Effect of copper addition on some properties of rapidly solidified lead-free Sn-10 wt\% Zn alloys

This study aimed at investigating the effect of adding copper (Cu) on some properties of the lead-free alloys which rapidly solidified from melt. X-ray analysis, hardness, elastic modulus, electrical conductivity and resistivity were studied. The results indicated that the alloy hardness and elastic modulus improved by increasing the copper (Cu) content and decreasing the zinc (Zn) content. The electrical conductivity ranged from 0.250 to 0.847x10(7) ohm(-1) m(-1) for the alloy under study. The electrical resistivity increases linearly with temperature until the melting point is reached. The residual resistivity results from disturbances in the lattice rather than caused by thermal vibration and the most drastic increases in the residual resistivity are caused by foreign atoms in solid solution with matrix metal. The electrical resistivity values ranged from 11.8 to 40x10(-8) ohm m, when the copper content changed from 0.0 to 2.0 wt\% and zinc changed from 8.0 to 10.0 wt\%.