EP0859065B1 - Copper base alloys and terminals using the same - Google Patents
Copper base alloys and terminals using the same Download PDFInfo
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- EP0859065B1 EP0859065B1 EP98102539A EP98102539A EP0859065B1 EP 0859065 B1 EP0859065 B1 EP 0859065B1 EP 98102539 A EP98102539 A EP 98102539A EP 98102539 A EP98102539 A EP 98102539A EP 0859065 B1 EP0859065 B1 EP 0859065B1
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- Prior art keywords
- alloy
- copper base
- terminals
- spring
- terminal
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22C—ALLOYS
- C22C9/00—Alloys based on copper
- C22C9/06—Alloys based on copper with nickel or cobalt as the next major constituent
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22C—ALLOYS
- C22C9/00—Alloys based on copper
- C22C9/02—Alloys based on copper with tin as the next major constituent
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22F—CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS
- C22F1/00—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working
- C22F1/08—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of copper or alloys based thereon
Definitions
- This invention relates to copper base alloys for use in connector terminals in automobiles and other applications, as well as connector terminals that are made of those copper base alloys.
- phospher bronze has high strength but its electrical conductivity (hereunder simply referred to as "conductivity”) is also low (to take C52100 as an example, its conductivity is ca. 12% IACS); in addition, it has problems with anti-stress relaxation characteristics, and from an economic viewpoint (high price).
- Cu-Sn-Fe-P alloys have been developed with a view to solving those problems of brass and phospher bronze. For example, Cu-2.0Sn-0.1Fe-0.03P has a conductivity of 35 % IACS and is superior in strength; however, its anti-stress relaxation characteristics has not been completely satisfactory in view of its use as an alloy for terminals.
- US 5 322 575 A describes a copper base alloy having the features set out in the preamble of claim 1.
- a further problem is that the terminals manufactured from the aforementioned copper base alloys reflect the characteristics of those alloys in a straightforward manner.
- the terminals using brass, phosphor bronze or Cu-Sn-Fe-P alloys do not satisfy the requirements for high conductivity and good anti-stress relaxation characteristics simultaneously, so they will generate heat by themselves, potentially causing various problems including oxidation, plate separation, stress relaxation, circuit voltage drop, and the softening or deformation of the housing.
- the present inventors conducted repeated test and research efforts on Cu-Ni-Sn-P alloys, as well as Cu-Ni-Sn-P-Zn alloys and found that characteristics satisfactory in terms of tensile strength, conductivity, anti-stress relaxation characteristics, anti-migration characteristics, as well as bending workability could be attained by selecting appropriate compositions for those alloys, and causing uniform precipitation of fine precipitate of Ni-P compound in the size of no larger than 100 nm being uniformly dispersed in the alloy. It was also found that terminals with a built-in spring that was produced from those copper base alloys or terminals that were entirely made of those copper base alloys including a spring as an integral part possessed superior characteristics.
- the present invention provides a copper base alloy for use in terminals that consists essentially, on a weight basis, of 0.5-3.0 % Ni, 0.5-2.0 % Sn, 0.010-0.20 % P, and optionally 0.01-2.0 % Zn, the balance being Cu and incidental impurities, said alloy having fine precipitates of Ni-P compound uniformly dispersed in the alloy, the crystal grain size of said alloy being 50 ⁇ m or less, the ratio of Ni to P (Ni/P) being in the range of 10-50, characterized in that the size of said fine precipitates of Ni-P compound uniformly dispersed in the alloy is no larger than 100 nm.
- Nickel (Ni) dissolves in the Cu matrix to provide improved strength, elasticity, heat resistance, anti-stress relaxation, anti-migration and anti-stress corrosion cracking characteristics. Further, Ni forms a compound with P, which disperses and precipitates to provide higher conductivity. If the Ni content is less than 0.5%, the desired effects will not be achieved; if the Ni content exceeds 3.0%, its effects will be saturated and its economy will be impaired. Therefore, the Ni content is specified to range from 0.5 to 3.0 wt%.
