Low-cycle bending fatigue and electrical conductivity of high-strength Cu/Nb nanocomposite wires

•The low-cycle fatigue tests of the Cu/Nb nanocomposite wires were performed with the bending scheme.•The Cu/Nb nanocomposites are characterized by high fatigue strength compared to pure copper.•Fatigue crack propagation in the Cu/Nb nanocomposites occurs at two large-scale levels.•The accumulation of fatigue damage leads to a slight decrease in the electrical conductivity. The comparative low-cycle fatigue tests of the Cu/Nb nanocomposite wires obtained by the “melt-and-deform” method and pure copper samples were carried out using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). The fatigue tests were carried out using transverse bending scheme. It has been established that the fatigue fracture resistance characteristics of the Cu/Nb composites significantly higher as compared to that of pure copper samples. It has been found that the fatigue crack propagation in the Cu/Nb composites occurs at two scale levels. The effect of fatigue damage accumulation on the change in the electrical resistance of the Cu/Nb composites was studied.