2023 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 155-158
Pure copper powder and pure zinc powder of 65/35 composition were mechanically alloyed (MAed) using a vibration type of ball mill, and MAed powders were consolidated into bulk materials by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The ball to powder weight ratio was selected in 7：1 as the previously reported and in 14：2 as the present research for the process of MA. Effects of the ball to powder weight ratio 14：2 on hardness and electrical conductivity of MAed powder and bulk SPS materials were investigated by Vickers hardness and electrical conductivity measurements, respectively. The obtained results under the weight ratio of 14：2 were compared to those of the weight ratio of 7：1. Vickers microhardness of MAed powders produced by the weight ratio of 14：2 exhibited higher than that of 7：1 previously reported suggesting that producing the MAed powder may be possible to scale up. The optimal sintering temperature of SPS for fabrication from MAed powder was 873K in terms of the Vickers hardness values. The electrical conductivity of the bulk SPS materials fabricated from various MAed powders was lower than that of 27%IACS listed in Japan Industrial Standardization (JIS H 3250) for wrought Cu–35% Zn alloy.
