Study on high-strength and high-conductivity Cu–Fe–P alloys

A new high-strength and high-conductivity Cu–Fe–P–B–Ce alloy strengthened by cold working and aging was designed. The mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of Cu–Fe–P and Cu–Fe–P–B–Ce alloys were measured, and the microstructures of the samples were analyzed with optical microscope and by transmission electron microscopy. Results showed that the recrystallization temperature of Cu–Fe–P alloy was greatly raised by adding trace B and Ce. Thus, the good strengthening effect processed by both precipitation hardening and cold working hardening was obtained. This novel Cu–Fe–P–B–Ce alloy exhibits excellent combination property that the tensile strength (σb) is 509 MPa, the elongation (δ) is 16% and the conductivity is 80% IACS.