Effects of Te Microalloying on Microstructure and Property of 1R50 Conductive Aluminum Alloy

The effects of Te microalloying addition on the microstructure, mechanical performance, and electrical conductivity of 1R50 conductive aluminum alloy were investigated by OM, XRD, SEM, EDS, universal testing machine and eddy current conductivity meter. The results show that Te can refine the grain size of alloys due to the formation of Al₂Te₃ phase as the nucleation core.Meanwhile, the morphology of precipitation changes from long strip to fine spherical, which can improve the mechanical properties of 1R50 conductive aluminum alloy.Te can purify the matrix through form Al-Ce-Fe-Si-Te intermetallics with the impurity atoms Fe, Si and Ce at grain boundaries.Therefore, when the addition amount of Te is 0.1wt%, the alloy has the best comprehensive properties. The tensile strength and elongation of the alloys are 78 MPa and 41.4%, increased by 16.4%and 7.0% compared with 1R50 alloy, respectively, while can maintain the electrical conductivity instant.