- Tin (Sn) also dissolves in the Cu matrix to provide improved strength, elasticity and corrosion resistance. If the Sn content is less than0.5%, the desired effects will not be achieved with respect to the strength and elasticity,; if the Sn content exceeds 2.0%, its effects will be saturated. Therefore, the Sn content is specified to range from 0.5 to 2.0 wt%.
- Phosphorus (P) not only works as a deoxidizer of the melt but also forms a compound with Ni, which disperses and precipitates to improve not only conductivity but also strength, elasticity, and anti-stress relaxation characteristics. If the P content is less than 0.005%, the desired effects will not be achieved; if the P content exceeds 0.20%, the conductivity, workability and adhesive quality of soldering or plating after the heat treatment thereof will be severely impaired even in the copresence of Ni, as well as anti-migration characteristics will be decreased. Therefore, the P content is specified to range from 0.010 to 0.2 wt%, preferably from 0.02 to 0.15 wt%.
- the ratio of weight percentages of Ni to P should preferably be limited within a specified range; preferably in the range of from 10 to 50; more preferably in the range of from 15 to 30. If the size of precipitated Ni-P compound exceeds 100 nm, contribution of the precipitate to the improvement in strength, elasticity and anti-stress relaxation characteristics and the bending workability will be impaired.
- the life of a metal mold for pressing which comprises a punch made of a hard alloy and a die made of a tool steel, often decreases if the alloy structure contains a large amount of Ni-P precipitate whose size exceeds 100 nm. Therefore, the size of Ni-P precipitate is specified to be 100 nm or less, more preferably 70 nm or less.
- zinc (Zn) which can be added as an auxiliary component, has the ability to further improve the adhesive quality of a plating layer to the surface of a copper base alloy, when heat treated after plating.
- Zn content is up to 0.01%, the above-mentioned effects will not be achieved; if the Zn content exceeds 2.0%, its effects will be saturated. Therefore, the Zn content within the range of 0.01 - 2.0 wt% is preferred.
- insertion force and extraction force herein used for connector terminals represent, respectively, the “force required to insert a male terminal into a female terminal” and the “force required to break the male terminal away from the female terminal”.
- the insertion force should preferably be small and the extraction force should preferably be large. If the insertion force is unduly large, the male terminal cannot be readily inserted into the female terminal. This causes a particular problem with circuits of high packing density because routine assembling operations cannot be accomplished efficiently if the number of terminals to be connected increases. On the other hand, if the extraction force is too weak, separation occurs due to the vibration or an oxide film will easily form and the contact resistance is too unstable to insure satisfactory electrical reliability for connectors.
- the initial insertion/extraction force of the terminal is desirably from 1.5N to 30N and, to this end, the terminal material to be used must have a tensile strength of at least 500 N/mm 2 , a spring limit of at least 400 N/mm 2 and, from a view point of good moldability of terminals, a value of R/t of 2 or less.
- the crystal grain size is 50 ⁇ m or less, more preferably 25 ⁇ m or less.
- the initial resistance at low voltage and low current is desirably small, preferably not more than 3 m ⁇ .
- the value of contact electric resistance is dependent primarily on how much the contact load on the coupling will decrease due to heat cycles. However, the stress relaxation caused by spontaneous heat generation from the material as well as the stress relaxation caused by the effects of temperature in the automobile's engine room or around the exhaust system will also reduce the contact load, which eventually leads to a higher contact electric resistance.
- the terminal material itself must not undergo stress relaxation greater than 10% upon standing at 150°C for 1,000 hours, and it is also required to have a tensile strength of at least 500 N/mm 2 , a spring limit of at least 400 N/mm 2 , an electric conductivity of at least 30 % IACS and a stress relaxation after working into a spring of no more than 20%.
- the bending axis was set to be parallel to the rolling direction.
