JP5134800B2 - Electrode material and electrode - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrode material and an electrode used as a contact of a power switchgear, a welding electrode of an arc welding machine, a discharge electrode of an electric discharge machine, and the like.

Opening and closing devices are required to open and close electrical circuits and turn on and off electricity. These switchers control power transmission and distribution systems of power plants and substations, motors in factories, electric furnaces, etc. And relays for controlling their power, and are used in a wide range from 100 V to several hundred thousand V.
These are classified as follows according to the magnitude of the switching current.

  First, the load current during normal time and the short-circuit current during abnormality can be switched without hindrance, and the frequency of switching is generally low, and a circuit breaker (breaker) belongs to this. Circuit breaker types include oil breakers, air breakers, magnetic blowout breakers, gas breakers, vacuum breakers, and circuit breakers. This includes earth leakage breakers.

  Secondly, a relatively large load current in a normal state can be opened and closed many times, and a switch such as a vacuum switch, an electromagnetic switch, or a tap switch corresponds to this.

  The third is to open and close a relatively small load current many times, and corresponds to electromagnetic relays (relays) and switches used for control, electrical equipment, electronics / communication. In addition to this, there is a disconnector or the like that is used to open and close the circuit in a state of no current or close to it for the purpose of switching or disconnecting the circuit.

  High voltage circuit breakers and switches use sintered contacts such as copper-tungsten, silver-tungsten, silver-tungsten carbide, etc., which are excellent in arc resistance and welding resistance. In other words, silver-tungsten carbide with excellent oxidation resistance is a medium load air switch, and silver-tungsten with relatively good oxidation resistance is a high load air switch. Copper-tungsten with excellent wear resistance exhibits excellent functions in oil, gas, and vacuum circuit breakers.

  On the other hand, materials such as copper or silver are used as energizing contacts that do not interrupt current. Of the low-pressure air circuit breakers and wiring circuit breakers, silver-tungsten, silver-tungsten carbide, etc. are used as arcing tips for large capacity, and silver-nickel is used as the main contact (main contact). It is used. Moreover, silver-tungsten carbide, silver-cadmium oxide, and the like, which are excellent in electrical conductivity and welding resistance, are frequently used as arc / current-carrying contacts having a medium capacity or less.

  Arc welding is a method in which an arc is generated between the welding electrode (welding rod) and the work piece and the heat is used for welding, and the welding electrode is generally difficult to deform at high temperatures. In addition, it is required to have high heat and electrical conductivity, to be difficult to alloy with the material to be welded and the plating material, and to be hardly oxidized in the atmosphere. In general, copper, chromium copper, alumina-dispersed copper, tungsten-based alloy, or the like is used in consideration of lifetime, performance, and the like.

  In electrical discharge machining, electrical energy is applied to the metal that is the work piece through the machining fluid (mainly oil) that insulates the metal with the discharge electrode that is the machining tool, and the spark energy generated at that time (the same situation as lightning) ) To remove the surface of the workpiece finely. The discharge electrode is selected depending on the type of power source of the electrical discharge machine, the material of the workpiece, the discharge conditions, etc. In addition to copper-tungsten alloy and silver-tungsten alloy, copper, brass, graphite, copper-graphite, aluminum, iron Etc. are used depending on the application.

  From the viewpoint of economic efficiency and environmental harmony, high voltage, large capacity and compactness of electric power equipment are important issues, and continuous development is underway. These developments place extremely severe conditions on the materials that make up the transformer equipment.

  In other words, electrical contacts in power equipment, under even more severe conditions, (1) low consumption, (2) resistance to welding, (3) low contact resistance, (4) electrical conductor There is a need to be.

  In a high-voltage circuit breaker and switch, a composite material of tungsten or molybdenum, which is a high melting point material, and copper or silver, which is a high electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity material, is used as a contact material (Patent Documents 1 and 2). ). These materials are used in various devices as being suitable for applications under the most severe conditions among current contact materials. However, when the interruption is repeated repeatedly under high pressure, the above-mentioned material is worn by more than 10 mm at the tip due to arc erosion. Furthermore, when the diameter of the electrical contact is reduced by downsizing the device, the current density increases and cannot be used under the severe conditions described above.

