Effects of Cryogenic Treatment on Micro-Mechanical Properties of a Cu-Al Alloy

After heat treatment at 800°C for 15min, a Cu-Al alloy was cryogenic treated at -196°C for 30min, the micro-mechanical properties of the Cu-Al alloy before and after cryogenic treatment were measured by nanometer mechanical testing system and the microstructure of the Cu-Al alloy were also analyzed by optical microscope, SEM/EDS and XRD. On the basis of that, the effects of cryogenic treatment on micro-mechanical properties of the Cu-Al alloy were investigated. The results show that the cryogenic treatment can refine the grains, and increase the hardness, elastic modulus, elastic recovery rate and ratio of hardness to modulus of the Cu-Al alloy. As a result, cryogenic treatment can improve the ability to resist applied load and anti-indentation creep effectively.