Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W Contacts
AgW materials exhibit excellent properties and are widely used as contact materials in low- and medium-voltage switches. In this study, a pre-sintering and infiltration method was employed to pre-sinter W powder with Cu, Ni, and (Cu+Ni) additions in the low temperature range of 950–1050 °C. The low-...
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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author | Jincheng Zhao Ming Xie Hongmei Li |
author_facet | Jincheng Zhao Ming Xie Hongmei Li |
author_sort | Jincheng Zhao |
collection | DOAJ |
description | AgW materials exhibit excellent properties and are widely used as contact materials in low- and medium-voltage switches. In this study, a pre-sintering and infiltration method was employed to pre-sinter W powder with Cu, Ni, and (Cu+Ni) additions in the low temperature range of 950–1050 °C. The low-temperature sintering behaviours of W skeletons with different additives were investigated. Subsequently, AgW (70 wt%), AgW (75 wt%), AgW (80 wt%), and AgW (85 wt%) materials were prepared through infiltration at 1050 °C. The microstructure morphology and physical properties of high-W contact materials were investigated using a metallographic microscope and scanning electron microscope. The mechanism of low-temperature sintering–infiltration of high-W contact materials was elucidated. The results indicate that pure W and 1% Cu-added W skeletons experience minimal linear shrinkage within the temperature range of 950–1050 °C. The linear shrinkage curves of W skeletons with different additives coincided under the conditions of 950–1000 °C/90 min. At 1050 °C, after sintering for 150 min, the particle boundaries in the W skeleton were fully spheroidised, with a dihedral angle of 120°. At 1050 °C and after 150 min of infiltration, cross-sectional micrographs of the AgW material revealed the presence of irregular Ni layers, where Ni spatially enveloped/encapsulated Ag. With an increase in the W content, the electrical conductivity and relative density of AgW (70–85) materials decreased, whereas the hardness of the materials increased. |
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issn | 2076-3417 |
language | English |
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publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
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spelling | doaj.art-0c4b7debbdf7468b9d29a0ef457f3f1c2023-11-19T07:49:23ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-08-011317960810.3390/app13179608Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W ContactsJincheng Zhao0Ming Xie1Hongmei Li2School of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies for Comprehensive Utilization of Platinum Metals, Kunming Institute of Precious Metals, Kunming 650106, ChinaSchool of Chemistry, Biology and Environment, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi 653100, ChinaAgW materials exhibit excellent properties and are widely used as contact materials in low- and medium-voltage switches. In this study, a pre-sintering and infiltration method was employed to pre-sinter W powder with Cu, Ni, and (Cu+Ni) additions in the low temperature range of 950–1050 °C. The low-temperature sintering behaviours of W skeletons with different additives were investigated. Subsequently, AgW (70 wt%), AgW (75 wt%), AgW (80 wt%), and AgW (85 wt%) materials were prepared through infiltration at 1050 °C. The microstructure morphology and physical properties of high-W contact materials were investigated using a metallographic microscope and scanning electron microscope. The mechanism of low-temperature sintering–infiltration of high-W contact materials was elucidated. The results indicate that pure W and 1% Cu-added W skeletons experience minimal linear shrinkage within the temperature range of 950–1050 °C. The linear shrinkage curves of W skeletons with different additives coincided under the conditions of 950–1000 °C/90 min. At 1050 °C, after sintering for 150 min, the particle boundaries in the W skeleton were fully spheroidised, with a dihedral angle of 120°. At 1050 °C and after 150 min of infiltration, cross-sectional micrographs of the AgW material revealed the presence of irregular Ni layers, where Ni spatially enveloped/encapsulated Ag. With an increase in the W content, the electrical conductivity and relative density of AgW (70–85) materials decreased, whereas the hardness of the materials increased.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/17/9608W skeletonpre-sintering and infiltration methodlinear shrinkagedihedral angleAgW contact material |
spellingShingle | Jincheng Zhao Ming Xie Hongmei Li Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W Contacts Applied Sciences W skeleton pre-sintering and infiltration method linear shrinkage dihedral angle AgW contact material |
title | Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W Contacts |
title_full | Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W Contacts |
title_fullStr | Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W Contacts |
title_full_unstemmed | Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W Contacts |
title_short | Low-Temperature Sintering and Infiltration of High-W Contacts |
title_sort | low temperature sintering and infiltration of high w contacts |
topic | W skeleton pre-sintering and infiltration method linear shrinkage dihedral angle AgW contact material |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/17/9608 |
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