Cu-La alloys with various additions of La were prepared in a vacuum electric furnace. The effects of La additions on the absorptivity and purification of La in as-cast pure copper were investigated. The results show that the absorptivity of La increases with increasing additions. However, this is as a result of reactions with impurity elements in the copper and further oxidation in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the addition of La further reduces the contents of impurity elements such as Si, Pb and S, and purifies liquid copper more effectively, which can help to improve the mechanical properties of as-cast pure copper. However, excessive rare earth element additions can lead to decreases in elongation due to the excessive formation of intermetallic compounds.
This paper is part of a Themed Issue on Brass Alloys.
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