Microstructural and Hardness Studies of Cu-10wt.%Sn Alloy Under Different Aging Conditions

Microstructure of Cu-10wt.%Sn alloy, prepared by powder metallurgy technique and sintered at 900 °C for 120 min in hydrogen atmosphere, was studied by optical microscopy and XRD technique as a function of aging time. Isothermal aging of the alloy specimens was performed at 250 °C for a period of 30, 60, 120, 300, and 1440 min after solution treatment at 500 °C for 60 min. Rockwell hardness of aged specimens was also measured at room temperature as a function of aging time. It was observed that microstructure of the as-sintered specimens consists of the grains of alpha Cu-Sn solid solution. Moreover, solution treatment of the alloy specimens followed by quenching in water increased the hardness of the as-sintered alloy specimens from 35.5 to 59.8 HRF due to the residual stresses generated by fast cooling. Aging at 250 °C for 30, 60, and 120 min was found to cause a decrease in hardness from 59.8 to 45.1 HRF, whereas the specimens aged for 300 and 1440 min show an increase in hardness from 45.1 to 75.7 HRF. The values of porosity calculated from XRD patterns of the alloy specimens referred to show that porosity varies with aging time in a manner opposite to that of hardness, e.g., porosity is maximum for 120 min aging time where hardness is minimum.