Abstract
	The hardly-deformable CuP5Ag15 alloy was subjected to the examination of an effect of temperature and rate and degree of deformation on its structure and properties. Macrostructure and microstructure of the alloy was examined using Olympus metallographic microscope, its mechanical properties at different temperatures were determined by means of the Instron universal testing machine, and plastometric tests were performed at various temperatures using torsion plastometer. The microstructure examination has shown that the alloy  contains saturated solid solutions of Cu and Ag and strongly refined triple eutectics Cu3P+(Cu)+(Ag). Both the as-cast and extruded materials exhibited small inhomogeneity over its length (ingot) and cross-section (extruded wire), whereas mechanical properties were uniform independently on the place from which samples were taken. Rapid increase in plasticity accompanied by a decrease in mechanical properties was observed over 100 oC both in the samples taken from an ingot and from extruded wire. Further increase in deformation temperature resulted in the increase of A and Z and in the decrease of Rm and Rp0,2, which finally stabilized at a constant level. At the temperature of 600 oC the material exhibited superplastic properties, reaching an elongation at the level of 280 %. The plastometric tests have shown that the alloy has very low workability at the temperatures of 20 oC and 150 oC. At higher temperatures the stress-strain curves assumed a characteristic shape with a single maximum, which was due to the occurrence of dynamic recrystallisation. With further increase of deformation temperature, a typical phenomenon of a shift of deformation curves towards lower strain values was observed. Over 300 oC deformability of the alloy was high. An effect of deformation rate on the values of (p and ( was insignificant. The results presented in this paper are part of an extensive study of the CuP and CuPAg alloys conducted at the Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals in Gliwice.