  The damage mechanism due to arc erosion is explained by the following phenomenon. Composite materials of arc-resistant components such as tungsten or molybdenum, which is a high melting point material, and conductive components such as copper or silver, which are materials with high electrical and thermal conductivity, have a negative or positive polarity when they are arced. A pole is formed and the conductive component such as copper or silver on the surface evaporates. Due to the lack of conductive components such as copper or silver, the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the surface decrease, arc-resistant component parts such as tungsten or molybdenum start sintering, cracks occur due to sintering shrinkage, tungsten or Arc resistant components such as molybdenum fall off and wear out.

Electrode materials in arc welding and electric discharge machining generally do not always have a sufficient life and are severely deformed and consumed.
JP 2002-294384 A JP 2002-327232 A

  An object of this invention is to provide the electrode material and electrode with few deformation | transformation and consumption by an arc.

In order to solve the above problems, an electrode material of the present invention has a matrix made of a conductive component and an arc-proof component arranged in the matrix, and a plurality of the arc-proof components are continuously arranged in one direction. The conductive component is a good electrical conductive material made of Cu, Al, Ag, or Au, and the arc-resistant component is any of W, Mo, C, Ta, Nb The plurality of arc-proof components are configured to be in contact with each other or bonded to each other .

  The electrode of the present invention uses the above-mentioned electrode material so that the direction of good electrical conduction of the electrode material, that is, the direction in which the conductive component and the arc-proof component are arranged in one direction (vertical direction in FIG. The flow direction is the same.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the electrode material and electrode with few deformation | transformation and consumption by an arc can be provided.

  The present invention reduces the amount of wear due to arc erosion that occurs at the time of interruption, and optimizes the material structure of a metal having a high melting point and heat of evaporation as an arc-resistant component, and the evaporation of the conductive component. An electrode material excellent in arc erosion resistance characteristics is provided. In addition, the present invention optimizes the material structure of copper having a high melting point and high evaporation heat as an arc-resistant component, and an arc-resistant component in order to reduce the amount of wear due to arc erosion that occurs during interruption in a copper / tungsten material. Accordingly, an electrode material excellent in arc erosion resistance can be provided by suppressing defects caused by copper evaporation.

  First, the electrode material of the present invention is a composite material comprising an arc resistant component and a conductive component, and having a structure in which the arc resistant component and the conductive component are arranged in one direction. In this composite material, by arranging the conductive components in one direction, the conductivity and thermal conductivity in the arrangement direction of the conductive components are greatly improved, and heat generation at the contact portion of the electrode material is suppressed, and at the same time, cooling of the electrode material is performed. Improves performance, lowers temperature due to heat generation, and suppresses defects due to evaporation of conductive components. Moreover, since the metal of the arc resistant component is dense, it is prevented from cracking due to sintering shrinkage and the arc resistant component portion from falling off and being worn without being sintered. In addition, in order to arrange in one direction, the material structure which has arrange | positioned the fiber of one direction and a rod-shaped arc-proof component is preferable.

  In addition, the electrode material of the present invention is a high melting point material mainly composed of W, Mo, C, Ta, Nb, etc. as an arc-proof component, and a good electrical conductive material mainly composed of Cu, Al, Ag, Au, etc. as a conductive component. It is a composed composite material. In the combination of the arc resistant component and the conductive component, a combination in which the arc resistant component and the conductive component do not form an alloy is preferable. However, when the arc resistant component and the conductive component form an alloy, an electrode in which the arc resistant component and the conductive component exist in a single phase by providing a reaction suppression layer such as ceramics at the interface between the arc resistant component and the conductive component, respectively. Material can be obtained. When arranging fibers and rod-shaped arc-resistant components in one direction, an electrode material in which the arc-resistant component and the conductive component easily exist in a single phase by coating the fibers and rods with a reaction suppression layer such as ceramics. Can be obtained.

  Further, the electrode material of the present invention is composed of a tungsten wire / copper matrix composite material which is composed of a tungsten wire as an arc-proof component and a copper matrix as a conductive component, and the volume ratio of tungsten is in the range of 40 to 90%. In this electrode material, the copper matrix, which is a conductive component, is arranged in one direction, which greatly improves the conductivity and thermal conductivity of the conductive component in the arrangement direction compared to conventional electrode materials. At the same time as suppressing the heat generation at the contact portion, the cooling performance of the electrode material is improved, the temperature due to the heat generation is lowered, and defects due to the evaporation of copper as the conductive component are suppressed. In addition, since the arc-resistant component tungsten wires are also arranged in one direction, sintering does not occur like conventional tungsten particles, cracks due to sintering shrinkage do not occur, and the arc-resistant component tungsten wires fall off. , Suppress wear. In addition, the structure in which the tungsten wires of the arc-resistant component are arranged in one direction can be easily obtained by arranging the tungsten fiber or the tungsten rod in one direction.

