The investigation of the effect of cu addition on the Nb-V microalloyed steel produced by powder metallurgy

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In this work, the effect of Cu content on the microstructures, mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of Nb-V added microalloyed powder metallurgy (PM) steels were investigated. Microalloyed steel samples were pressed at 750 MPa and sintered at 1400oC in argon atmosphere for 1 h. The grain size and phase distribution of the microalloy steels were determined by optical microscope. The precipitates and fracture surface of samples were analyzed with the help of SEM and EDS analyses. Tensile test, hardness test and electrical conductivity measurement were carried out for the Nb-V added microalloyed steel with different Cu content. Results indicated that 10 wt.% Cu added PM microalloyed steel showed the highest values in yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS). However, when the amount of Cu content increased from 10 to 15 wt.%, YS and UTS decreased. Elongation also tends to decrease with increasing Cu content. Although the electrical conductivity in general increased with the addition of Cu, a decrease in some conductivity was observed in the addition of 15 wt.% Cu.