The influence of matrix alloy on the microstructure and properties of (flake graphite + diamond)/Cu composites by hot pressing

Cu matrix composites reinforced with flake graphite and diamond particles were prepared by a powder hot pressing process. In this paper, we assess the influence of particle size and the powder composition of the raw material on the microstructure and thermal properties of (Gf + Diamond)/Cu composites. Our results show that Cu powders with small particle sizes that are close to the size of the diamond beneficially increase the performance of prepared composites because their improved flowability allows parallel arrangement of the flake graphite during pressing. The optimum Cu powder composition has an equal volume of the matrix alloy to the combined volume of diamond and flake graphite. Additionally, we compared the experimentally determined thermal conductivity with the theoretically calculated value.