Explosive compaction of nano-alumina particle-reinforced copper alloy

This paper is intended to describe manufacturing of a nano-alumina particle-reinforced copper alloy with better strength and high-temperature properties than those of pure copper. A new preparation technique is proposed, which includes three processes: mechanical alloying, hydrogen sintering, and explosive compaction. $\mathrm{Cu}/\alpha$-$\mathrm{Al}_2\mathrm{O}_3$ bulk samples with a density of $97.86\%$ of the theoretical density and hardness of $H_\mathrm{V}=112$ are obtained. The microstructure study indicates that $\alpha$-$\mathrm{Al}_2\mathrm{O}_3$ particles are dispersed in the copper matrix and still keep the nanometer scale.