When selecting a material for dies and molds, strength is needed at high temperatures to hold the shape of the component along with a high thermal conductivity to decrease the solidification time of the components. This need has led to the investigation of Cu to H13 tool steel bi-metallic structures. Utilizing a directed energy deposition experimental setup, two fabrication approaches were used: direct deposition of Cu on H13 and utilizing an intermediate layer of Deloro 22 (D22, >95 wt.% Ni content). Three structures were fabricated: Cu-H13 direct joints (DJ), Cu-D22-H13 multi-metallic structures (MMS), and D22-H13 DJ. In order to characterize the structures, the following was performed: microstructure characterization, elemental distribution, tensile testing, hardness, and thermal conductivity measurements. Directly joining the Cu onto the H13 resulted in cracking at the interface. By introducing D22 buffer layers, defect-free Cu was successfully deposited on H13. A sharp transition of elemental contents was experienced at the D22-H13 interface due to very limited layer diffusion. Across the D22-Cu interface, a gradual transition of Cu and Ni was detected, indicating a successive elemental diffusion. Tensile testing revealed that the Cu-D22-H13 MMS specimens fractured in the Cu zone with a morphology indicating a ductile fracture. The D22-H13 DJ failed in the D22 region although elongation mostly happened in the H13 section. The interfaces of both Cu-D22-H13 MMS and D22-H13 DJ survived tensile testing, indicating a strong bonding strength. Microhardness measurements observed an increased hardness at the surface of H13 due to laser hardening. The material hardness dropped rapidly across the Cu-H13 DJ but gradually in the Cu-D22-H13 MMS as the Ni in D22 diffused in multiple layers of the Cu. Thermal conductivity test shows the overall thermal conductivity of the Cu-D22-H13 MMS increased by approximately 100 % when compared with pure H13. The volume fraction of Cu can significantly affect the overall thermal conductivity of the Cu-D22-H13 MMS.

当选择模具和模具的材料时，需要在高温下的强度与高导热性降低的成分的凝固时间沿着保持部件的形状。这种需求导致了对Cu到H13工具钢双金属结构的研究。利用定向能量沉积实验装置，使用了两种制造方法：在H13上直接沉积Cu和利用Deloro 22（D22，Ni含量> 95 wt％）的中间层。制作了三种结构：Cu-H13直接接头（DJ），Cu-D22-H13多金属结构（MMS）和D22-H13 DJ。为了表征结构，执行以下操作：微观结构表征，元素分布，拉伸测试，硬度和导热率测量。将Cu直接连接到H13上会导致界面开裂。通过引入D22缓冲层，可以在H13上成功沉积无缺陷的Cu。由于层扩散非常有限，D22-H13界面处元素含量急剧变化。跨过D22-Cu界面，检测到Cu和Ni逐渐过渡，表明连续的元素扩散。拉伸测试表明，Cu-D22-H13 MMS标本在Cu区断裂，其形态表明其为韧性断裂。D22-H13 DJ在D22区域失效，尽管伸长率大部分发生在H13区域。Cu-D22-H13 MMS和D22-H13 DJ的界面均通过了拉伸测试，表明其具有很强的粘结强度。显微硬度测量发现，由于激光硬化，H13表面的硬度增加。材料硬度在整个Cu-H13 DJ中迅速下降，但在D22中的Ni扩散到多层Cu中时，在Cu-D22-H13 MMS中逐渐降低。导热系数测试表明，与纯H13相比，Cu-D22-H13 MMS的整体导热系数提高了约100％。Cu的体积分数会显着影响Cu-D22-H13 MMS的整体热导率。