Abstract:

We demonstrate an innovative preparation approach of diamond/Cu composites by powder-in-tube technique and rolling. A small copper tube was loaded with Ti- and Cu-coated diamond particles, and then the diamond particles were combined with Cu matrix by composite rolling. The morphology and element distribution of the interface between diamond and Cu were determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometer. Finite element method (FEM) simulation was used to analyze the rolling process associated with experiment by DEFORM-3D. The final experimental results showed that homogeneous distribution of diamond particles could be observed in the center layer of the composites. According to the contrast experiments, the sample, whose diamond particle size is 0.12-0.15 mm and thickness of pre-rolling is 1.2 mm, showed relatively complete morphologies and homogeneous distribution. Experimental results indicated a poor efficacy of excessive rolling reduction. The thermal conductivity of the composites is about 453 W (m K)^-1 by theoretical calculation. For FEM simulation, rolling strain and temperature field of the composites were simulated by DEFORM-3D. Simulation results were interpreted, and numerical results verified the reliability of the model. The simulation predicted that the local area of large strain, indicative of the strain along the thickness direction, could be intensified by adding diamond particles.

Key words: Diamond/Cu composites, Powder-in-tube technique (PIT), Rolling, Finite element method (FEM) simulation