JP2000233282A - Power application member for power equipment and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve wear resistance without impairing electrical conductivity by forming a partial hardened part having a specified Vickers hardness of a thick film and consisting of an intermetallic compound with other metal to part of a base metal of Al or Al alloy. SOLUTION: This power application member is made of a base metal of Al or Al alloy having a partial hardened part of a Vickers hardness of 100-250. Either wire of Cu, Ni, Fe, Cr or Co is placed on the part forming a hardened layer 2 of the base metal 1, a remelting treatment is applied by high density heat energy with an electron beam, and the intermetallic compound consisting of high hardness metal and Al is formed. An adding quantity of the metal is 3-30 wt.% of Al, the electricity conductivity of the hardened layer 2 is preferably 10-50%. In the case of a base metal of Cu or Cu alloy, the metal is selected from a group consisting of Al, Fe and Ti. The vickers hardness of the intermetallic compound obtained by remelting is 140-250, the electrical conductivity of the partial hardened part is preferably 10-90%.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a current-carrying member used for power equipment, and more particularly to a current-carrying member for power equipment using aluminum or copper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, aluminum (Al) or copper (Cu), which is a highly conductive material, is widely used as a current-carrying member used in power equipment. By the way, in recent years, power equipment has been strongly demanded to be reduced in size due to an increase in power demand and environmental resistance. For this reason, the current-carrying member using Al or Cu used for such equipment has a very severe use environment,
In particular, since Al and Cu have low hardness, there may be a problem that the wear resistance is low.

Conventionally, as a measure against such a problem, a method using a high-strength Al alloy or Cu alloy, or a method of forming a hardened layer by plating or surface oxidizing treatment on the surface of Al or Cu is used. And so on.

[0004]

However, even if an Al alloy or a Cu alloy is used, sufficient hardness cannot be obtained, and the Al alloy and the Cu alloy have lower conductivity than Al and Cu. There was a problem. Further, even if a surface treatment such as plating or surface oxidation treatment is performed, such a hardened layer is very thin, so that there is a problem that the abrasion resistance under a high load is insufficient.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to impair conductivity by forming a hardened layer partially with a thick film. It is another object of the present invention to provide a current-carrying member for a power device, which has no wear and has improved wear resistance.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a metal substrate of Al or an Al alloy, and a part of the metal substrate has a thick film other than the Al and the Al alloy. It is characterized in that a partially cured portion having a Vickers hardness (Hv) of 100 to 250 is formed by forming an intermetallic compound with a metal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the partial cured portion has a conductivity of 10% to 10%.
It is characterized by being within the range of 50%. Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intermetallic compound contains a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Fe, Cr and Co. And Also, in the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 3, the intermetallic compound is
It is characterized in that a metal selected from the group consisting of u, Ni, Fe, Cr and Co is added in an amount of 3% by weight to 30% by weight.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a Vickers hardness (Hv) is formed by forming a thick film of an intermetallic compound other than the Cu or Cu alloy on a part of the metal base material of Cu or Cu alloy. ) Is characterized in that a partially cured portion of 140 to 250 is formed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the partial cured portion has a conductivity of 10% to 10%.
It is characterized by being within the range of 90%. Further, the invention of claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 5 or 6, the intermetallic compound contains a metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Fe and Ti. The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the intermetallic compound is selected from the group consisting of Al, Fe and T.
It is characterized in that a metal selected from the group consisting of i is added in an amount of 3% by weight to 30% by weight.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, an angle formed by a free edge with respect to the metal base at an end of the partially cured portion is as follows:
The angle is 45 to 85 degrees or 110 to 150 degrees.

According to the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, by forming a partially hardened portion in a portion of the metal substrate where a large amount of abrasion has occurred due to sliding, both the abrasion resistance and the current-carrying characteristics are obtained. An excellent current-carrying member for power equipment can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claims 1 to 9
The method for producing a current-carrying member for a power device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a residual stress in the partially cured portion is reduced. According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect of the present invention, the partially cured portion is set to 150
It is characterized in that the residual stress is relaxed by performing a heat treatment at a temperature of from 400C to 400C.

According to the tenth or eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the mechanical strength is improved by relaxing the residual stress in the partially cured portion, a current-carrying member for a power device having a high mechanical strength is manufactured. be able to.

