FI113061B - copper alloy - Google Patents

Description

113061

COPPER ALLOY

This invention relates to a copper alloy according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to the use of copper alloy, particularly in hit-5 applications.

Good weldability of copper is an important feature, especially in the manufacture of pipes and tubular cable conductors. Thin copper wire is often used as a conductor for tubes and tubular cables, such as coaxial cables and the like, which are bent to a tubular shape during manufacture and are typically welded to the free edges of the tape. In many cases, the tube so produced is further modified by drawing or corrugating after welding. These cables are used e.g. with cables for use in telecommunications applications or, for example, underwater cables. In the known solutions, where the requirement of very good electrical conductivity is required, the so-called. oxygen-free copper (e.g., Cu-OF / Cu-OFE). There is a need to further develop the good weldability and workability of non-oxygenated copper.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a copper alloy with excellent electrical conductivity and excellent weldability and post-weldability.

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The invention is characterized by what is stated in the claims.

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The composition according to the invention has numerous significant advantages. When using small amounts of alloying elements, in particular tin and / or mann, in non-oxygenated copper. gane has achieved very good results in weldability and adaptability. By micro-doping small amounts of tin and / or manganese in the oxygen-free copper, it has been possible to influence the molten properties of the molten material, in particular viscosity and surface tension.

Both of these properties have a significant effect on the weldability of the copper alloy. The alloy of the invention provides both a more manageable welding process and a mechanically stronger joint. The resulting alloy is very well suited for use in welding products made of copper strip by welding, such as pipes, profile tubes, waveguides, tubular cables 5, and their modification, such as tensile, bending, corrosion, profiling, etc.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying figure, in which the results of one of the examples illustrating the invention are shown in graphical form.

Example 1

Table 1. Copper alloys, their electrical conductivity, weldability and post-weldability.

Sample Cu + Ag Sn (ppm) Mn 02 (ppm) IACS (%) _____ (PPm) ___

Cu-OF> 99.95 <10 101.75

Cu-OF + Sn> 99.95 25 "<101.67

Cu-OF + Mn> 99.95 8F9 <10 61.63

The tubular bent material samples shown in Table 1 were welded.

• j. The materials used were tin microalloyed oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF + Sn) »and manganese microalloyed oxygenated copper (Cu-OF + Mn) and reference materials were oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF, applicant-quality OF-OK). Micro-doped samples-. you did the following:

Cu-OF + Sn doping: 25 ppm Sn 25 Cu-OF + Mn doping: 8-9 ppm M n • ·. Oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF) was used as a reference in the experiments.

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The strip to be welded was 0.26 mm thick.

»3 113061

The welding tests were performed by bending the material strip to a tubular shape and welding the strip edges together by TIG welding. The apparatus used was a typical tube welding apparatus in which the strip of material is initially fed through bending rollers to a welding station where the opposite edges of the tubular bent 5 strips are welded together at the welding station. After the welding step, the welded tube is either wound or wound. The welding method used was TIG welding typically used in copper tube welding. Argon was used as the shielding gas. The welding speed was 20 m / min. The hit dry current was changed between 100-250 A and the welding voltage was about 9-12 V.

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The welding tests were successful. In the setting of welding values, tin micro-alloyed quality was most easily achieved with the correct setting values for both the forming roll bending the material to be welded and the welding values. The melt behavior of the Sn alloy was very well controlled over a wide range of parameters.

The 15 Μη alloyed material also had better weldability than regular anoxic copper.

In the experiments performed, it was found that the oxygen-free copper to which the alloyed tin (25 ppm tin) was welded significantly improved its weldability. Also, using small amounts of manganese (8-9 ppm manganese) as an oxygen-free copper alloy, improved weldability. The weldability of the manganese-doped anhydrous copper was judged to be lower in the tests performed. max than the weldability of tin-doped deoxygenated copper. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that similarly other non-oxygenated copper grades (e.g., Cu-OFE, Cu-OFXLP, and C10910 (CDA code)) can be microalloyed in a similar manner.

The welded tubes were subjected to eddy current inspection. The rating was made by checking the * output of the eddy current meter. Estimates are summarized in Tables 2 and 30 in Figure 1. Eddy current measurement was performed on a part of the welded tubes. · Reviewing the output from the eddy current meter. The score was influenced by the height of the bottom noise caused by the hit * * *,., And was downgraded by possible peaks in the 113061 4 signal. For the analysis of the eddy current, a 30 m distance measurement was used.

