David L. Ellis

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Observations of a Cast Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy

NASA/TM—2006-213968

February 2006
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Observations of a Cast Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy

NASA/TM—2006-213968

February 2006

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

David L. Ellis

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Available from

NASA Center for Aerospace Information

7121 Standard Drive

Hanover, MD 21076–1320

National Technical Information Service

5285 Port Royal Road

Springfield, VA 22161

Available electronically at http://gltrs.grc.nasa.gov

Level of Review: This material has been technically reviewed by technical management.
NASA/TM—2006-213968 1

Observations of a Cast Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy 

David L. Ellis 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Abstract 

Prior work has demonstrated that Cu-Cr-Nb alloys have considerable advantages over the copper 

alloys currently used in regeneratively cooled rocket engine liners. Observations indicated that Zr and Nb 

have similar chemical properties and form very similar compounds. Glazov and Zakharov et al. reported 

the presence of Cr2Zr in Cu-Cr-Zr alloys with up to 3.5 wt% Cr and Zr though Zeng et al. calculated that 

Cr2Zr could not exist in a ternary Cu-Cr-Zr alloy. A cast Cu-6.15 wt% Cr-5.25 wt% Zr alloy was 

examined to determine if the microstructure developed would be similar to GRCop-84 (Cu-6.65 wt% 

Cr-5.85 wt% Nb). It was observed that the Cu-Cr-Zr system did not form any Cr2Zr even after a thermal 

exposure at 875 °C for 176.5 h. Instead the alloy consisted of three phases: Cu, Cu5Zr, and Cr. 

Introduction 

High-conductivity materials with good high-temperature strength, creep resistance, and low-cycle 

fatigue (LCF) lives are needed for a variety of regeneratively cooled rocket engine applications especially 

main combustion chamber liners. Work at the NASA Glenn Research Center (refs. 1 to 3) has focused on 

Cu-Cr-Nb alloys such as GRCop-84, which offer great promise for these and other high-temperature heat 

exchanger applications. 

The Cu-Cr-Nb system was selected because Cr and Nb have minimal solubility in solid copper 

(refs. 4 and 5) but high solubility in liquid copper. They also form a high-melting-point intermetallic 

compound, Cr2Nb (ref. 6). Utilizing rapid solidification technology, a very fine dispersion of Cr2Nb, can 

be formed in a nearly pure copper matrix. This dispersion gives Cu-Cr-Nb alloys such as GRCop-84 

(Cu-6.65 wt% Cr-5.85 wt% Nb) an excellent combination of strength, creep resistance, fatigue life, 

conductivity, and thermal expansion (ref. 7). 

Comparing the mechanical properties of pure copper to AMZIRC, a commercial Cu-0.15 wt% Zr 

alloy, revealed that the small addition of Zr greatly improved the properties of the alloy above pure 

copper. Of particular interest was the increase in softening temperature (refs. 8 and 9) and LCF lives 

(refs. 9 and 10) relative to pure copper that the small addition of Zr to Cu causes. 

The Cr-Zr phase diagram (ref. 11) shows that Cr and Zr develop the intermetallic compound Cr2Zr. It 

is assumed that, like Cr2Nb, the intermetallic compound will be hard and suitable for strengthening Cu. 

Both Cr2Zr and Cr2Nb have C15 cubic structures (refs. 12 and 13) and an Fd3m or Cu2Mg space group. 

The lattice parameters of Cr2Zr and Cr2Nb are 0.721 and 0.7659 nm, respectively. These similarities in 

structures and unit cell sizes between the two compounds held promise for producing a microstructure 

with Cu and Cr2Zr. 

While the Cu-Zr phase diagram (ref. 14) shows that more Zr can dissolve into solid copper than Nb, 

the amount is still small at approximately 0.1 at.%. The potential removal of any trace oxygen from the 

copper matrix by the Zr could compensate for any decrease in conductivity from dissolved Zr as well. 

Limited prior work on the Cr-Cu-Zr phase diagram had been conducted in the 1950s. Glazov et al. 

(refs. 15 and 16) and Zakharov et al. (ref. 17) determined that, in alloys with up to 3.5 wt% Cr and 

3.5 wt% Zr, Cr2Zr could form. They postulated a Cu-Cr2Zr pseudobinary phase diagram. More recent 

work, in particular the papers by Zeng et al. (refs. 18 and 19), have shown that Cr2Zr will not form in the 

Cr-Cu-Zr ternary system. An isothermal section of the Cr-Cu-Zr ternary phase diagram calculated by 
NASA/TM—2006-213968 2

Zeng is shown in figure 1. Instead three phases⎯Cu, Cr, and Cu5Zr⎯will be present up to 25 at.% Cr 

along the Cu-Cr2Zr vertical section of the ternary phase diagram. 

