Institute of Metals Division - Effect of Cold Work on Copper-Rich Copper-Iron Alloys

The effect of cold work on the electrical and magnetic properties of solution-treated and aged Cu-Fe alloys was studied. The electrical resistivity of solution-treated and of aged Cu-1.7 wt pct Fe samples increased by up to 25 and 140 pct, respectively, follozcing a 55 pct reduction of area. The principle contributions to the increase of resistivity of the solution-treated and aged samfiles are examined. Measurements of the .saturation induction, coercive force, and stacking fault Probability are also reported. 1 HIS paper is the second in a series which examine the behavior of the electrical and magnetic prop- erties of Cu-Fe alloys. The first paper1 was primarily concerned with the effects of thermal treatment whereas the present paper examines the effects of cold work on solution-treated and aged Cu-Fe alloys. The effects of cold work on the transformation of the coherent fcc iron precipitate to the ferromagnetic form2 and the coercive force and remanence3 have already been described, but the unusually large increases in resistivity (up to 220 pct) which occlir with cold work have not been reported previously. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The methods used for alloy preparation, heat treatment, and electrical and magnetic measurements are described elsewhere.1 The specimens, initially 4-in. lengths of 0.0625-in. diam wire, were cold worked by swaging in hardened steel dies. Following each reduction, the samples were etched lightly in hydrochloric acid to remove surface con-