  The electrode material of the present invention is a tungsten wire / copper matrix composite material containing 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, Co in a copper matrix as a conductive component. By containing 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, and Co in the copper matrix, the wettability of copper to tungsten wire is improved in the manufacturing process of tungsten wire / copper matrix composite material, and tungsten with a denser structure. A wire / copper matrix composite can be obtained. When the structure is dense, a material having high conductivity and thermal conductivity in the arrangement direction of the electrode material can be obtained, so that the effect of suppressing defects due to evaporation of copper as a conductive component is improved. However, if the amount contained in the copper matrix exceeds 5%, the excellent conductivity and thermal conductivity of copper are lowered, and the effect of the present invention cannot be obtained.

  In addition, the electrode material of the present invention is configured such that at least a part of tungsten wires arranged in one direction are in contact with or joined to each other in the electrode material of the tungsten wire / copper matrix composite material as described above. That is, it is a structure in which tungsten wires that are arc-resistant components are fixed to each other. Thereby, even if the defect | deletion by evaporation of copper whose melting | fusing point is lower than the surface exposed to the arc arises, the strength reduction of the whole electrode material can be reduced.

  Further, the electrode material of the present invention is configured such that the second phase made of a metal oxide is contained in the tungsten wire in the electrode material which is a tungsten wire / copper matrix composite material as described above. A second phase made of a metal oxide is contained in the tungsten wire by several% to 0.00. By containing several percent, the characteristics at high temperature are improved. That is, the heat resistance is improved, it is not deformed to a higher temperature, and excellent high temperature characteristics are maintained. The metal oxide is 3A metal or 4A metal such as yttrium oxide (yttria), lanthanum oxide, cerium oxide (ceria), thorium oxide (tria), titanium oxide (titania), zirconium oxide (zirconia), hafnium oxide (hafnia), etc. The oxide is suitable. Since the oxides of 3A metal and 4A metal are excellent in electron emission characteristics, the negative anode point is easy to contact with the tungsten wire, the evaporation of copper having a low melting point is suppressed, and the arc resistance is improved. Moreover, when it is set as the electrode of a gas circuit breaker, a metal oxide can suppress reaction of a tungsten wire and gas, and can suppress wear of an electrode.

  The electrode material of the present invention is configured such that the diameter of the tungsten wire is in the range from 20 μm to 2 mm in the electrode material that is a tungsten wire / copper matrix composite material as described above. The diameter of the tungsten wire is selected according to the size of the electrode material, the required arc resistance, and the product cost. In selecting, it is preferable to select one within the above-mentioned diameter range. That is, when the thickness is less than 20 μm, it is difficult to form a structure in which tungsten wires as arc-resistant components are arranged in one direction. That is, it becomes difficult to uniformly present copper as a conductive component between tungsten wires of less than 20 μm. In addition, when the diameter exceeds 2 mm, the copper size per unit area is increased, and a negative anode point tends to be more easily attached. That is, excellent arc resistance is stably exhibited by using a tungsten wire having a diameter of 2 mm or less.

  Further, the electrode material of the present invention is configured such that the tungsten wire has two or more diameters in the electrode material which is a tungsten wire / copper matrix composite material as described above. When there are two or more tungsten wire diameters, the copper size per unit area tends to be more uniform. In other words, by providing tungsten wires with a plurality of diameters, the size of copper that is easily attached to the negative anode point becomes uniform, and excellent arc resistance is stably exhibited.

  The electrode of the present invention has a configuration in which a main current flows in the good electrical conduction direction using the electrode material. In the electrode material consisting of arc-resistant component and conductive component, the electrode material, which is a structure in which arc-resistant component is arranged in one direction, is arranged in the electric conduction direction, thereby reducing arc wear and excellent arc resistance. An electrical contact can be provided, and it has a long life and can stably exhibit excellent performance. In addition, an electric device and an electric circuit provided with this electric contact have a long life and can stably exhibit excellent performance over a long period of time. In addition, depending on conditions, it is possible to perform maintenance-free electrical contacts that are considered to be highly consumed.

