Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China

Copper alloys with high strength and high conductivity are an important functional material with full of potential applications. In the present investigation, a bronze with higher tin content (Cu-13.5 wt pct Sn) was prepared successfully by spray forming, the feasibility of cold rolling this alloy was investigated, and the cold rolling characteristics of this alloy have also been discussed. The results indicate that the spray-formed Cu-13.5 wt pct Sn alloy, compared with the as-cast ingot, shows a quite fine and homogeneous single-phase structure, and, therefore shows an excellent workability. It can be cold-rolled with nearly 15% reduction in the thickness per pass and the total reduction can reach 80%. The classical border between the wrought and cast alloys is shifted to considerably higher tin contents by spray forming. After proper thermo-mechanical treatment, spray-formed Cu-13.5 wt pct Sn alloy exhibits excellent comprehensive mechanical properties. Particularly, it shows a low elastic modulus (～88 GPa) and a high flow stress (over 800 MPa) after cold forming. This combination of properties is unique in the domain of metallic materials and could open new possibilities in spring technology field.