- stress relaxation(%) ⁇ (L 1 -L 2 )/(L 1 -L 0 ))X100
- the migration test was conducted in the following way: A plate as shown in Fig. 1 (1: ABS resin; 2: opening) made of ABS resin (2 mm(t) X 16 mm(w) X 72 mm(1)) and having in the central area thereof a circular opening was sandwiched by a pair of test pieces (each 0.2 mm(t) X 5 mm(w) X 80 mm(1)) and the resulting assembly was joined together by winding around it at both upper and lower portions with separate pieces of Teflon tape. Then, the fixed assembly was held in a testing vessel filled with tap water as shown in Fig. 2 (3: Teflon tape; 4: test piece; 5: tap water; 6: testing vessel; 7: ammeter; 8: DC power source). The migration characteristics of each test piece was evaluated by measuring maximum leakage current after 8 hours' application of 14 V DC voltage.
- Alloys having the compositions shown in Table 4 were melted in a high-frequency melting furnace and hot-rolled at 850°C to a thickness of 5.0 mm.
- the surface of each slab was scalped to a thickness of 4.8 mm and by subsequent repetition of cold-rolling operations and heat treatments, sheets having a thickness of 0.2 mm with a final reduction ratio of 67% were obtained.
- conditions of heat treatments (age-precipitation) were varied in order to vary the sizes of precipitates and the crystal grain diameters thereof.
- precipitates an average diameter of the largest 10 precipitate particles determined by transmission electron microscopy, wherein the specimen being observed at three phases at the magnification of 50,000X, was shown as the size of the precipitate. Crystal grain diameters were evaluated according to JIS H 0501.
- all the alloy sample Nos. 27 - 34 prepared in accordance with the present invention had a tensile strength of no less than 500 N/mm 2 , a spring limit of no less than 400 N/mm 2 and a conductivity of no less than 30% IACS, and their bending workability was also satisfactory.
- these samples had superior stress relaxation characteristics of no less than 10% as well as superior anti-migration characteristics.
- the copper base alloy of the present invention for use in terminals is superior in tensile strength, spring limit, electric conductivity, anti-stress relaxation characteristics, anti-migration characteristics and bending workability.
- a terminal which is constructed by the alloy of the present invention and which has a spring in it is superior in the resistance at low voltage and low current as well as stress relaxation characteristics, and therefore the alloy has a remarkable advantage from a view point of industry.
- a copper base alloy for use in a terminal which has an electric conductivity of as high as at least 30% IACS and also has both high tensile strength and high spring limit as well as superior stress relaxation characteristics of not higher than 10%.
- a terminal which has contained in its structure a spring made of the alloy of the present invention or a terminal wholly made of the alloy of the present invention inclusive of its spring, the terminal having proper initial properties inclusive of a proper insertion power in the range of 1.5 - 30 N, a proper resistance at low voltage and low current of no more than 3 ml and a proper stress relaxation characteristics of no more than 20%.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
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- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
- Conductive Materials (AREA)
Description
This invention relates to copper base alloys for use
in connector terminals in automobiles and other
applications, as well as connector terminals that are made
of those copper base alloys.
In response to the recent advances in electronics
technology, connector terminals for use in automobiles and
other applications have increasingly been required to
satisfy the need for higher packing density, smaller scale,
lighter weight and higher reliability. On the other hand
the constant improvement in the engine performance has led
to a higher temperature in the engine room. Under these
circumstance, there has risen the need that the copper base
alloys for terminals that are used as conductive materials
on the engine should have even higher reliability and heat
resistance. However, brass that has heretofore been used as
an inexpensive copper base alloy for terminals has low
electrical conductivity (to take C26000 as an example, its
electrical conductivity is 27% IACS); it also has problems
with anti-stress relaxation characteristics, corrosion
resistance and stress corrosion cracking resistance.