  The electrode of the present invention includes the electrode material that is a composite material as described above as a contact of a power switch, a welding electrode of an arc welder, a discharge electrode of an electric discharge machine, a high-voltage circuit breaker, and a contact of a switch. Thereby, it is excellent in arc resistance compared with the working electrode, and the amount of wear is reduced to 2/3 to 1/2. In particular, in the case of the use under the most severe conditions, for example, when the interruption is repeatedly performed under high pressure, the effect is remarkable. In addition, the electrodes in arc welding and electric discharge machining also have a lifespan nearly double that of the working electrodes, and deformation and wear are greatly reduced.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings and data.

(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an electrode material composed of an arc resistant component and a conductive component has a configuration in which the arc resistant component is continuous in one direction. In FIG. 1, the schematic diagram of the electrode material cross-section of an Example and a comparative example is shown. The comparative example (conventional material) has a configuration in which a metal which is a conductive component 2 fills the gap in a non-directional porous body made of a particulate or powder arc-resistant component 1. In contrast, the embodiment has a configuration in which fibers and rod-shaped arc-proof component 1 are arranged in one direction in a matrix of conductive component 2. The manufacturing method of the electrode material of an Example employ | adopts an appropriate method according to the ratio of an arc-proof component and a conductive component. That is, a sintering method that sinters a powder or wire of a fiber or rod-shaped arc-resistant component and a conductive component oriented in one direction, or a powder or wire of a fiber or rod-shaped arc-resistant component and a conductive component oriented in one direction HIP sintering method in which high temperature isostatic pressing is performed, or infiltration method in which conductive components are infiltrated between unidirectionally oriented fibers or rod-shaped arc resistant components, or unidirectionally oriented fibers or rod-shaped This is a sintering infiltration method in which a powder or a wire of an arc component and a conductive component is temporarily sintered and the conductive component is further infiltrated.

  The table in FIG. 2 shows the electrical and thermal conductivity of various electrode materials using W, Mo, C, Ta, and Nb as arc resistant components and Cu, Al, Ag, and Au as conductive components, and wear in arc erosion tests. Indicates the amount. The example has a configuration in which arc-proof components are continuously arranged in one direction, and the comparative example has a configuration in which the arc-proof components are randomly arranged. In both the examples and comparative examples, the volume ratio of the arc-proof component and the conductive component was 50%.

  About each Example and a comparative example, the test body for electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity evaluation was cut out from the sintered compact, and it measured according to the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity evaluation method of JIS specification (nonferrous metal). As is clear from the data in FIG. 2, the arc-proof component is arranged in one direction, that is, the conductive component is arranged in one direction, thereby greatly improving the electric conductivity and thermal conductivity in the arrangement direction of the electrode material. You can see that That is, since the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity in the arrangement direction of the electrode material are greatly improved, heat generation when the electrical contact is made can be suppressed, and at the same time, the cooling performance of the electrode can be improved.

Further, for the electrode materials of the examples and comparative examples, a disk-shaped test body having a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 6 mm was machined out from the sintered body. However, the arc damage evaluation test surface was polished with # 1000, and the surface roughness was set to about 0.5 μm (R _max ). As shown in the arc erosion evaluation test apparatus of FIG. 3, a tungsten torch was used, the anode was a water-cooled copper anode, the arc length was 150 mm, the shielding gas was high purity argon, and the shielding flow rate was 0.001 m ³ / s. The power source used for the test was an inverter type DC power source with a rated output of 500A. All arc start currents were set to 50A. The test conditions were 100A, 100V, 30 seconds, in an SF ₆ gas atmosphere. The flow rate of SF ₆ gas was 0.002 m ³ / s. The amount of wear of the specimen after the arc erosion evaluation test was determined by measuring the weight of the specimen before and after the test and converting it to a volume.

  As shown in the table of FIG. 2, after the arc erosion test, the amount of wear of each example is reduced to about 1/3 to 1/2 of the comparative example, and in the electrode material composed of the arc resistant component and the conductive component. It was confirmed that the structure in which the arc-resistant components are continuously arranged in one direction exhibits excellent arc resistance.

