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2026 Vol.36, Issue 9 Preview Page

Research Paper

Microstructural, Mechanical, and Electrical Properties of Al-Fe-Mg-Cu-B-Si Alloy Wire during Cold Drawing
Hyeon-Jun Heo1
,
Hyunkyoo Cho2
,
Hyeon-Taek Son3
,
Seong-Hee Lee12†
1Department of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Republic of Korea
2School of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, Mokpo National University, Muan 58554, Republic of Korea
3Automotive Components and Materials Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Gwangju 61012, Republic of Korea
†Corresponding author E-Mail : shlee@mnu.ac.kr (S.-H. Lee, Mokpo Nat’l Univ.)
27 September 2026. pp. 309-315
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Abstract

A new aluminum alloy for electric vehicles was designed to enhance both strength and electrical conductivity. After casting and extrusion, the Al alloy wire was cold drawn from 12 mm to 2 mm in diameter through 22 passes. The changes in microstructure, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity were systematically investigated using microstructural analysis, hardness testing, tensile testing, and electrical conductivity measurements. During cold drawing, the initial recrystallization texture gradually transformed into a deformation texture with preferential development in the {110}<111> orientation. The fraction of low-angle grain boundaries increased from 72.1 % to 89.2 %, indicating continuous dislocation accumulation and subgrain formation, while the high-angle grain boundary fraction increased again at the final drawing stage owing to dislocation rearrangement. As the amount of cold drawing deformation increased, the hardness and strength greatly increased, while the electrical conductivity decreased only slightly from 61.6 to 59.7 %IACS. Compared with the previously reported Al-Fe-Mg-Cu-B alloy, the present Al alloy wire exhibited slightly lower tensile strength but significantly improved electrical conductivity, demonstrating its potential as an aluminum conductor material with improved electrical conductivity.

Keywords
aluminum alloy
cold drawing
microstructure
mechanical properties
electrical conductivity
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Information
  • Publisher :Materials Research Society of Korea
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국재료학회
  • Journal Title :Korean Journal of Materials Research
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국재료학회지
  • Volume : 36
  • No :9
  • Pages :309-315
  • Received Date : 2026-08-26
  • Revised Date : 2026-09-07
  • Accepted Date : 2026-09-10
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.3740/MRSK.2026.36.9.309
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