The relations of mean free path and thickness spacing to mechanical properties of sterling silver

Abstract

Phase has an effect on the mechanical properties of metals and alloys. The deformed
processes impact on sizes and shapes of phases. This research is to study wire drawing of sterling
silver alloys. The alloys were cast to obtain continuous casting rods and extruded in the direction or
primary dendrite. The measurements were performed according to true strain (??) of 3, 4, 5 and
annealed for one and two times on each true strain. Vicker hardness tests were performed. The
microstructure was investigated to measure the distances of second phases to obtain the relationship
of hardness tests and second phase microstructure. The results were shown that the increases of true
strain were not correlated to the second phase microstructure and the hardness. This is the fact that
capillary effects play an important role to the diffusion when the wire sample sizes are getting small.
In conclusion, the study of second phase of sterling silver can predict mechanical properties on each
processes of deformation.

Keywords: annealing, sterling silver, wire drawing, mean free path, thickness spacing