Further, phospher bronze has high strength but its
electrical conductivity (hereunder simply referred to as
"conductivity") is also low (to take C52100 as an example,
its conductivity is ca. 12% IACS); in addition, it has
problems with anti-stress relaxation characteristics, and
from an economic viewpoint (high price). Cu-Sn-Fe-P alloys
have been developed with a view to solving those problems
of brass and phospher bronze. For example, Cu-2.0Sn-0.1Fe-0.03P
has a conductivity of 35 % IACS and is superior in
strength; however, its anti-stress relaxation
characteristics has not been completely satisfactory in
view of its use as an alloy for terminals.
US 5 322 575 A describes a copper base alloy having
the features set out in the preamble of claim 1.
For manufacturing highly reliable automotive
terminals, it is necessary to use copper base alloys that
are superior in strength, spring limits and conductivity
and that will cause neither stress relaxation nor corrosion
after prolonged use. However, none of the conventional
copper base alloys, i.e., brass, phosphor bronze and Cu-Sn-Fe-P
alloys, have satisfied those requirements.
A further problem is that the terminals manufactured
from the aforementioned copper base alloys reflect the
characteristics of those alloys in a straightforward
manner. The terminals using brass, phosphor bronze or Cu-Sn-Fe-P
alloys do not satisfy the requirements for high
conductivity and good anti-stress relaxation
characteristics simultaneously, so they will generate heat
by themselves, potentially causing various problems
including oxidation, plate separation, stress relaxation,
circuit voltage drop, and the softening or deformation of
the housing.
An object, therefore, of the present invention is to
provide a copper base alloy that is superior in all aspects of tensile
strength, spring limits, conductivity, anti-stress relaxation characteristics
and bending workability. Another object of the present invention is to provide
a spring material and springs containing said copper base alloy, particularly
for the use in terminals. Another object of the present invention is to provide
a terminal which at least has a spring made of the above stated alloy or a
terminal the whole of which, inclusive of its spring, is made of the
above stated alloy formed in one piece, either terminal
being superior in resistance at low voltage and low current
and in anti-stress relaxation characteristics.
In order to attain these objects, the present
inventors conducted repeated test and research efforts on
Cu-Ni-Sn-P alloys, as well as Cu-Ni-Sn-P-Zn alloys and
found that characteristics satisfactory in terms of tensile
strength, conductivity, anti-stress relaxation
characteristics, anti-migration characteristics, as well as
bending workability could be attained by selecting
appropriate compositions for those alloys, and causing
uniform precipitation of fine precipitate of Ni-P compound
in the size of no larger than 100 nm being uniformly
dispersed in the alloy.
It was also found that terminals with a built-in spring
that was produced from those copper base alloys or
terminals that were entirely made of those copper base
alloys including a spring as an integral part possessed
superior characteristics.
The present invention provides a copper base alloy for use in
terminals that consists essentially, on a weight basis, of
0.5-3.0 % Ni, 0.5-2.0 % Sn, 0.010-0.20 % P, and optionally
0.01-2.0 % Zn, the balance being Cu and incidental
impurities, said alloy having fine precipitates of Ni-P
compound uniformly dispersed in the alloy, the crystal grain
size of said alloy being 50 µm or less, the ratio of Ni to P
(Ni/P) being in the range of 10-50, characterized in that the
size of said fine precipitates of Ni-P compound uniformly
dispersed in the alloy is no larger than 100 nm.
Now, the invention will be described concretely
hereinbelow.
First, the synoptic reason why the specific ranges
have been determined for the elements to be added to the
alloys of the present invention will be explained below.
Nickel (Ni) dissolves in the Cu matrix to provide
improved strength, elasticity, heat resistance, anti-stress
relaxation, anti-migration and anti-stress corrosion
cracking characteristics. Further, Ni forms a compound with
P, which disperses and precipitates to provide higher
conductivity. If the Ni content is less than 0.5%, the
desired effects will not be achieved; if the Ni content
exceeds 3.0%, its effects will be saturated and its economy
will be impaired. Therefore, the Ni content is specified to
range from 0.5 to 3.0 wt%.
