Effect of Copper Addition on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of SKD11 Stainless Steel

Cu-added SKD11 was manufactured through the casting process and the effects of Cu addition with different contents (0, 1, 2 and 3 wt%) and aging treatment on microstructure, mechanical characteristics such as tensile strength and hardness, and thermal conductivity were investigated. The microstructure was analyzed by FE-SEM and XRD, the mechanical characteristics by Rockwell hardness tester and Tensile tester, and the thermal conductivity by Laser flash. As a result, SKD11 containing Cu had higher hardness than as-received SKD11. The hardness of as-cast SKD11 containing 1 wt% Cu was 42.4 HRC, whereas the hardness of asreceived SKD11 cast alloy was 19.5 HRC, indicating that the hardness was greatly improved when Cu was added. In the case of tensile strength, Cu-added SKD11 cast alloy had lower tensile strength than as-received SKD11, and the tensile strength tended to increase as Cu content increased. After heat treatment, however, tensile strength of as-received SKD11 was significantly increased, whereas in the case of Cu-added SKD11, as the Cu contents increased, the tensile strength increased less and even reduced at 3 wt% Cu. The thermal conductivity of Cu-added SKD11 cast alloy was about 13 W m^-1 K^-1, which was lower than that of the asreceived SKD11 cast alloy (28 W m^-1 K^-1). After the heat treatment, however, the thermal conductivity of as-received SKD11 was reduced, while the thermal conductivity of the SKD11 added with Cu was increased. Thermal conductivity was generally larger with less Cu content, and this tendency became more pronounced after heat treatment.

Cu 첨가에 따른 SKD11의 기계적, 열적 특성 변화