[0014] The twelfth aspect of the present invention provides the first to ninth aspects.
The method for manufacturing a current-carrying member for a power device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the intermetallic compound is formed by a remelting process using an electron beam, plasma, or laser. Further, the invention according to claim 13 is based on claim 1.
3. The invention according to item 2, wherein the intermetallic compound is formed by a remelting process using an electron beam in a vacuum.

Further, the invention according to claim 14 is the first invention.
3. The invention according to item 2, wherein the intermetallic compound is formed by a remelting treatment using plasma in an inert gas atmosphere. According to the twelfth to fourteenth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a current-carrying member for a power device having wear resistance and current-carrying characteristics.

[0016]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a power supply member for power equipment according to the present invention.

[1. First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a member in the present embodiment. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a base material, and in this embodiment, an A1050 material is used. Reference numeral 2 denotes a thick cured layer which is partially formed on the substrate 1 (partially cured portion in the claims).
The portion where the hardened layer 2 is formed is a portion where a large amount of wear has occurred in the base material 1 due to sliding.

The cured layer 2 is formed as follows. That is, a copper wire is previously placed on a portion (cured portion) of the base material 1 where the cured layer 2 is to be formed, and the cured portion is subjected to re-melting processing by high-density thermal energy using an electron beam. Thereby, high hardness Cu and A
1 to form an intermetallic compound.

<Hardness of hardened layer 2> Here, when the hardened layer 2 is formed, the hardness of the hardened layer 2 is varied by changing the diameter of the copper wire to be installed in various ways and performing a re-melting process in the same manner. Make a member. Using the plurality of members manufactured as described above, the wear resistance characteristics during sliding are measured by a known method. As a result, the Vickers hardness (Hv) of the cured layer 2 becomes 1
When it was 00 or more, sliding wear was significantly reduced as compared with a member having no hardened layer 2 formed thereon. On the other hand, when the Vickers hardness (Hv) of the hardened layer 2 exceeds 250, cracks occur in the hardened layer 2 at the time of the re-melting treatment, and a sound member could not be obtained.

Therefore, by forming a thick cured layer 2 by partially forming an intermetallic compound on the substrate 1 and setting its Vickers hardness in the range of 100 to 250, the wear resistance of the member is improved. It has been found that it can be improved.

<Electrical Conductivity of Hardened Layer 2> When the hardened layer 2 is formed, the electrical conductivity (IACS) differs by changing the diameter of the copper wire to be installed in various ways and performing the re-melting process in the same manner. Make a member. Using the plurality of members manufactured as described above, the wear resistance characteristics during sliding are measured by a known method. As a result, the conductivity of the cured layer 2 is 10% to 50%.
In the member of the above, excellent wear resistance characteristics and sufficient current-carrying characteristics were obtained. Therefore, the conductivity of the cured layer 2 is set to 10% to 50%.
It was found that a member excellent in both abrasion resistance characteristics and electric conduction characteristics could be obtained by setting the ratio in the range.

<Intermetallic Compound> Further, an attempt was made to add a metal other than the above-mentioned Cu as a metal to be added in order to form an intermetallic compound in the cured portion. As a result, Ni, F
When a remelting treatment was performed by adding e, Cr or Co, excellent wear resistance and electrical conduction characteristics could be obtained.

Also, the weight ratio of the added metal (including Cu) in the hardened layer 2 was changed variously, and each of them was subjected to remelting treatment to produce a member. Then, an evaluation test was performed on each of the plurality of members manufactured as described above. As a result, by setting Cu, Ni, Fe, Cr or Co to 3% by weight to 30% by weight, it was possible to obtain excellent wear resistance and current-carrying properties.

Therefore, by selecting any one of Cu, Ni, Fe, Cr and Co as a metal to be added when forming the hardened layer 2, a member excellent in both abrasion resistance and current-carrying properties can be obtained. 3% to 30% by weight of them
It has been found that a more excellent member can be obtained by doing so.

In this embodiment, the substrate 1 is made of A
A member was produced using 1050 materials, and each evaluation was performed.
It has been confirmed that similar effects can be obtained when other Al or Al alloys are used.