The success of the Cu-Cr-Nb alloys developed at NASA Glenn led to the desire to revisit the Cu-CrZr alloys. A Cu-Cr-Zr alloy modeled after GRCop-84 with Zr directly substituting for Nb could have at 

least two potential advantages over the comparable Cu-Cr-Nb alloy. The Cr2Zr should dissolve into the 

liquid copper at a lower temperature than Cr2Nb. This could decrease the melt temperatures and make 

powder production significantly easier. If an excess of Zr is added, then the Zr in the copper matrix could 

act to retard the softening of the alloy at high temperatures following cold work as it does in AMZIRC. 

The addition of Zr should also improve LCF lives, a major necessity for rocket engine liners. 

To determine if Cu-Cr-Zr alloys could form an alloy consisting of a Cu-rich matrix strengthened by 

Cr2Zr precipitates, a Cu-Cr-Zr alloy was cast and analyzed for the phases present in the as-cast condition 

and following a high-temperature heat treatment designed to achieve equilibrium among the phases. 

Experimental Procedure 

The theoretical density of Cr2Zr was calculated based upon the crystallographic data available for the 

low-temperature form of the phase (ref. 13). Using this calculated density and the density of copper, a 

composition of Cu-6.0 wt% Cr-5.4 wt% Zr was calculated to give 14 vol% Cr2Zr. On an atomic basis, this 

composition corresponds to Cu-7.4 at.% Cr-3.7 at.% Zr and gives the desired 2:1 atomic ratio of Cr to Zr 

needed for stochiometric Cr2Zr. No correction to this composition was made to compensate for 

anticipated losses in Cr and Zr during the casting process or any solubility of Cr and Zr in the copper 

matrix. As shown in figure 1, this composition lies along the Cu-Cr2Zr line. 

A charge of elemental Cu, Cr, and Zr with this composition was melted using induction melting under 

an argon cover gas. All materials used had at least 99.9 percent purity. The molten metal was poured into 

a solid copper mold with a nominal cavity dimension of 25.4 by 50.8 by 76.2 mm (1 by 2 by 3 in.). 

Following casting samples were submitted for chemical analysis. 

The casting was cut into blocks approximately 1.9 by 1.3 by 1.3 cm (0.75 by 0.5 by 0.5 in.) and 

examined metallographically. The samples were polished and examined in the scanning electron 

microscope (SEM). Backscattered electron (BSE) imaging was used to qualitatively determine the 

location of the elements and phases present in the casting. It was also possible to use the images to 

quantitatively determine the volume fraction of each phase. Energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) was 

used to semiquantitatively determine the composition of each phase observed. 

Alloy Cu Cr Zr

CUZR−1 70.0 16.0 14.0

CUZR−2 65.8 21.0 13.2

CUZR−3 61.7 26.0 12.3

CU ZR−4 57.5 31.0 11.5

CUZR−5 53.3 36.0 10.7

CRZR−1 75.0 16.7 8.3

CRZR−2 67.0 22.0 11.0

Current study 88.9 7.4 3.7

Figure 1.⎯Calculated Cr-Cu-Zr phase diagram at 940 °C adapted from Zeng et al. (ref. 18) and alloy 

compositions. 
NASA/TM—2006-213968 3

To determine the volume fraction of each phase present, BSE images of the alloy were analyzed using 

SigmaScan image analysis software. The picture was divided into three parts based upon the grayscale 

intensity of each pixel. This delineated the three phases well except in the fine lamella and at the 

boundaries of some particles. This introduces a small error judged to be much less than 5 percent of the 

measured values. The total pixels for each phase were counted and divided by the total pixels counted to 

give an area fraction for each phase. Five images were used to calculate the area fraction of each phase. 

The area fraction is equal to the volume fraction of each phase. 

Microprobe analysis was conducted on the as-cast sample to achieve a quantitative analysis of each 

phase. A JEOL 8200 Superprobe with five wavelength dispersive spectrometers (WDSs) and one EDS 

detector allowed for simultaneous measurement of all three major elements of interest. In addition to the 

quantitative analysis of each phase, additional BSE images and x-ray maps were obtained. X-ray 

diffraction was performed on a sample using a Phillips APD3600 Automatic Powder Diffractometer to 

determine the crystallography of the phases present as well. 

