Cu-12Ag (mass fraction, %) filamentary composite was prepared by cold drawing combined with intermediate heat treatments.
The
microstructure, mechanical properties and elec trical conductivity were investigated for the heavy drawn alloy subjected to annealing at different temperatures. For the alloy annealed at 200 ℃, the microstructure shows an insignificant change or basically retains the morphology of double-phase fibers formed during cold deformation. The strength slightly decreases while the hardness and conductivity slightly increase. For the alloy annealed at above 400 ℃, the filamentary microstructure evolves into the equiaxial grains aligned along the wire axis. The strength and hardness significantly decrease while the conductivity significantly increases. It is possible to obtain the expected combination of better strength and conductivity for the alloy when the propagation of recrystallized grain is limited inside the fibrous phases and the morphology of complete filamentary can still be kept down during annealing at a suitable temperature.