[2. Second Embodiment] In this embodiment, a C1020 material is used as the base material 1 in the member shown in FIG. Further, as in the first embodiment, a hardened layer 2 is formed in a portion of the base material 1 where a large amount of wear has occurred due to sliding.

The cured layer 2 is formed as follows. That is, an aluminum wire is previously set in a portion (cured portion) of the substrate 1 where the cured layer 2 is to be formed, and the cured portion is subjected to re-melting treatment by high-density energy using an electron beam. Thereby, an intermetallic compound of Cu and Al having high hardness is generated in the hardened portion.

<Hardness of hardened layer 2> Here, when the hardened layer 2 is formed, the diameter of the aluminum wire (Al wire) to be set is changed variously, and the hardened layer 2 is similarly subjected to remelting treatment. To produce members having different hardnesses. Using the plurality of members manufactured as described above, the wear resistance characteristics during sliding are measured by a known method. As a result, when the Vickers hardness (Hv) of the hardened layer 2 was 140 or more, sliding wear was significantly reduced as compared with a member without the hardened layer 2. On the other hand, the Vickers hardness (Hv) of the cured layer 2 is 250
If the temperature exceeds the limit, cracks will occur in the hardened layer 2 during the remelting treatment, and a sound member cannot be obtained.

Therefore, by forming a thick cured layer 2 by partially forming an intermetallic compound on the base material 1 and setting its Vickers hardness in the range of 140 to 250, the wear resistance of the member is improved. It has been found that it can be improved.

<Electrical Conductivity of Hardened Layer 2> When the hardened layer 2 is formed, the electrical conductivity (IACS) differs by changing the diameter of the Al wire to be installed in various ways and performing the re-melting process in the same manner. Make a member. Using the plurality of members manufactured as described above, the wear resistance characteristics during sliding are measured by a known method. As a result, the conductivity of the cured layer 2 is 10% to 90%.
% Of the members, excellent wear resistance and sufficient current-carrying characteristics were obtained. Therefore, the conductivity of the cured layer 2 is set to 10% to 90%.
%, It was found that a member excellent in both abrasion resistance characteristics and electric conduction characteristics could be obtained.

<Intermetallic Compound> Further, an attempt was made to add a metal other than Al as a metal to be added in order to form an intermetallic compound in the cured portion. As a result, when the remelting treatment was performed by adding Fe or Ti, excellent abrasion resistance characteristics and electric conduction characteristics could be obtained.

Also, the weight ratio of the added metal (including Al) in the hardened layer 2 was variously changed, and each member was subjected to remelting treatment to produce a member. Then, an evaluation test was performed on each of the plurality of members manufactured as described above. As a result, by setting the content of Al, Fe, or Ti to 3% by weight to 30% by weight, it was possible to obtain excellent wear resistance and electrical conduction.

Therefore, by selecting any one of Al, Fe and Ti as the metal to be added when forming the hardened layer 2, a member excellent in both the wear resistance and the current-carrying properties can be obtained, and these can be used in a weight of 3%. % To 30% by weight, it was found that a more excellent member could be obtained.

In this embodiment, the base material 1 is C
A member was manufactured using 1020 materials, and each evaluation was performed.
It has been confirmed that a similar effect can be obtained when other Cu or Cu alloy is used.

[3. Third Embodiment] In the present embodiment, the effect of residual stress on the mechanical strength of a cured layer of a member was investigated. First, as shown in FIG. 2, a number of four-point bending test pieces on which the cured layer 2 was formed were prepared. Here, a C1020 material was used as the base material 1, Al was added to the hardened portion, and re-melting treatment was performed by high-density thermal energy using an electron beam to form a hardened layer 2 having a Vickers hardness (Hv) of 200. . In the test piece shown in this figure, the angle formed by the free edge 3 with respect to the substrate 1 at the end of the cured layer 2 is 90 degrees.

The above test piece was subjected to a four-point bending test in which a tensile stress was generated on the surface of the hardened layer 2. Here, 5p tests were carried out on two types of test pieces, ones that had been subjected to the remelting process and those that had their residual stress relaxed by heat treatment after the remelting process.

