Work Hardening Behavior and Microstructure Evolution of a Cu-Ti-Cr-Mg Alloy during Room Temperature and Cryogenic Rolling

A Cu-1.79Ti-0.39Cr-0.1Mg (wt.%) alloy was prepared by a vacuum induction melting furnace in a high-purity argon atmosphere. The effects of room temperature rolling and cryogenic rolling on the microstructure, textures, and mechanical properties of the alloy were investigated by means of electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the hardness of the cryogenically rolled alloy is 18–30 HV higher than that of the room temperature rolled alloy at any tested rolling reduction. The yield strength and tensile strength of the alloy cryogenically rolled by 90% reduction are 723 MPa and 796 MPa, respectively. With the increase of rolling reduction, the orientation density of the Cube texture decreases, while the Brass texture increases. The Brass texture is preferred especially during the cryogenic rolling, suggesting that the cross-slip is inhibited at the cryogenic temperature. The dislocation densities of Cu-Ti-Cr-Mg alloy increase significantly during the deformation, finally reaching 23.03 × 10(−14) m(−2) and 29.98 × 10(−14) m(−2) after a 90% reduction for the room temperature rolled and cryogenically rolled alloys, respectively. This difference could be attributed to the impediment effect of cryogenic temperature on dynamic recovery and dynamic recrystallization. The cryogenic temperature promotes the formation of the dislocation and the nano-twins, leading to the improvement of the mechanical properties of the alloy.