目的 针对高电压等级电力装备对触头材料的应用需求,提升真空灭弧室关键部件用CuCr合金材料的力学性能与抗电弧侵蚀能力。方法 采用红外-蓝光复合激光熔覆技术在纯铜基体上制备CuCr50合金熔覆层,并与商用电弧熔炼CuCr50合金对比研究了2种材料的显微组织、力学性能及抗电弧侵蚀行为。结果 CuCr50合金熔覆层中Cr相显著细化,平均晶粒尺寸为2.24 μm,相较于商用CuCr50合金降低了92.9%。XRD分析显示,激光熔覆层中Cu衍射峰向低角度偏移,表明快速凝固引起过饱和Cr原子固溶于Cu基体,引起晶格膨胀。CuCr50合金熔覆层平均硬度164.1HV0.5,较商用CuCr50合金(103.8HV0.5)提高了58.1%,较纯铜基体(72HV0.5)提高了127.9%。电弧侵蚀测试表明:2种合金的质量转移方向均为从阴极到阳极,激光熔覆CuCr50试样在10、20和30 A电流下的总质量损失分别为0.07、0.1和0.1 mg,均低于商用合金的0.1、0.4和0.5 mg。燃弧能量和燃弧时间均低于商用CuCr50合金,烧蚀形貌更均匀,其中阴极表面最大烧蚀坑深度为13.936 μm,与商用合金的13.205 μm相当,但整体烧蚀均匀性优于商用CuCr50合金。结论 红外-蓝光复合激光熔覆过程中的快速凝固效应显著细化了Cr相,协同提升了材料的硬度与抗电弧侵蚀性能,为真空灭弧室关键部件表面CuCr合金熔覆层的制备提供了新的技术途径。
Abstract
CuCr50 alloy is widely used as contact material in vacuum interrupters due to its excellent electrical conductivity and arc erosion resistance. However, conventional arc-melted CuCr50 alloy exhibits coarse and non-uniformly distributed Cr phases due to slow cooling rate, which limits its mechanical properties and arc erosion resistance, making it difficult to meet the increasing demands of high-voltage power equipment. This study employs infrared-blue hybrid laser cladding technology to fabricate CuCr50 coatings on pure copper substrates, aiming to refine the Cr phase through rapid solidification effects and enhance the mechanical properties and arc erosion resistance of the material.
CuCr50 coatings were prepared on pure copper substrates using an infrared-blue hybrid laser cladding system consisting of a 6 000 W infrared fiber laser (1 064 nm) and a 2 000 W blue diode laser (450 nm), with cladding parameters set as: blue laser power 1 800 W, infrared laser power 1 200 W, scanning speed 10 mm/s, powder feeding rate 12 g/min, overlap ratio 50%. The commercial arc-melted CuCr50 alloy was used as reference. The microstructure was characterized by SEM, and Cr particle size was statistically analyzed. Phase composition and lattice changes were analyzed by XRD. Vickers hardness was measured along the cross section, and electrical conductivity was tested. Arc erosion tests were conducted through the JF04D electrical contact testing system at 24 V DC with currents of 10, 20 and 30 A for 1 000 operations. Mass change was measured, and crater morphology was observed by 3D profilometer.
The laser-cladded CuCr50 coating exhibited significantly refined Cr phases with an average grain size of 2.24 μm, representing a 92.9% reduction compared with the arc-melted commercial alloy (31.4 μm). XRD analysis revealed a low-angle shift of the Cu diffraction peak, indicating lattice expansion caused by supersaturated Cr atoms dissolved in the Cu matrix due to rapid solidification. The average hardness of the laser-cladded coating reached 164.1HV0.5, which was 58.1% higher than that of the commercial alloy (103.8HV0.5) and 127.9% higher than that of the pure copper substrate (72HV0.5). The electrical conductivity of the coating was 29.9%IACS, slightly lower than that of the commercial alloy (38.4%IACS). According to Matthiessen rule, this was mainly attributed to enhanced electron scattering caused by solute atoms. Arc erosion tests indicated that the mass transfer direction for both materials was from cathode to anode. The laser-cladded coating exhibited lower total mass loss at currents of 10 A, 20 A, and 30 A, measured at 0.07, 0.1 and 0.1 mg, respectively, compared with 0.1, 0.4 and 0.5 mg for the commercial alloy. It also showed lower arc energy and arc duration at all tested currents. The coating displayed more uniform erosion morphology with a maximum crater depth of 13.936 μm, comparable to that of the commercial alloy (13.205 μm), while its overall arc erosion stability was significantly better.
The rapid solidification effect of laser cladding synergistically improves hardness and arc erosion resistance through Cr phase refinement. The refined Cr phase significantly increases grain boundaries, enhancing hardness through grain refinement and dispersion strengthening. The uniformly dispersed Cr phase effectively disperses arc energy, suppresses local heat accumulation, thereby reducing arc energy and arc duration and improving erosion uniformity. Although the supersaturated solid solution leads to a slight decrease in electrical conductivity, it remains acceptable for engineering applications. This study provides a novel approach for surface modification of CuCr50 alloy for vacuum interrupters.
关键词
红外-蓝光复合激光熔覆 /
CuCr50合金 /
微观组织 /
硬度 /
抗电弧侵蚀性能
Key words
infrared-blue hybrid laser cladding /
CuCr50 alloy /
microstructure /
hardness /
arc erosion resistance
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基金
国家自然科学基金项目(52475187); 河南省自然科学基金杰出青年项目(252300421009); 河南省科技研发计划联合基金项目(225200810052); 河南省科学院高层次人才科研启动项目(242017001); 河南省科学院科技研发计划联合基金(245200810003)