Strength properties and structure of CuCrZr alloy subjected to low-temperature KOBO extrusion and heat treatment

KOBO extrusion of metals and alloys strongly activates the point defect generation processes, as a result of which they reach a concentration exceeding the equilibrium level by many orders of magnitude. This leads to significant acceleration of diffusion phenomena which in heat-treatable alloys may cause disturbance of the thermodynamic equilibrium between the solid solution decomposition and dissolution of precipitates. In this work, measurements of mechanical and electrical properties and structural observations Cu1Cr0.1Zr alloy subjected to low-temperature KOBO extrusion at different stages of multi-variant heat treatment were conducted. In addition, the geometry of the extruded alloy’s flow zone was analyzed and the obtained results made it possible to assess the effectiveness of experimental procedures, including product formation with high extrusion ratio λ, aimed at achieving of high and thermally stable functional properties of the material.