Heat treatment of copper-beryllium alloy C17000 to form microstructure with high mechanical properties

Abstract With good electrical conductivity and high ultimate strength and yield strength limit, copper-beryllium alloy is widely used in springs and electrical contacts. This article studies the effect of heat treatment on microstructure, precipitation process, and mechanical properties of beryllium copper alloy C17000 from a 0.3 mm thick sheet. The results show that the average HB hardness and strength of sample material after tempering at 800 °C for 0.5 h and water quenching are about 100 HB and 300 MPa, respectively. The sample after quenching and aging at 400 °C for 1 hour has a hardness up to 400 HB and a strength of up to 1200 MPa; both the hardness and strength after age hardening of samples are about 4 times higher than the sample after quenching. The increase in strength is caused by the irregular precipitation process of the gamma phase in the form of spheres in grains and grain boundaries, in the form of bands at grain boundaries and twin boundaries.