As a result, the strength of the cured layer 2 before a crack was generated was an average of 410 for the remelted test piece.
On the other hand, the average value of the test pieces whose residual stress was relaxed by the heat treatment was 520 MPa. That is, the test piece in which the residual stress was relaxed had improved mechanical strength. From the above, it is clear that the mechanical strength of the member can be improved by relaxing the residual stress of the hardened layer 2.

<Heat Treatment Temperature> Next, in the heat treatment for relaxing the residual stress, a large number of test pieces having various temperatures were prepared and subjected to the above-described four-point bending test. Here, the heat treatment time was 2 hours.

FIG. 3 shows the results of the four-point bending test.
In the graph shown in the figure, the horizontal axis indicates the heat treatment temperature (° C.), and the vertical axis indicates the average strength (MPa) of the test piece. From the results shown in this graph, the heat treatment temperature was set to 150 ° C.
It can be seen that the average strength of the test piece is improved when the temperature is set to 400 ° C. From the above, 1 to the cured layer 2
It is clear that the heat treatment at a temperature of 50C to 400C can improve the mechanical strength of the member.

In this embodiment, the base material 1 is C
The results in the case of using 1020 material are shown.
It has been confirmed that a similar effect can be obtained when u or Cu alloy, or Al or Al alloy is used.

[4. Fourth Embodiment] In this embodiment, a test piece was prepared in the same manner as in the above-described third embodiment, and a similar four-point bending test was performed. Here, the influence of the shape of the cured layer 2 on the mechanical strength of the test piece was investigated. That is,
In the test piece shown in FIG. 2, a large number of tests in which the angle formed by the free edge 3 with respect to the base material 1 at the end of the cured layer 2 was variously manufactured, and the above test was performed.

FIG. 4 shows the results of the four-point bending test.
In the graph shown in the figure, the horizontal axis represents the free edge angle (degree), and the vertical axis represents the average strength (MPa) of the test piece. From the results shown in this graph, the angle of the free edge 3 was 11
It can be seen that the average strength of the test piece is improved when it is 0 degrees or more, or when it is 45 degrees to 85 degrees.

From the above, the angle formed by the free edge 3 with respect to the base material 1 at the end of the cured layer 2 is 110 ° to 150 °.
It is clear that the mechanical strength of the member can be improved by setting the angle to 45 degrees or 45 degrees to 85 degrees.

In this embodiment, the base material 1 is C
The results in the case of using 1020 material are shown.
It has been confirmed that a similar effect can be obtained when u or Cu alloy, or Al or Al alloy is used.

[5. Fifth Embodiment] In this embodiment, the first and second embodiments use another heat energy source instead of the above-described electron beam as the heat energy source for performing the re-melting process when forming the cured layer 2. Create a member similar to the example,
The wear resistance and the current-carrying characteristics were investigated. Here, C1020 material is used as the base material 1, Al is added to the cured portion,
The re-melting treatment was performed using various heat energy sources to form a cured layer 2.

As a result of examining the wear resistance and the current-carrying characteristics of the members manufactured as described above, it was found that a high-density thermal energy source, such as a plasma or a laser, was used and an electron beam was used. It was found that excellent abrasion resistance and current-carrying characteristics were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

As described above, when the hardened layer 2 is formed, the intermetallic compound is generated by using an electron beam, a plasma or a laser as a thermal energy source for the re-melting treatment, so that excellent wear resistance and excellent wear resistance can be obtained. It was found that a member having current-carrying characteristics could be obtained.

<Atmosphere of Remelting Treatment> Next, an electron beam was used as a thermal energy source, the atmosphere was changed in various ways, and remelting treatment was performed to produce an intermetallic compound, thereby forming a hardened layer 2. With respect to such a plurality of members, the wear resistance characteristics and the current-carrying characteristics were examined. As a result, in the member that was subjected to the remelting treatment in a vacuum atmosphere, the most excellent wear resistance and electric conduction characteristics were obtained.

As described above, when an intermetallic compound is generated by using an electron beam as a thermal energy source, a member having excellent wear resistance and current-carrying properties can be obtained by performing remelting treatment in a vacuum atmosphere. I understood.

