Composite Coaxial Wire Produced from Electromagnetically Cast Al–Fe Alloys

Abstract

The microstructure, properties and fracture behavior of the coaxial composite all-aluminium wire were studied. Electromagnetically cast aluminium alloys were used as initial materials: Al–0.5 wt % Fe alloy for the core and Al–1.7 wt % Fe alloy for the sleeve. Room temperature co-extrusion was used as a means of producing the composite wire. Annealing at 230°C for 1 h and at 350°C for 3 h were implemented as a matter of studying the thermal stability and obtain maximum ductility, respectively. Values of the electrical conductivity and mechanical strength for the composite wire lay between the values for the Al–0.5 wt % Fe and Al–1.7 wt % Fe alloys, with the exception for the ductility, which is the lowest among all three, especially after heat treatment. The experimental values of the composite wire properties have a good match with ones calculated using the rule of mixtures. It was demonstrated that while electrical conductivity and mechanical strength of the composite wire are determined by the Al–1.7Fe alloy sleeve, the ductility is highly influenced by the Al–0.5Fe alloy core and quality of the interface between constituents.