ratio kept at 15:1 under Argon atmosphere, and the time of milling was 90 h. Obtained powders were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Crystallite size, lattice strain, and lattice constant were calculated by Rietveld refinement with Maud software. The results show a decrease in the crystallite size, and an increase in the internal strain and lattice parameter. Furthermore, the lattice parameter grew by increasing the percentage of titanium. Then, the powders compressed by the cold press and annealed at 650˚C, and finally, their micro-hardness and electrical resistance were measured. These analyses show that via increasing the proportion of titanium, Cu-6wt%Ti with 312 Vickers had the highest micro-hardness; due to the increasing the work hardening. Moreover, the results of the electrical resistance illustrate through increasing the amount of alloying material, the electrical resistance grew which the highest electrical conductivity was Cu-1wt%Ti with 0.36 Ω.