EP0531099A2 - Contacts ou connecteurs électriques anticorrosion résistants aux températures élevées et méthode de fabrication - Google Patents

Contacts ou connecteurs électriques anticorrosion résistants aux températures élevées et méthode de fabrication

Info

Publication number
EP0531099A2
EP0531099A2 EP92307943A EP92307943A EP0531099A2 EP 0531099 A2 EP0531099 A2 EP 0531099A2 EP 92307943 A EP92307943 A EP 92307943A EP 92307943 A EP92307943 A EP 92307943A EP 0531099 A2 EP0531099 A2 EP 0531099A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
nickel
noble metal
copper
alloy
interlayer
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP92307943A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0531099A3 (en
Inventor
James Alexander Evert Bell
Bruce Randolph Conard
Douglas Albert Hope
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Vale Canada Ltd
Original Assignee
Vale Canada Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Vale Canada Ltd filed Critical Vale Canada Ltd
Publication of EP0531099A2 publication Critical patent/EP0531099A2/fr
Publication of EP0531099A3 publication Critical patent/EP0531099A3/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/02—Contact members
    • H01R13/03—Contact members characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25D5/00—Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces
    • C25D5/10—Electroplating with more than one layer of the same or of different metals
    • C25D5/12—Electroplating with more than one layer of the same or of different metals at least one layer being of nickel or chromium
    • C25D5/14—Electroplating with more than one layer of the same or of different metals at least one layer being of nickel or chromium two or more layers being of nickel or chromium, e.g. duplex or triplex layers

