The microstructure and arc-ablation property of Cu-Ta alloy prepared by laser directed energy deposition

Copper alloys with addition of the refractory metals have been widely used due to their excellent conductivity and ablative resistance. In this work, the Cu-Ta deposited alloy was successfully fabricated by laser directed energy deposition. The microstructures of the Cu-Ta deposited alloy were characterized and the arc-ablation properties were studied. Results show that the Cu-Ta deposited alloy is mainly composed of Ta and Cu and the morphology of Ta is spherical. The ablation area of the Cu-Ta deposited alloy is smaller than that of the CuCrZr substrate and the percentages of the arc erosion region ratio are 5.48% and 20.50%, which indicates that the Cu-Ta deposited alloy has more excellent arc-ablation property. We hope that the results will be helpful for the further development of the copper alloys with addition of the refractory metals.