After examination of the as-cast material, a sample was cut from the casting and exposed at 875 °C 

(1607 °F) for 176.5 h and air cooled (AC) to determine if Cr2Zr would form during a heat treatment 

through diffusion and reaction between the Cr and Zr. Samples were examined using the SEM and x-ray 

diffraction to determine phase and microstructural changes. 

Results 

The casting had detectable internal porosity, but little shrinkage or piping was noted in the central 

core. It is believed that the porosity is gas porosity caused by dissolved hydrogen introduced through the 

zirconium metal that did not have time to escape from the melt before casting into the mold. 

The overall composition of the alloy is shown in table 1. In addition to the three main constituents, 

some trace contaminants were also detected. Their levels are low and should not affect any of the results. 

No additional elements beyond those listed were detectable using inductively coupled plasma 

spectroscopy. 

Calculated volume fraction is computed from the Cr-Cu-Zr phase diagram (ref. 18) using lever rule.

X-ray diffraction determined that three phases were present⎯elemental Cr, elemental Cu, and Cu5Zr. No 

Cr2Zr was detected. 

SEM examination with both secondary electrons (SEs) and (BSEs) revealed a microstructure with 

three distinct and easily observed regions. Examples of both types of images are shown in figures 2 and 3. 

For comparison purposes, an optical micrograph of a similarly cast Cu-Cr-Nb alloy microstructure is 

presented in figure 3. Large Cr2Nb precipitates are easily visible, and there is no evidence of elemental Cr 

in the Cu-Cr-Nb alloy. 

TABLE 1.⎯COMPOSITION OF Cu-Cr-Zr CASTING 

Element Weight percentage 

Cu Bal. 

Cr 6.15 

Zr 5.25 

Fe 30 ppm 

N 6 ppm 

O 159 ppm 

S 10 ppm 

Y 150 ppm 
NASA/TM—2006-213968 4

(a) (b) 

Figure 2.⎯Overall microstructure of as-cast Cu-6.0 Cr-5.4 Zr alloy (a) BSE image (b) SE image. 

Figure 3.⎯Detail of general microstructure (BSE image) with EDS spectra. Same area as in figure 2. 

Using EDS and the information from the x-ray diffraction results, the observed regions were 

identified as elemental Cr dendrites, elemental Cu dendrites, and Cu-Cu5Zr in the interdendritic spaces. 

The measured volume fractions for each phase are listed in table 2. The Cu-Zr phase revealed a very fine 

lamellar structure as seen in figure 4. The Cr and Cu have a larger, dendritic structure. Based upon this 

structure and the various melting points, it is surmised that the Cr solidified first followed by the Cu. The 

remaining Zr-rich liquid solidified last. 
NASA/TM—2006-213968 5

TABLE 2.⎯VOLUME FRACTION OF EACH PHASE 

Phase Measured volume fraction Calculated volume fraction 

Cr 10.1% 8.1% 

Cu 62.0% 67.6% 

Cu5Zr 27.9% 24.3% 

Calculated volume fraction is computed from the Cr-Cu-Zr phase 

diagram (ref. 18) using lever rule. 

Figure 4.⎯Fine Cu-Cu5Zr lamellar structure. 

 Figure 5.⎯BSE images showing features analyzed by microprobe. 

Quantitative microprobe analysis was performed on each phase. Representative images of the areas 

analyzed are shown in figure 5. The quantitative results are shown in table 3. For the lamellae, the 

microprobe’s resolution enabled the analysis of the two different phases individually in regions where the 

lamellae were somewhat coarser than average or had an above-average spacing. These results were 

judged to be representative of the finer lamellae as well. 
NASA/TM—2006-213968 6

TABLE 3.⎯MICROPROBE QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL 

ANALYSIS RESULTS 

Microstructural 

feature 

Cu 

(wt%/at.%) 

Cr 

(wt%/at.%) 

Zr 

(wt%/at.%) Phase(s) 

Overall lamellae 

(phase A) 88.4/90.6 0.5/0.6 12.0/8.6 Cu + Cu5Zr 

Light lamella 

(phase A1) 76.9/82.1 0.7/1.0 22.7/16.9 Cu5Zr 

Dark lamella 

(phase A2) 99.1/99.0 0.6/0.8 0.3/0.2 Cu 

Cr dendrites 

(phase B) 2.4/2.0 97.4/98.0 0.0/0.0 Cr 

Cu dendrites 

(phase C) 99.3/99.4 0.1/0.1 0.4/0.6 Cu 

All results are the average of analysis of five different features. 

