Effects of high-temperature heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties for nickel-aluminum bronze 

He Yun ^{1（corresponding author）}  Liu Dengfeng ¹  Chu Yunku ¹  Li Hongdan ¹  Song Heqian ^{2,3（corresponding author）}

1 Quality Inspection & Measurement Department, Harbin Electric Machinery Co.,Ltd., Harbin China,150040;

2 College of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan China,030051;

3 Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Controlled Metal Solidification and Precision Manufacturing, Taiyuan China,030051;

Abstract：As a corrosion-resistant alloy, nickel-aluminum bronze (NAB) is widely used in marine applications, but its overall performance increasingly falls short of the requirements for large-scale vessels. This study systematically investigates the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of NAB. Results indicate that a high cooling rate promotes the β→αw+β' transformation, whereas low cooling rates lead to β→α+κ. The martensitic β' phase significantly enhances tensile strength compared to κ phases, though quenching introduces excessive β' and acicular αw, which severely reduces elongation. In contrast, slow cooling facilitates α precipitation during annealing, preserving plasticity. A heat treatment involving furnace cooling to 853 K followed by air cooling offers an optimal balance of mechanical properties. These findings provide insight into performance improvement of NAB alloys.

Keywords: NAB, heat treatment, microstructure, mechanical properties

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