Definitions

  • the base metal usually CA725 or beryllium copper is typically electrolyticcally plated with nickel to a thickness of 1 to 10 micrometers usually 3.5 micrometers, then overplated only in the actual contact area with "hard” gold to a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 micrometers.
  • the contacts are strung together and mechanically formed into the final or semi-final shape prior to the hard gold plating because the "hard” gold is brittle.
  • the "hard” gold bath is different than a "soft” gold bath in that either Ni or Co from.5 to 1 percent and some organic hardeners are incorporated in the plated gold. While these contacts have several desirable features, i.e. a hardened gold surface for wear and low contact resistance, and a barrier nickel underlayer to the copper alloy, we have discovered that they have several undesirable features which preclude their use in anything but the least hostile environments.
  • DGR-156 is produced by plating Ni on CA725 copper base alloy, then overplating with a thick layer of 60% Pd - 40% Ag alloy, and then overplating with a thin flash of hard gold to form a semi-finished composite sheet.
  • the semi-finished composite sheet is then rolled to wherein thickness of the Pd-Ag layer is around 0.5 micrometers and thickness of the Au flash end is about 0.1 to 0.2 micrometers.
  • This rolled material is usually heat treated to diffuse the Au into the Pd-Ag so that the surface is around 75% Au to form finished DGR-156.
  • the co-plating of Pd and Ag is described by Cohen et al. in U.S. Patent No. 4,269,671. As will be shown, this contact material also has limited usefulness in severe service.
  • Another new contact material made by the electrolytic process is palladium-nickel as described by Abys et al. in "Metal Finishing" of July 1991 and in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,427,502, 4,468,296, 4,486,274 and 4,911,798.
  • This Pd-5 to 20 wt% Ni alloy is usually plated to a thickness of 0.25 to 1.5 micrometers overtop of 3.75 micrometers of nickel which was plated overthe copper base CA725 material.
  • Acobalt hard gold cap is plated overtop of the Pd-Ni to a thickness of 0.125 micrometers.
  • This newer plated contact material has several advantages, the nickel in the palladium reduces the undesirable hydrogen embrittlement of pure Pd material and increases the hardness of the contact to a Knopp hardness with a 50 gm load of 430 KHN at 16 wt% Ni.
  • These connectors have about the same performance as hard gold connectors of the same thickness and are generally cheaper. However, as will be shown in this disclosure, this material also has poor high temperature performance characteristics.
  • the invention provides a composite material specifically adapted for use as high temperature corrosion resistant electrical connectors.
  • Aconductible nickel-base substrate alloy having corrosion resistance, strength and creep resistance is used to hold shape at 200°C.
  • An interlayer of substantially pure nickel is electrolgically plated over the nickel-base substrate.
  • a noble metal surface is diffusion bonded to the electrolytic nickel interlayer. The noble metal surface cannot be hardened by organic additives which accelerate corrosion at 200°C.
  • a copper-base substrate is used, a layer of wrought pure nickel is bonded to the substrate then a layer of electroplated nickel is used to overplate the wrought nickel and the copper-base substrate. A noble metal surface is then diffusion bonded to the electrolytic nickel layer.
  • NIGOLDTM alloy Various forms of NIGOLDTM alloy were compared to contact materials having general acceptance in the industry. A summary of materials tested is given below in Table 1.
  • NIGOLDTM alloy - Ni These coupons were prepared by plating soft pure gold to a thickness of 0.5 micrometers on solid pure nickel and heat treating the coupons in a reducing atmosphere according to the teaching of 4,505,060 to diffuse 5-10% Ni to the surface of the gold. All elemental amounts are expressed in weight percent unless specifically indicated otherwise.
  • NIGOLDTM alloy - Cu coupons were prepared by plating 1.4,2.5 and 10 micrometers of pure Ni on a copper base substrate of alloy CA725 (a copper alloy widely used as a connector spring material). The nickel was overplated with 0.4 and 0.6 micrometers of pure soft gold and heat treated the same as the NIGOLDTM alloy - Ni samples.
  • 0.125 micrometers of cobalt hardened gold was plated on 0.625 micrometers of 80/20 palladium/nickel on top of 2.5 micrometers of nickel on top of alloy CA725 by AT&T.
  • the corrosion products show up on the surface as dark spots. As the length of the exposure increased from 2 to 10 days the degradation at any particular pore or spot increased. Dark corrosion products also were found to creep over the surface from the edges.
  • NIGOLDTM alloy - Ni In this specimen, which notably contains no copper, had no corrosion spots and no corrosion products creeping around the edge (edge creep). This material passed a 10 day Banelle Test.
  • NIGOLDTM alloy - Cu All of the NIGOLD specimens on copper substrates exhibited extensive corrosion and edge creep (3mm in 6 days). Generally, there was little difference in corrosion with increase in thickens of the Au layer. Generally, the thicker the nickel underlayer, the less corroded the specimen. All of these specimens failed this test.
  • NIGOLDTM alloy on pure nickel is the most thermally stable material.
  • NIGOLDTM alloy on electroplated Ni in copper is the next best and has a service temperature capability in excess of 200°C for over 1000 hours.
  • Hard Gold becomes unacceptable in services between 100 to 150°C presumably because of the degradation in the organic hardeners in the deposit.
  • DGR is the second best material compared to NIGOLDTM alloy, but DGR fails somewhere from 150 to 200°C.
  • the G.F. Pd-Ni also fails somewhere between 100 and 150°C.
  • the contact surface should be a noble metal.
  • the noble metal surface advantageously is Au, Pd, Ni or an alloy of any combination therof.
  • gold is used as the contact metal.
  • the gold Preferably for good wear resistance, the gold should be alloyed with up to 10% Ni to harden it.
  • the thickness of the contact surface layer is most advantageously less than 0.4 micrometers. Hard gold containing organics are not desirable for use in plating surfaces.
  • the noble metal alloy advantageously is formed from strip and roll bonded. The precious metal can be electroplated, but the deposit must be free from organics. If pure gold is deposited, it can be heat treated to diffuse Ni from the substrate into the Au as taught by Bell et al.
  • the preferred high temperature copper-base contacts are made with no direct contact between the copper-base substrate and the gold plating.
  • Pure wrought nickel is bonded to the copper-base sprig material to prevent direct copper diffusion.
  • the entire clad wrought Ni nickel/copper- base sprig material is preferably enveloped with electrolytic nickel prior to the gold plating. Gold is most advantageously plated only over regions wherein electroplated nickel is covering the wrought nickel.
  • gold is preferably bonded to a copper-free spring material like PERMANICKEL® alloy 300 (nickel-titanium alloy) or DURANICKEL® alloy 301 (nickel-aluminum-titanium alloy) with an interlayer of pure electrolytic nickel between the gold and copper-free spring material.
  • PERMANICKEL and DURANICKEL are registered trademarks of the Inco family of companies.
  • the interlayer of nickel is used to prevent elements which could adversely affect corrosion properties from diffusing into the gold.
  • the contacts are preferably heat treated to interdiffuse the nickel and gold. The interdiffusion of nickel into the gold provides increased wear resistance. This discovery also shows that the fabrication method of 4,956,026 is also applicable if a PERMANICKEL or DURANICKEL base alloy is used.
  • Nominal composition specifications by weight percent for PERMANICKEL alloy 300 and DURANICKEL alloy 301 are provided below in Table 3:
  • wrought nickel interlayers for supporting noble metal surfaces may be used over copper containing substrates in hostile environments. Electroplating over other substrates containing no copper is acceptable. Most advantageously, wrought nickel has a thickness of at least 10 microns and electroplated nickel interlayers have a thickness of 1 to 10 microns. For instance PERMANICKEL® alloy or DUR-ANICKEL® alloy each have acceptable properties.
  • the copper-free substrate provides corrosion resistance, strength and creep resistance to hold shape at 200°C in an air atmosphere. The copper-free substrate most advantageously must also possess the required spring properties and stress relaxation requirements associated with alloy CA725.
  • substantially pure wrought nickel interlayer such as Nickel 290 is required.
  • substantially pure is defined as at least 98% nickel. Most advantageously, 99.9% pure wrought nickel is used.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Electroplating Methods And Accessories (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)
  • Electroplating And Plating Baths Therefor (AREA)
EP19920307943 1991-09-05 1992-09-02 Corrosion resistant high temperature contacts or electrical connectors and method of fabrication thereof Withdrawn EP0531099A3 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US75526191A 1991-09-05 1991-09-05
US755261 1991-09-05