Tin (Sn) also dissolves in the Cu matrix to provide
improved strength, elasticity and corrosion resistance. If
the Sn content is less than0.5%, the desired effects will
not be achieved with respect to the strength and
elasticity,; if the Sn content exceeds 2.0%, its effects
will be saturated. Therefore, the Sn content is specified
to range from 0.5 to 2.0 wt%.
Phosphorus (P) not only works as a deoxidizer of the
melt but also forms a compound with Ni, which disperses and
precipitates to improve not only conductivity but also
strength, elasticity, and anti-stress relaxation
characteristics. If the P content is less than 0.005%, the
desired effects will not be achieved; if the P content
exceeds 0.20%, the conductivity, workability and adhesive
quality of soldering or plating after the heat treatment
thereof will be severely impaired even in the copresence of
Ni, as well as anti-migration characteristics will be
decreased. Therefore, the P content is specified to range
from 0.010 to 0.2 wt%, preferably from 0.02 to 0.15 wt%.
In the course of preparing copper base alloys
according to the present invention, part of Ni added is
combined with part of P added to form a Ni-P compound,
which uniformly disperses in the resulting alloy as finely
powdered precipitates to provide improved conductivity as
well as improved strength, elasticity and anti-stress
relaxation characteristics. Therefore, the ratio of weight
percentages of Ni to P (Ni/P) should preferably be limited
within a specified range; preferably in the range of from
10 to 50; more preferably in the range of from 15 to 30. If
the size of precipitated Ni-P compound exceeds 100 nm,
contribution of the precipitate to the improvement in
strength, elasticity and anti-stress relaxation
characteristics and the bending workability will be
impaired. Also, the life of a metal mold for pressing,
which comprises a punch made of a hard alloy and a die made
of a tool steel, often decreases if the alloy structure
contains a large amount of Ni-P precipitate whose size
exceeds 100 nm. Therefore, the size of Ni-P precipitate is
specified to be 100 nm or less, more preferably 70 nm or
less.
Further, zinc (Zn), which can be added as an auxiliary
component, has the ability to further improve the adhesive
quality of a plating layer to the surface of a copper base
alloy, when heat treated after plating. However, if the Zn
content is up to 0.01%, the above-mentioned effects will
not be achieved; if the Zn content exceeds 2.0%, its
effects will be saturated. Therefore, the Zn content within
the range of 0.01 - 2.0 wt% is preferred. Next, we describe
about the characteristics of terminals according to the
present invention.
The terms "insertion force" and "extraction force"
herein used for connector terminals represent,
respectively, the "force required to insert a male terminal
into a female terminal" and the "force required to break
the male terminal away from the female terminal". Thus, the
insertion force should preferably be small and the
extraction force should preferably be large. If the
insertion force is unduly large, the male terminal cannot
be readily inserted into the female terminal. This causes a
particular problem with circuits of high packing density
because routine assembling operations cannot be
accomplished efficiently if the number of terminals to be
connected increases. On the other hand, if the extraction
force is too weak, separation occurs due to the vibration
or an oxide film will easily form and the contact
resistance is too unstable to insure satisfactory
electrical reliability for connectors.
Under the circumstances, the initial
insertion/extraction force of the terminal is desirably
from 1.5N to 30N and, to this end, the terminal material to
be used must have a tensile strength of at least 500 N/mm2,
a spring limit of at least 400 N/mm2 and, from a view point
of good moldability of terminals, a value of R/t of 2 or
less. In order to obtain better bending workability, it is
important that the crystal grain size is 50 µm or less,
more preferably 25 µm or less.
The initial resistance at low voltage and low current
is desirably small, preferably not more than 3 mΩ. The
value of contact electric resistance is dependent primarily
on how much the contact load on the coupling will decrease
due to heat cycles. However, the stress relaxation caused
by spontaneous heat generation from the material as well as
the stress relaxation caused by the effects of temperature
in the automobile's engine room or around the exhaust
system will also reduce the contact load, which eventually
leads to a higher contact electric resistance.