Further, a plasma was used as a thermal energy source, and the atmosphere was variously changed to perform a re-melting treatment to produce an intermetallic compound, thereby forming a hardened layer 2. Then, the wear resistance characteristics and the current-carrying characteristics of the plurality of members were examined. As a result, in the member subjected to the re-melting treatment in the inert gas atmosphere, the most excellent wear resistance and electric conduction characteristics were obtained.

As described above, when an intermetallic compound is generated using plasma as a heat energy source, a member having excellent wear resistance and current-carrying properties can be obtained by performing remelting treatment in an inert gas atmosphere. I understood that.

In this embodiment, the base material 1 is C
A member was manufactured using 1020 materials, and each evaluation was performed.
It has been confirmed that a similar effect can be obtained when other Cu or Cu alloy, or Al or Al alloy is used.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, by forming a cured layer of a thick film partially on a substrate,
A current-carrying member for a power device having excellent wear resistance and current-carrying characteristics can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a current-carrying member for a power device according to first, second and fifth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of a test piece according to third and fourth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a relationship between a heat treatment temperature and an average strength of a test piece as a result of a test in a third example.

FIG. 4 shows a free edge 3 as a result of a test in the fourth embodiment.
Graph showing the relationship between the angle of the specimen and the average strength of the test piece

[Explanation of symbols] 1 ... substrate 2 ... cured layer 3 ... free edge

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) C23C 6/00 C23C 6/00 // C22F 1/00 691 C22F 1/00 691B B23K 103: 10 103: 12 103: 16 (72) Inventor Hironori Suzuki 2-1 Ukishima-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba Hamakawasaki Plant (72) Inventor Yoshiyasu Ito 2-1 Ukishima-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F term in the Toshiba Hamakawasaki Plant (reference) 4E066 AA03 CA15 CA21 CB09 CB10 4E068 BB00 DA09 DB02 DB04 DB05 4K031 AA06 AB08 CA05 DA03 DA04 DA07 FA01 GA01

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A metal substrate of Al or an Al alloy,
A partially cured portion having a Vickers hardness (Hv) of 100 to 250 is formed on a part thereof by forming an intermetallic compound with a metal other than Al and the Al alloy in a thick film. For power equipment. 2. The electric conductivity of the partially cured portion is 10% to 50%.
2. The current-carrying member for a power device according to claim 1, wherein the value is in the range of%. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the intermetallic compound is Cu, Ni, F
The current-carrying member for a power device according to claim 1, further comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of e, Cr, and Co. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the intermetallic compound is Cu, Ni,
The metal selected from the group consisting of Fe, Cr and Co is 3
The current-carrying member for electric power equipment according to claim 3, wherein the electric-current member is added in an amount of 30 to 30% by weight. 5. A metal substrate of Cu or Cu alloy,
Vickers hardness (Hv) is formed by forming an intermetallic compound other than the Cu or Cu alloy as a thick film on a part thereof.
Characterized in that a partially cured portion having a diameter of 140 to 250 is formed. 6. The partially cured portion has a conductivity of 10% to 90%.
The power supply member for electric power equipment according to claim 5, wherein the value is within the range of%. 7. The intermetallic compound includes Al, Fe and T.
The current-carrying member for a power device according to claim 5, further comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of i. 8. The intermetallic compound, wherein the metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Fe and Ti is 3% by weight to 30% by weight.
The current-carrying member for a power device according to claim 7, wherein the member is added by weight%. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by a free edge with respect to the metal substrate at an end of the partially cured portion is 45 to 85 degrees or 110 to 150 degrees. The current-carrying member for power equipment according to claim 1. 10. A method for manufacturing a current-carrying member for a power device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the current-carrying member for a power device is relieved of residual stress in the partially cured portion. Manufacturing method. 11. The method according to claim 11, wherein the partially cured portion is set at 150 ° C. to 400 ° C.
The method according to claim 10, wherein the residual stress is relaxed by performing a heat treatment at a temperature. 12. The method for manufacturing a current-carrying member for a power device according to claim 1, wherein the intermetallic compound is formed by a remelting process using an electron beam, plasma, or laser. A method for manufacturing a current-carrying member for power equipment. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the intermetallic compound is formed by a remelting process using an electron beam in a vacuum. 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the intermetallic compound is formed by a remelting process using plasma in an inert gas atmosphere.