Table 2 Welding Parameters and Weld Rating Sample Alloy Current Voltage Speed Gas Rating [A] [V] [m / min] Eddy Current 79 SN 156 9.4 20 AR 6 80 SN 146 9.3 20 AR 6 81 SN 136 9.5 20 AR 6 82 SN 126 9.6 20 AR 5.5 83 SN 116 9.6 20 AR 5 84 SN 105 9.7 20 AR 5 85 SN 166 9.5 20 AR 5 86 SN 176 9.5 20 AR 5 87 SN 196 9.5 20 AR 4.5 88 SN 210 9.5 20 AR 4.5 89 SN 220 9.5 20 AR 2 90 SN 156 10.2 20 AR 5 91 SN 176 10.2 20 AR 5 92 SN 166 10.1 20 AR 5 93 SN 196 10.1 20 AR 6 94 SN 210 10.2 20 AR 1 95 SN 200 11.3 20 AR 2 96 OF 200 10.1 20 AR 2 97 OF 200 10.1 20 AR 2 98 OF 176 10 20 AR 1 99 OF 176 8.9 20 AR 4 100 OF 166 8.9 20 AR 3 101 OF 166 9.3 20 AR 5 ;; 102 OF 176 9.5 20 AR 5 103 OF 176 10.4 20 AR 5 ··: 104 OF 176 11 20 AR 3 105 OF 196 11 20 AR 5 60 OF 196 11.1 20 AR 4 61 OF 210 11.2 20 AR 5 62 OF 220 11.3 20 AR 4 106 MN 166 10.1 20 AR 3 107 MN 176 10 20 AR 3 108 MN 186 10.1 20 AR 4 *. 109 MN 196 10.1 20 AR 5> »5 5 113061

In the table, the alloy SN denotes tin-doped oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF + Sn), the alloy MN denotes manganese-doped oxygen-5 ton copper (Cu-OF + Mn) and OF the common oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF).

In Fig. 1, a square denotes tin-doped oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF + Sn). The circle is marked with manganese micronized oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF + Mn). The reference material, oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF), is represented by a triangle in the flow path.

Based on Figure 1 and Table 2, it is found that tin-micron-doped oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF + Sn) was by far the best in quality and allowed the widest welding current range to be used. The weld ratings were good over a wide current range of 105-190 A. Also, manganese-micronized oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF + Mn) gave better quality welds over a wider welding current range than standard oxygen-free copper (Cu-OF). Based on the dispersion of the results and the flow range of the various materials (flow window), it can be stated that the weldability of the oxygen-free copper alloyed with tin and / or manganese is significantly better. Specifically, it was found that tin-micron-doped deoxygenated copper had the best weldability of the materials compared.

The copper alloy according to the invention comprises oxygen-free copper (e.g., Cu ··· OF / Cu-OFE) and micro-doped therewith from about 1 to 250 ppm, typically from 1 to 120 ppm, most preferably from 10 to 30 ppm, tin (Sn) and / or 1-150 ppm, typically 1- ··; 70 ppm, most preferably 5-20 ppm, manganese (Mn). The copper alloy has an electrical conductivity of more than 100% IACS, typically greater than 101% IACS, most preferably greater than 101.5% IACS.

"*. 30 * 6 113061

The invention also relates to the use of copper alloy:

Johdinnauhana; 5 For use as a tubular conductor in a copper alloy conductor cable, such as a coaxial cable;

For use in copper alloy weldable conductor structures;

Use of copper alloy in weldable and malleable conductor structures; For use in copper alloy as a tubular cable for underwater cable; and 10 for use in a copper alloy as a waveguide.

Claims (10)

An oxygen-free copper alloy, characterized in that the alloy comprises oxygen-free copper and micro-doped with about 1 to 250 ppm of tin (Sn) and about 5 to 20 ppm of manganese (Mn). Copper alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that the copper alloy comprises tin (Sn) 1-120 ppm, most preferably 10-30 ppm. ίο Copper alloy according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the alloy has an electrical conductivity of more than 100% IACS. Copper alloy according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the alloy has an electrical conductivity of more than 101% IACS. 15 Use of a copper alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 4 as a conductive strip. Use of a copper alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 4 as a tubular conductor for a conductor game such as a coaxial cable. Use of a copper alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in weldable conductor structures. 7 113061 Use of a copper alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 4 for welding; and customizable wire structures. »Φ Use of a copper alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 4 as a tubular cable for an underwater cable. :,! 30 · *: Use of a copper alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 4 as a waveguide. 8 113061