Abstract
Because of beautiful glossy and color, the value of gold leverage is very high in Europe. To improve the quality of gold alloys, we performed heat treatment on 14 K white gold alloys by variously changing age-hardening conditions. Age-hardening behavior and the related phase transformation changes were studied to elucidate the hardening mechanism of 14 K white gold alloy. For solid solution treatment [ST], casted gold alloy specimens were treated at high temperature ($750^{\circ}C$) for 30 minutes, and the specimens dropped to water to quench them. For Age-hardening treatment [AT], the specimens were treated at various temperatures ($250{\sim}300^{\circ}C$). After the heat treatment, we observed the phenomenon to increase hardness from 126 Hv to 166 Hv by Vicker's hardness tester. Through electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) mapping analysis, we investigated that irregular particles were changed uniformly. In the SEM and OM images, two phases of matrix and particle-likestructures were observed, and the precipitation of these elements from the matrix progressed during age-hardening. By transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction observation, it was revealed that the formation of the Au3Cu superstructure contributed to the age-hardening at $270^{\circ}C$ in the gold alloy. After the heat treatment, this analysis shows that casted gold alloys were to improve hardness and to moderate surface defects at specific temperatures and duration.
