Abstract
β-type Au–Cu–Al alloy, which is known as Spangold, has been developed for biomedical applications due to its high biocompatibility and X-ray contrast. Despite that, the workability of the polycrystalline functional phases (i.e., L21 parent and martensite phases) is limited by grain boundary embrittlement. To enhance the mechanical properties of the martensite phase (M-phase) alloy, this study aims to introduce a ductile α-fcc phase with various fractions into the M-phase alloy by manipulating the alloy chemical composition. Fundamental analysis such as phase identifications, thermal analysis, microstructure observations, and tensile tests were performed. As a result, the dual-phase M+α-fcc alloys with varying α-fcc phase fractions were successfully practiced. Among all alloys, their lattice parameters and phase transformation temperatures showed merely slight alteration, suggesting that the chemical compositions of the functional M-phases are similar for all alloys. Hence, the variations in the mechanical properties mainly originate from the different α-fcc phase fractions. The tensile test results indicate that both the ultimate tensile strength and fracture strain are promoted as the α-fcc phase fraction increases. The 50Au–38Cu–12Al alloy with the highest α-fcc phase fraction performs the most optimized mechanical properties.