To avoid this problem, the terminal material itself
must not undergo stress relaxation greater than 10% upon
standing at 150°C for 1,000 hours, and it is also required
to have a tensile strength of at least 500 N/mm2, a spring
limit of at least 400 N/mm2, an electric conductivity of at
least 30 % IACS and a stress relaxation after working into
a spring of no more than 20%.
The following example is provided for the purpose of
further illustrating the present invention.
The measurement of tensile strength, conductivity and
spring limit were in accordance with JIS Z 2241, JIS H 0505
and JIS H 3130, respectively.
The bending workability of each sheet was evaluated by
a 90° W bend test, in which according to CES-M0002-6 the
sample was subjected to 90°W bend with a tool of R=0.1 mm
and the surface state of the center ridge was evaluated by
the following criteria: × , cracking occurred; Δ, wrinkles
occurred; ○, good results. The bending axis was set to be
parallel to the rolling direction.
In a stress relaxation test, the test piece was bent
in an arched way such that a stress of 400 N/mm2 would
develop in the central part and the residual bend that
remained after holding at 150°C for 1,000 hours was
calculated as "stress relaxation" by the following formula:
stress relaxation(%)={(L1 -L2 )/(L1 -L0 ))X100
where
- Lo :
- the length of the tool (mm);
- L1 :
- the initial length of the sample (mm)
- L2 :
- the horizontal distance between the ends of the sample after the test (mm)
The migration test was conducted in the following way:
A plate as shown in Fig. 1 (1: ABS resin; 2: opening) made
of ABS resin (2 mm(t) X 16 mm(w) X 72 mm(1)) and having in
the central area thereof a circular opening was sandwiched
by a pair of test pieces (each 0.2 mm(t) X 5 mm(w) X 80
mm(1)) and the resulting assembly was joined together by
winding around it at both upper and lower portions with
separate pieces of Teflon tape. Then, the fixed assembly
was held in a testing vessel filled with tap water as shown
in Fig. 2 (3: Teflon tape; 4: test piece; 5: tap water; 6:
testing vessel; 7: ammeter; 8: DC power source). The
migration characteristics of each test piece was evaluated
by measuring maximum leakage current after 8 hours'
application of 14 V DC voltage.
Alloys having the compositions shown in Table 4 were
melted in a high-frequency melting furnace and hot-rolled
at 850°C to a thickness of 5.0 mm. The surface of each slab
was scalped to a thickness of 4.8 mm and by subsequent
repetition of cold-rolling operations and heat treatments,
sheets having a thickness of 0.2 mm with a final reduction
ratio of 67% were obtained. In the course of executing
these operations, conditions of heat treatments (age-precipitation)
were varied in order to vary the sizes of
precipitates and the crystal grain diameters thereof. As
regards precipitates, an average diameter of the largest 10
precipitate particles determined by transmission electron
microscopy, wherein the specimen being observed at three
phases at the magnification of 50,000X, was shown as the
size of the precipitate. Crystal grain diameters were
evaluated according to JIS H 0501.
Then, with respect to the above mentioned materials,
the tensile strength, elongation and spring limit were
measured; at the same time, the bending workability and
stress relaxation characteristics were investigated. The
results are shown in Table 4 in comparison with one
another.
As shown by the above results, all the alloy sample
Nos. 27 - 34 prepared in accordance with the present
invention had a tensile strength of no less than 500 N/mm2,
a spring limit of no less than 400 N/mm2 and a conductivity
of no less than 30% IACS, and their bending workability was
also satisfactory. In addition, these samples had superior
stress relaxation characteristics of no less than 10% as
well as superior anti-migration characteristics.
