Influence of Cryorolling on the Precipitation of Cu-Ni-Si Alloys: An In Situ X-ray Diffraction Study

The effect of cryorolling on the precipitation process of deformed Cu-Ni-Si alloys was investigated through in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique. The results demonstrate that the precipitation process is significantly accelerated by cryorolling. Cryorolling produces higher dislocation density, which provides more heterogeneous nucleation sites for Ni2Si precipitates, hence promotes precipitation. In the early stage of aging, the enhanced nucleation of precipitates accelerates the depletion of supersaturation, and finer precipitates are obtained. In addition, recrystallization is promoted as a result of high stored energy in the cryorolled Cu-Ni-Si alloys, which facilitates the formation of discontinuous precipitation in the late stage of aging.