Abstract:W-Cu-Zn alloy with Cu-Zn matrix and low W-W contiguity was prepared by electroless copper plating combined with SPS solid-phase sintering processes. The influence of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy was investigated. Microstructure analysis reveals that tungsten particles distributed in the Cu-Zn matrix phase homogeneously. The Cu-Zn matrix phase is α-phase solid solution. The distribution of tungsten particles and Cu-Zn matrix phase has not changed after the normalizing heat treatment. However, the mechanical properties of W-Cu-Zn alloy has has evidently improved after annealing heat treatment at 870℃ followed by furnace cooling. Under quasi-static compression, the strength of W-Cu-Zn alloy increases from 650 MPa to 750MPa, and the critical failure strain increases from 0.18 to 0.26. Under dynamic compression, the strength of W-Cu-Zn alloy increases from 710 MPa to 900MPa, and the critical failure strain increases from 0.18 to 0.26. The hardness increases from 143.8HV to 172.3HV. Mechanism analysis reveals that there are two factors contributing to improvement of the mechanical properties of W-Cu-Zn alloy. Firstly, the distribution of elenment Zn is unhomogeneously within the original W-Cu-Zn alloy. The specimen processed by annealing heat treatment at 870℃ followed by furnace cooling exhibites advantage of homogeneous distribution of Zn within the matrix. Secontlly, a large number of fine Cu3Zn precipitates are formed uniformly in the Cu-Zn matrix phase of W-Cu-Zn alloy after annealing heat treatment at 870℃ followed by furnace cooling, which plays the role of dispersion strengthening.