In contrast, the alloy sample Nos. 35 - 42 prepared in
accordance with the conventional method which comprises
precipitates whose size exceeds 100 nm or whose crystal
grain size exceeds 50 µm, showed decreased bending
workability and they were inferior to the alloy of the
present invention in any other characteristic properties
inclusive of tensile strength, spring limit, anti-stress
relaxation characteristics, and anti-migration
characteristics.
The copper base alloy of the present invention for use
in terminals is superior in tensile strength, spring limit,
electric conductivity, anti-stress relaxation
characteristics, anti-migration characteristics and bending
workability. In addition, a terminal which is constructed
by the alloy of the present invention and which has a
spring in it is superior in the resistance at low voltage
and low current as well as stress relaxation
characteristics, and therefore the alloy has a remarkable
advantage from a view point of industry.
That is, according to the present invention, there is
provided a copper base alloy for use in a terminal which
has an electric conductivity of as high as at least 30%
IACS and also has both high tensile strength and high
spring limit as well as superior stress relaxation
characteristics of not higher than 10%. There is further
provided a terminal which has contained in its structure a
spring made of the alloy of the present invention or a
terminal wholly made of the alloy of the present invention
inclusive of its spring, the terminal having proper initial
properties inclusive of a proper insertion power in the
range of 1.5 - 30 N, a proper resistance at low voltage and
low current of no more than 3 mℓ and a proper stress
relaxation characteristics of no more than 20%.
Claims (6)
- A copper base alloy for use in terminals that consists essentially, on a weight basis, of 0.5-3.0 % Ni, 0.5-2.0 % Sn, 0.010-0.20 % P, and optionally 0.01-2.0 % Zn, the balance being Cu and incidental impurities, said alloy having fine precipitates of Ni-P compound uniformly dispersed in the alloy, the crystal grain size of said alloy being 50 µm or less, the ratio of Ni to P (Ni/P) being in the range of 10-50, characterized in that the size of said fine precipitates of Ni-P compound uniformly dispersed in the alloy is no larger than 100 nm.
- A copper base alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that said alloy satisfies all of the following three requirements:(a) the crystal grain size of the alloy is 25 µm or less,(b) the ratio of Ni to P ((Ni/P) is in the range of 15-30, and(c) the size of said fine precipitates of Ni-P compound uniformly dispersed in the alloy is no larger than 70 nm.
- The copper base alloy for use in terminals according to claim 1 or claim 2, said alloy having a tensile strength of at least 500 N/mm2, a spring limit of at least 400 N/mm2 , a stress relaxation of no more than 10 %, a conductivity of at least 30 % IACS and a bending workability given in terms of the ratio of R to t (R/t) of no more than 2; where R is a bend radius and t is a thickness of the specimen.
- A terminal with a built-in spring that is produced from a spring material or a terminal that is entirely made of said spring material including a spring as an integral part, said spring material being produced by melting a copper base alloy according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, said alloy being worked, after melting, by at least one of cold rolling and hot rolling.
- The terminal according to claim 4 for use as a connector terminal in automobiles and other applications.
