This work examines the effect of nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) concentrations on wear resistance behavior of Cu-xNi-yCo-Cr-Si (x = 8−9 wt%, y = 1−2 wt%) and the zirconium (Zr) addition, in order to obtain an alloy with similar or better properties than the C17510 alloy. In this study, hardness and wear resistance mechanism behavior were associated with the microstructure evolution of these alloys with different aging strengthening conditions. Different heat treatments (HT) were applied to three alloys Cu-8Ni-2Co-1.6Cr-2Si wt% (L1), Cu-8.5Ni-1.5Co-1.6Cr-2Si wt% (L2) and Cu-9Ni-1Co-1.6Cr-2Si-0.18Fe-0.3Zr wt% (L3), the properties obtained were compared with C17510 alloy. Specimens were characterized by different metallographic techniques; the microstructural characterization was made with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and revealed regions of dendritic morphologies. The solidification sequence is primary Cu dendrites and some phases in the interdendritic regions. The solution heat treatment decreased (ST) the Hardness Rockwell B (HRB) and wear rate resistance, and there was an increase with the first aging heat treatment (HT1) for each alloy. The most outstanding combination of properties was found for Cu-8.5Ni-1.5Co-1.6Cr-2Si wt% alloy (L2C3) with 100 ± 1 HRB and specific wear rate resistance of 1.2 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm, after the first aging heat treatment.

In this research, a set of CuNiCrSiCoTi (H-0Nb), CuNiCrSiCoTiNb_0.5 (H-0.5Nb) and CuNiCrSiCoTiNb₁ (H-1Nb) high-entropy alloys (HEAs) were melted in a vacuum induction furnace. The effects of Nb additions on the microstructure, hardness, and wear behavior of these HEAs (compared with a CuBe commercial alloy) in the as-cast (AC) condition, and after solution (SHT) and aging (AT) heat treatments, were investigated using X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and electron microscopy. A ball-on-disc configuration tribometer was used to study wear behavior. XRD and SEM results showed that an increase in Nb additions and modification by heat treatment (HT) favored the formation of BCC and FCC crystal structures (CS), dendritic regions, and the precipitation of phases that promoted microstructure refinement during solidification. Increases in hardness of HEA systems were recorded after heat treatment and Nb additions. Maximum hardness values were recorded for the H-1Nb alloy with measured increases from 107.53 HRB (AC) to 112.98 HRB, and from 1104 HV to 1230 HV (aged for 60 min). However, the increase in hardness caused by Nb additions did not contribute to wear resistance response. This can be attributed to a high distribution of precipitated phases rich in high-hardness NiSiTi and CrSi. Finally, the H-0Nb alloy exhibited the best wear resistance behavior in the aged condition of 30 min, with a material loss of 0.92 mm³.

During the high pressure die casting process (HPDC), it is necessary to develop new designs and alloys for the copper plungers. In this research, two alloys Cu-9Ni-1Co-1.6Cr-2Si-1.3Fe-0.25B wt.% (A1) and Cu-9Ni-1Co-1.6Cr-2Si-0.1Fe-0.2Nb wt.% (A2) under different heat treatments (HT) were studied. Optical microscopy technique was applied to reveal the regions of dendritic morphology, also lower Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing (SDAS); and different grain orientations. The results reveal that the solidification sequence is primary Cu dendrites and secondary intermetallics; heat treatments increase the redistribution of alloying elements in the interdendritic regions. During the heat treatments, some precipitates were found in the grain boundary after aging heat treatments for both alloys, which were determined by X-ray diffraction. Hardness test HRB presented a decrease with the solution heat treatment and an increase with the aging heat treatments proposed for both alloys. Finally, the wear resistances for both alloys were compared with a commercial alloy C17530, with decreased A1 with B additions having the best result in the as-cast condition 4.07 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm, while for A2 with Nb additions wear resistance increased, with the best result in the one with aging heat treatment 1.69 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm while for the C17530 alloy this was 2.74 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm.

Medium-entropy alloys (MEAs) allow the formation of different phases, generally in a solid-solution state, and compounds that favor obtaining alloys with properties superior to those of conventional alloys. In this study, medium-entropy CuNiSiCrCoTiNbx alloys were fabricated via melting in a vacuum induction furnace. The influence of the Nb addition (X = 0, 0.5 and 1 wt%) alloying elements on the microstructure, hardness, and wear resistance of the CuNiSiCrCoTiNb₀ (M1), CuNiSiCrCoTiNb_0.5 (M2), and CuNiCoCrSiTiNb₁ (M3) alloys were explored using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a ball-on-disc tribometer, respectively. In general, the results indicated that the incorporation of Nb alloying element promoted the evolution of the microstructure, increased the hardness, and improvement of the wear resistance. The XRD and SEM findings demonstrate that higher Nb addition and aging heat treatment (AT) modification mainly favored the formation of dendritic regions and the precipitation of the Co₂Nb, Cr₃Si, and Ni₂Si phases, which promoted the refinement and strengthening of the microstructure. Significant increases in hardness were recorded: 11.95% increased, promoted by the addition of Nb before (E1) and after (E2, E3, and E4) the heat treatments. The maximum hardness values recorded were 92 ± 0.11 (AC) and 103 ± 0.5 HRB (AT-60 min) for the M3 alloy. The increase in hardness caused by Nb addition and aging heat treatments contributed to the dry sliding wear resistance response, decreasing material loss by 20%. This was related to the high concentration of precipitated phases rich in CoNb, CrSi, and NiSi with high hardness. Finally, the M3 alloy aged for 60 min exhibited the best specific wear rate behavior, with a material loss of 1.29 ${\mathrm{m}\mathrm{m}}^3$. The commercial Cu-Be C17510 alloy experienced a maximum hardness of 83.47 Hardness Rockwell B, HRB, and a high wear rate of 3.34 mm³.

La formación dual ha emergido en América Latina como una estrategia formativa clave para mejorar la empleabilidad juvenil y fortalecer los vínculos entre los sistemas educativos y el sector productivo. Sin embargo, la investigación en este campo se caracteriza por su heterogeneidad, fragmentación geográfica y limitada base empírica. Este estudio presenta un análisis cienciométrico de la producción científica sobre formación dual en América Latina, basado en una revisión sistemática de la literatura publicada entre 2019 y 2025. Siguiendo el protocolo PRISMA y empleando técnicas de análisis bibliométrico, se consultaron múltiples bases de datos y se analizaron 48 documentos, incluyendo artículos científicos, tesis doctorales e informes técnicos de organismos internacionales. Los hallazgos revelan un crecimiento sostenido de la producción científica, con un predominio de investigaciones centradas en cinco grandes tendencias temáticas: adaptación de modelos europeos al contexto latinoamericano, inclusión social y género, enfoques sectoriales estratégicos, certificación y movilidad, y digitalización. El análisis identifica como principales desafíos la debilidad de los marcos regulatorios, la escasez de incentivos para la participación empresarial, la baja integración de poblaciones vulnerables y la insuficiente base de evidencia para la toma de decisiones. La producción científica se concentra geográficamente en países con experiencias consolidadas como Colombia, Brasil y México. El estudio contribuye a la consolidación de un mapa del conocimiento sobre formación dual en la región y ofrece recomendaciones para investigadores, responsables políticos y profesionales.