The microstructure of the Cu-Cr-Zr alloy after a 176.5-h heat treatment at 875 °C is shown in 

figures 6 and 7. The elemental Cr dendrites appear to be unaffected by the high-temperature exposure. 

The solid solubility of Cr in pure Cu is only 0.1 wt% at 875 °C, so it was not expected that the Cr 

dendrites would dissolve. However, it was hoped that the rapid diffusion of Cr in Cu would lead to 

transport of Cr to Zr and the reaction of the two elements to form Cr2Zr. No Cr2Zr was detected in the 

specimen even in regions where Cr- and Zr-rich phases were in intimate contact. The Cu-Cu5Zr lamellar 

structure has been replaced with what appears to be a uniform phase even at ×10 000. In all probability 

the areas contain very fine Cu5Zr uniformly dispersed within a copper matrix. 

Figure 6.⎯Overall microstructure of Cu-6.0 

Cr-5.4 Zr alloy following 875 °C (1607 °F)/ 

176.5 h/AC thermal exposure (BSE). 

Figure 7.⎯Detail of area with Cr and Cu5Zr in 

intimate contact following thermal exposure 

illustrating lack of observable reaction and 

disappearance of lamellae (BSE). 
NASA/TM—2006-213968 7

Discussion 

Unfortunately, both the EDS and x-ray diffraction results confirm that there was no detectable amount 

of Cr2Zr formed in the casting process. While Zr, element 40, and Nb, element 41, share many 

similarities, the small differences such as electronegativity (1.33 versus 1.6 on Pauling scale (ref. 20)) 

appear to be sufficiently great to prevent the ready formation of Cr2Zr in the presence of copper during a 

conventional casting process. 

Exposure of the cast alloy to 875 °C or 0.96 Tm based upon the Cu-Cr9Zr2 eutectic temperature of 

927 °C (ref. 14) did not promote the formation for Cr2Zr. The only detectable microstructural change 

observed was the Cu and Cu5Zr lamellae disappearing and the formation of a uniform Cu5Zr phase with 

no resolvable details at ×10 000 magnification. This applied even when the Cr and Cu5Zr phases were in 

intimate contact. 

The presence of the Cu5Zr phase is at odds with the refereed Cu-Zr phase diagram of Arias and 

Abriata (ref. 14), which is based on thermodynamic and experimental data. They show the phase that 

should be present is Cu9Zr2. Cu4Zr (ref. 21), Cu9Zr2 (refs. 22 and 23), and Cu5Zr (refs. 24 to 26) have 

been reported by various researchers and which composition is correct continues to be a point of some 

contention. In this study the composition of the phase on an atomic basis had an average Cu to Zr ratio of 

4.86. The presence of a Cu matrix should tend to bias the Cu to Zr ratio from the microprobe results lower 

due to the excitation volume of the probe beam including the adjacent Cu-rich phase. The x-ray 

diffraction analysis peaks correspond accurately with the published values for Cu5Zr (ref. 27) indicating it 

had the proper lattice structure and lattice parameters for this phase as well. 

It needs to be noted that the presence of the third element, Cr, will affect the activity of both the Cu 

and Zr. It is known that both Cr and Zr have limited solid solubility in Cu. At 875 °C, the solid solubility 

is approximately 0.1 at.% for both Cr and Zr (refs. 11, 14, 18, and 19). That would result in a lowering of 

the activity of Cu to 0.998 if Raoultian behavior is assumed for simplicity. Interactions between the Cr 

and Zr may introduce nonideal behavior, which would require determination of the activity coefficients 

for the three elements, but the small magnitude of both concentrations in copper would probably not 

result in any significant change from the Raoultian value. 

Zeng et al. (ref. 18) calculated the complete Cr-Cu-Zr phase diagram including the Zr-rich corner. 

Their results indicate that several atomic percent of Cr and Zr can dissolve into Zr. At 875 °C, the 

approximate amount of Cr and Cu that can be dissolved into Zr are 3.5 and 4 at.%, respectively. 

Assuming Raoultian behavior, the activity of the Zr would be reduced to 0.925. The solid solution is also 

sufficiently concentrated that nonideal behavior is likely, which could change the Zr activity further. This 

change in activity and corresponding shifts in the free energies of formation may account for the observed 

presence of Cu5Zr instead of Cu9Zr2. 

