Mechanical Alloying of Cu–Ni–Ta–Li Alloys for Improved Mechanical Properties

Presentation Type

Poster

Conference Date

Spring 4-17-2026

Abstract

Copper-based alloys exhibit excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, but they often show poor mechanical properties because of their relatively low melting points as compared to other engineering alloys. Special nanocrystalline Cu-Ta-Li alloys, developed by the Army Research Laboratory and LSU researchers, have been shown to overcome strength limitations via precipitation of nanoscale Cu3Li precipitates. The Cu3Li precipitates specifically slow grain growth and help retain alloy strength by altering dislocation mobility.

While progress has been made, there is still a desire to increase the melting point of these alloys and further improve mechanical properties. Therefore, in this work, mechanical alloying was employed to synthesize various Cu-Ta-Li alloys with different concentrations of Ni. The hypothesis is that Ni additions increase the melting point, and thus improves mechanical properties, all while not eliminating the precipitation of beneficial Cu3Li precipitates. A total of eight new alloys were manufactured, and ongoing efforts aim to study microstructure evolution and mechanical properties after heat treating the new alloys at different temperatures. Various electron microscopy methods will be utilized to determine nanocrystalline grain sizes and if the targeted Cu3Li precipitates are maintained, and microhardness indentation will be used to quantify hardness following the different heat treatments. Overall, the experiments seek to develop a new class of high-temperature and high-strength Cu-based alloys that could be used for extreme applications related to nuclear energy production.

Presenter

Octavio Combellas-Jaimes

Faculty Mentor

Christopher Marvel

Award

Top 5 Individual Presenter, LSU College of Engineering

Academic Major

Mechanical Engineering

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