Influence of Silver Additions on the Thermal Behavior of the Cu–8 Mass% Al Alloy

The influence of additions of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 mass% Ag on the thermal behavior of the Cu–8 mass% Al alloy was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The results indicate that the presence of silver introduces new thermal events, due to the formation of a silver-rich phase and, for additions of 10 and 12 mass% Ag, it is possible to verify the formation of the γ₁ phase (Cu₉Al₄) and the metastable transitions which are only observed in alloys with a minimum of 9 mass% Al. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.