Influence of deformation temperature on the microstructure and thermal stability of HPT-consolidated Cu-1%Nb alloys

Abstract Ultrafine grained Cu–Nb alloys with minimal additions of 1 wt.% Nb were prepared by using HPT at ambient temperature (˜20 °C) and elevated temperature (˜200 °C). The microstructure, thermal stability and properties were investigated. The results indicated that compared with the Cu-1%Nb alloy processed at ambient temperature, the sample processed at 200 °C shows higher density and higher thermal stability, which contributed to its higher electrical conductivity and tensile strength after annealing treatment.