Effect of Fe on the sintering and thermal properties of Mo-Cu composites

Effects of Fe on the sintering and thermal properties of Mo-Cu composites have been investigated. Mo-Cu-xFe composites are fabricated by powder metallurgy techniques with addition of various Fe contents ranging from 0.4 wt% to 2.2 wt%. The thermal properties and action mechanism of Fe to Mo-Cu composites are discussed. Results have indicated that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and thermal conductivity (TC) of Mo-Cu composites are greatly affected by the addition of Fe contents. It has also been observed that the fabricated composite powders with Fe additions exhibit high sinterability. Also, the inclusion of Fe can active the sintering course in shorter times and decline the sintering temperature thus also improving the physical properties of composites. Furthermore, it is also concluded that the utilization of steel kettle and steel balls for milling the Mo-Cu powders is also beneficial to improve the physical and thermal properties of Mo-Cu alloy. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.