- A process for preparing a copper base alloy according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 comprising:melting a composition consisting essentially, on a weight basis, of 0.5-3.0 % Ni, 0.5-2.0 % Sn, 0.010-0.20 % P, and optionally 0.01-2.0 % Zn, the balance being Cu and incidental impurities,hot-rolling the molten composition to obtain a sheet, andcarrying out repeated cold-rolling operations and heat treatments, wherein the conditions of heat treatments are varied in order to vary the sizes of precipitates and the crystal grain diameter thereof.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP7259497 | 1997-02-18 | ||
| JP72594/97 | 1997-02-18 | ||
| JP9072594A JPH10226835A (en) | 1997-02-18 | 1997-02-18 | Copper base alloy for terminal and terminal using the same |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| EP0859065A1 EP0859065A1 (en) | 1998-08-19 |
| EP0859065B1 true EP0859065B1 (en) | 2004-05-12 |
Family
ID=13493889
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP98102539A Expired - Lifetime EP0859065B1 (en) | 1997-02-18 | 1998-02-13 | Copper base alloys and terminals using the same |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0859065B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH10226835A (en) |
| KR (1) | KR100357501B1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE69823713T2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (11)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6471792B1 (en) | 1998-11-16 | 2002-10-29 | Olin Corporation | Stress relaxation resistant brass |
| JP3908588B2 (en) * | 2001-06-06 | 2007-04-25 | マブチモーター株式会社 | Small motor rotor and method of manufacturing the same |
| JP4984108B2 (en) * | 2005-09-30 | 2012-07-25 | Ｄｏｗａメタルテック株式会社 | Cu-Ni-Sn-P based copper alloy with good press punchability and method for producing the same |
| JP4680765B2 (en) | 2005-12-22 | 2011-05-11 | 株式会社神戸製鋼所 | Copper alloy with excellent stress relaxation resistance |
| JP5243744B2 (en) * | 2007-08-01 | 2013-07-24 | Ｄｏｗａメタルテック株式会社 | Connector terminal |
| EP2184371B1 (en) * | 2007-08-07 | 2016-11-30 | Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho | Copper alloy sheet |
| JP5466879B2 (en) | 2009-05-19 | 2014-04-09 | Ｄｏｗａメタルテック株式会社 | Copper alloy sheet and manufacturing method thereof |
| BR112012000607B1 (en) * | 2009-07-10 | 2019-03-06 | Virtus Precision Tube, Llc. | COPPER ALLOY, AND, AIR CONDITIONING AND COOLING (ACR) PIPE FOR USE IN A HEAT EXCHANGER |
| JP5436391B2 (en) * | 2010-10-22 | 2014-03-05 | Ｄｏｗａメタルテック株式会社 | Film and electrical / electronic parts |
| JP6113674B2 (en) * | 2014-02-13 | 2017-04-12 | 株式会社神戸製鋼所 | Copper alloy strip with surface coating layer with excellent heat resistance |
| JP6155405B2 (en) | 2015-04-24 | 2017-06-28 | 古河電気工業株式会社 | Copper alloy material and method for producing the same |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS596346A (en) * | 1982-07-05 | 1984-01-13 | Furukawa Electric Co Ltd:The | Copper alloy for lead material of semiconductor instrument |
| JPH01316432A (en) * | 1988-06-16 | 1989-12-21 | Dowa Mining Co Ltd | Copper alloy for electric conducting material having excellent weather resistance of solder |
| JPH036341A (en) * | 1989-06-02 | 1991-01-11 | Dowa Mining Co Ltd | High strength and high conductivity copper-base alloy |
| JP2844120B2 (en) * | 1990-10-17 | 1999-01-06 | 同和鉱業株式会社 | Manufacturing method of copper base alloy for connector |
| US5387293A (en) * | 1991-01-17 | 1995-02-07 | Dowa Mining Co., Ltd. | Copper base alloys and terminals using the same |
| US5322575A (en) * | 1991-01-17 | 1994-06-21 | Dowa Mining Co., Ltd. | Process for production of copper base alloys and terminals using the same |
| JPH07331363A (en) * | 1994-06-01 | 1995-12-19 | Nikko Kinzoku Kk | High strength and high conductivity copper alloy |
-
1997
- 1997-02-18 JP JP9072594A patent/JPH10226835A/en active Pending
-
1998
- 1998-02-13 DE DE69823713T patent/DE69823713T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1998-02-13 EP EP98102539A patent/EP0859065B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1998-02-17 KR KR1019980004793A patent/KR100357501B1/en active IP Right Grant
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE69823713T2 (en) | 2005-04-28 |
| DE69823713D1 (en) | 2004-06-17 |
| EP0859065A1 (en) | 1998-08-19 |
| KR19980071423A (en) | 1998-10-26 |
| JPH10226835A (en) | 1998-08-25 |
| KR100357501B1 (en) | 2002-12-18 |
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