Strategy for co-enhancement of corrosion resistance-strength of Cu-7Ni-3Al-1Fe-1Mn alloy: Rare earth Sm microalloying

Both high strength and superior corrosion resistance are necessary for Cu-Ni alloys when serving in marine engineering. We discover that the corrosion resistance and strength of Cu-7Ni-3Al-1Fe-1Mn alloy can be enhanced via rare earth Sm microalloying. When Sm content is 33 ppm, the alloy exhibits not only the lowest corrosion rate, which is 40% lower than the Sm-free alloy, but also the maximum tensile strength, which is 6% higher than the Sm-free alloy. After alloying 33 ppm Sm, the average grain size of Cu-7Ni-3Al-1Fe-1Mn alloy is reduced by 42%, from 205 μm to 118 μm. In addition, CuSm phase and (Sm₂S₃-Al₂O₃) composite phase appear in the alloy after alloying 33 ppm Sm. The improvement of corrosion resistance is primarily due to the formation of Cu-Sm precipitates, leading to a positive shift of the corrosion potential. Further analysis indicates that the increased strength can be mainly attributed to grain refinement and the formation of Sm-S precipitations. This work promotes a new method for enhancing the strength and corrosion resistance simultaneously of copper alloy.