The compositional and phase results of this study are consistent with those obtained by Zeng et al. 

(ref. 19). Their reported values for the composition of the Cr and Cu5Zr phases for four of their alloys 

obtained using a Noran Voyager II EDS system with a PROZA-correction system are almost identical to 

the microprobe compositions obtained in this study. 

The volume fraction of each phase was calculated from the Cr-Cu-Zr phase diagram (ref. 18) using 

the lever rule and compared to the image analysis results in table 2. There are differences in the two sets 

of values that can be as much as a 24.7 percent difference for the volume fraction of Cr. The error in the 

image analysis results is likely 5 percent or less, so there is an indication that a further refinement of the 

calculated Cr-Cu-Zr phase diagram may be required. 

While the addition of a fourth element may dramatically change the interactions between Cu, Cr, and 

Nb, one implication of this work is that adding Zr to the Cu-Cr-Nb system may form a Cu-Zr matrix and 

Cr2Nb precipitates. If the amount of Zr is limited to approximately 0.1 at.% Zr and the Zr does not 

dissolve into the Cr2Nb or react with it, the composition of the matrix will approximate the commercial 

alloy AMZIRC. This addition may serve to improve the LCF and creep properties of Cu-Cr-Nb alloys 

such as GRCop-84 with only a small decrease in thermal conductivity (ref. 28) based upon the differences 

observed between pure Cu and AMZIRC. 
NASA/TM—2006-213968 8

Conversely, the addition of a small amount of Nb to the Cu-Cr-Zr alloy may change the activities and 

free energies of formation sufficiently so that Cr2Zr will form. The work by Glazov et al. (refs. 15 and 16) 

and Zakharov et al. (ref. 17) where Cr2Zr was found and a Cu-Cr2Zr pseudobinary phase diagram was 

postulated may have been influenced by impurities. Nb will react strongly with Cr to form Cr2Nb in the 

liquid phase for Cu-Cr-Nb alloys (refs. 1 and 29). These precipitates may act as favorable nucleation sites 

for Cr2Zr given the similarities in crystallography and lattice spacings. 

Summary and Conclusion 

A cast Cu-6.15 wt% Cr-5.25 wt% Zr (Cu-7.5 at.% Cr-3.7 at.% Zr) alloy was examined in the as-cast 

condition and after an extended heat treatment at 875 °C. In both cases three phases were identified⎯Cu, 

Cr, and Cu5Zr. In neither case was the desired Cr2Zr phase observed. These results are consistent with the 

most recent experimental and computational work by Zeng et al. (refs. 18 and 19) on the Cr-Cu-Zr phase 

diagram. 

While Zr and Nb are chemically similar in many respects and form crystallographically analogous 

intermetallic compounds with Cr with the same atomic ratio, it was concluded that there are sufficient 

differences that prevent the formation of the desired phases and microstructure in Cu-Cr-Zr alloys. This 

appears to make them unsuitable candidates for additional development as a potential supplement or 

replacement to GRCop-84 in rocket engine applications. 

References 

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NASA/TM—2006-213968 9

14. Arias, D.; and Abriata, J.P.: Cu-Zr Phase Diagram. Phase Diagrams of Binary Copper Alloys, P.R. 

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Unclassified Unclassified

Technical Memorandum

Unclassified

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field

Cleveland, Ohio 44135–3191

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15

Observations of a Cast Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy

David L. Ellis

Cooper; Microstructure; Intermetallics; Cast alloy; Phase diagrams

Unclassified -Unlimited

Subject Category: 26

Responsible person, David L. Ellis, organization code RMM, 216–433–8736.

Prior work has demonstrated that Cu-Cr-Nb alloys have considerable advantages over the copper alloys currently used in

regeneratively cooled rocket engine liners. Observations indicated that Zr and Nb have similar chemical properties and

form very similar compounds. Glazov and Zakharov et al. reported the presence of Cr2

Zr in Cu-Cr-Zr alloys with up to

3.5 wt% Cr and Zr though Zeng et al. calculated that Cr2

Zr could not exist in a ternary Cu-Cr-Zr alloy. A cast

Cu-6.15 wt% Cr-5.25 wt% Zr alloy was examined to determine if the microstructure developed would be similar to

GRCop-84 (Cu-6.65 wt% Cr-5.85 wt% Nb). It was observed that the Cu-Cr-Zr system did not form any Cr2Zr even after a

thermal exposure at 875 °C for 176.5 h. Instead the alloy consisted of three phases: Cu, Cu5Zr, and Cr.