Effect of copper powders on microstructure and properties of the MIM tungsten-copper alloy
LIN Chihao1，2，HU Ke2,3，WANG Minghui1，2，LEI Jiuhuai4，LIN Bo1
（1.School of Mechanical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China;2. Institute of New Materials,
Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; 3. National Engineering Research Center of
Powder Metallurgy of Titanium & Rare metals, Guangzhou 510650, China; 4. Huyuan Provincial Academy of
Sciences Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Heyuan 517099, China）
Abstract：Metal injection molding (MIM) technology was adopted to prepare tungsten-copper alloy. Particle size
and particle shape of the selected copper powders was quantitatively characterized by image analysis technology.
The influence of the copper powders on the microstructure and properties of MIM tungsten-copper alloy was investigated
in detail. By comparing，the characteristic parameters such as particle size, particle size distribution width,
aspect ratio, roughness, outgrow and bluntness of the copper powders, the particle sizes of the crushed copper
(CCu) powders and the water atomized copper (WCu) powders were much smaller than that of the reduced copper
(RCu) powders, however the CCu powders exhibited wider particle size distribution and better regularity, surface
smoothness and dispersion microstructure than the WCu powders and RCu powders. With tungsten powder blended
with the CCu powders as raw materials, the tungsten-copper green parts were prepared by MIM showed high
density and few defects. After sintering, the tungsten-copper alloy has the best microstructure and properties, with a
density of 96.2%, a hardness of 235 HV, a bending strength of 1 200 MPa, a thermal conductivity of 128 W/(m·K)
and an electrical conductivity of 30%IACS.
2023, Vol. 33 