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0531099A2 true EP0531099A2 (fr) 1993-03-10
EP0531099A3 EP0531099A3 (en) 1993-04-07

Family

ID=25038388

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19920307943 Withdrawn EP0531099A3 (en) 1991-09-05 1992-09-02 Corrosion resistant high temperature contacts or electrical connectors and method of fabrication thereof

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0531099A3 (fr)
JP (1) JPH05230690A (fr)
CA (1) CA2069390A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1260609A1 (fr) * 2000-02-24 2002-11-27 Ibiden Co., Ltd. Revetement a base de nickel et d'or presentant une grande resistance a la corrosion
CN102443829A (zh) * 2011-12-08 2012-05-09 天津大学 一种Ag-Ni电触头的表面镀层及其制备工艺
US9563233B2 (en) 2014-08-14 2017-02-07 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Electronic device with plated electrical contact

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP6430863B2 (ja) * 2015-03-13 2018-11-28 トヨタ自動車株式会社 接合体

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4505060A (en) * 1983-06-13 1985-03-19 Inco Limited Process for obtaining a composite material and composite material obtained by said process
EP0318831A2 (fr) * 1987-12-02 1989-06-07 Inco Limited Connecteurs électriques de puissance
US4956026A (en) * 1987-04-07 1990-09-11 Inco Limited Coated article having a base of age-hardened metal
EP0410472A2 (fr) * 1989-07-27 1991-01-30 Yazaki Corporation Contact électrique

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS4959739A (fr) * 1972-10-16 1974-06-10
JPS5149133A (en) * 1974-10-28 1976-04-28 Alps Electric Co Ltd Dogokino kitai tosuru ginmetsukidenkibuhino seizosuru hoho
JPS6252037A (ja) * 1985-08-23 1987-03-06 清水　重一 耐圧用紙容器

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4505060A (en) * 1983-06-13 1985-03-19 Inco Limited Process for obtaining a composite material and composite material obtained by said process
US4956026A (en) * 1987-04-07 1990-09-11 Inco Limited Coated article having a base of age-hardened metal
EP0318831A2 (fr) * 1987-12-02 1989-06-07 Inco Limited Connecteurs électriques de puissance
EP0410472A2 (fr) * 1989-07-27 1991-01-30 Yazaki Corporation Contact électrique

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1260609A1 (fr) * 2000-02-24 2002-11-27 Ibiden Co., Ltd. Revetement a base de nickel et d'or presentant une grande resistance a la corrosion
EP1260609A4 (fr) * 2000-02-24 2005-01-05 Ibiden Co Ltd Revetement a base de nickel et d'or presentant une grande resistance a la corrosion
CN102443829A (zh) * 2011-12-08 2012-05-09 天津大学 一种Ag-Ni电触头的表面镀层及其制备工艺
CN102443829B (zh) * 2011-12-08 2014-07-16 天津大学 一种Ag-Ni电触头的表面镀层及其制备工艺
US9563233B2 (en) 2014-08-14 2017-02-07 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Electronic device with plated electrical contact

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0531099A3 (en) 1993-04-07
JPH05230690A (ja) 1993-09-07
CA2069390A1 (fr) 1993-03-06

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