Inherent Characters of a Copper Matrix Composite with Super-Large Sized Graphite Particles

Copper/graphite (Cu/graphite) composite is a kind of copper composite by adding graphite particles to the copper matrix, and it may have good thermal conductivity and good lubricity simultaneously. In this work, we try to prepare the copper/graphite composite with super-large sized graphite particles (about 1500 μm in particle size), in order to make the preparation process simpler and more efficient. For obtaining the finished product with excellent properties, the inherent characters of the composite were investigated under different processing conditions. The influences of different technological processing parameters were observed and analyzed on the internal structure, linear shrinkage rate and bulk density of the composite. The results show that the linear shrinkage rate of the composite product with super-large sized graphite particles is obviously higher than that with smaller graphite particles, of which the particle sizes are about 720 and 120 μm, respectively. The results also indicate that the graphite content and graphite particle size are the main factors to affect the inner structure of copper/graphite composite, while the sintering temperature and sintering period have a little effect on the structure.