  In the arc erosion test, it is confirmed for each model that there is good agreement with the amount of wear of the actual electrode parts. The electrode parts manufactured so that the main current flows in the direction of high conductivity are expected to reduce the wear amount to 2/3 to 1/2 by being excellent in arc resistance according to this embodiment. The And it is anticipated that the electrical equipment incorporating this electrode part can improve a lifetime nearly twice.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, tungsten is provided continuously in one direction in an electrode material including tungsten as an arc-proof component and copper as a conductive component. In FIG. 4, the schematic diagram of the electrode material cross-section of an Example and a comparative example is shown. The comparative example (conventional material) has a configuration in which a copper matrix 4 fills the gap in a porous body made of particulate or powdered tungsten 5. In contrast, the embodiment has a configuration in which fibers and rod-like tungsten wires 3 are arranged in one direction in a copper matrix 4. The manufacturing method of the electrode material of an Example employ | adopts an appropriate method according to the ratio of tungsten and copper. That is, a sintering method in which a fiber or rod-like tungsten and copper powder or wire oriented in one direction is sintered, or a fiber or rod-like tungsten and copper powder or wire oriented in one direction is hot isostatically formed. HIP sintering method, infiltration method in which copper is infiltrated between fibers or rod-like tungsten facing in one direction, or fiber or rod-like tungsten and copper powder or wire facing in one direction is calcined This is a sintered infiltration method in which copper is further infiltrated.

  The table of FIG. 5 shows the electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and the amount of wear in the arc erosion test when tungsten is used as the arc resistant component and copper is used as the conductive component, and the volume ratios thereof are changed. The example has a configuration in which tungsten is oriented in one direction, and the comparative example has a configuration in which tungsten particles are randomly arranged. In both Examples and Comparative Examples, tungsten having volume ratios of 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 95% were prepared and tested.

  For each example and comparative example, the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity were evaluated in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As is apparent from the data in FIG. 5, the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity in the direction of arrangement of the electrode material are greatly improved by arranging tungsten in one direction, that is, by arranging copper in one direction. I understand that. That is, since the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity in the arrangement direction of the electrode material are greatly improved, heat generation when the electrical contact is made can be suppressed, and at the same time, the cooling performance of the electrode can be improved.

  Further, an arc erosion test was performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. After the arc erosion test, it was found that the amount of wear in each example was reduced to about 1/3 to 1/2 of the comparative example. In particular, it has been found that a remarkable effect is exhibited when the volume fraction of tungsten in the electrode material is in the range of 40% to 90%.

(Third embodiment)
In the table of FIG. 6, a tungsten wire / copper matrix having a tungsten wire as an arc resistant component, a copper matrix as a conductive component, and containing 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, or Co in the copper matrix. The electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the composite electrode material and the amount of wear in the arc erosion test are shown. The manufacturing method of the electrode material of the example is a method of sintering by adding any one of 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, or Co to a fiber or rod-like tungsten oriented in one direction and copper powder or wire. Bonding method, HIP sintering method in which high-temperature hydrostatic pressure is formed by adding any of 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, Co to fiber or rod-shaped tungsten oriented in one direction and copper powder or wire, or An infiltration method in which copper containing 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, or Co is infiltrated between fibers oriented in one direction or rod-shaped tungsten, or a continuous fiber oriented in one direction Alternatively, it is a sintering infiltration method in which any of 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, and Co is pre-sintered in a rod-like tungsten and copper powder or wire, and copper is further infiltrated.

  About each Example, evaluation of electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity was performed similarly to the said 1st, 2nd embodiment. As is apparent from the data in FIG. 6, the tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material containing either 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, or Co in the copper is compared with the one not containing it. It can be seen that the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity in the arrangement direction of the electrode material are improved.

  Further, as a result of the arc erosion test similar to that in the first and second embodiments, the wear of the electrode material of the example in which any one of Ni, Cr, Fe, and Co of 5% or less is contained in the copper matrix. It was found that the amount was further reduced compared to that which was not included.

  Tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode materials in which at least part of tungsten wires arranged in one direction are in contact with or joined to each other are mechanical and thermal properties of the electrode material after being exposed to an arc. In addition, there was a tendency that the electrical characteristics were less varied as compared with those in which part of tungsten wires arranged in one direction were not in contact with each other or not joined. In other words, the structure is such that tungsten wires, which are arc-resistant components, are fixed to each other, so even if defects caused by evaporation of copper with a low melting point occur from the surface exposed to the arc, the strength of the electrode material does not decrease and the structure is stable. It is speculated that the variation in each characteristic is reduced.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material in which the tungsten wire 3 contains the second phase made of the metal oxide 6. The reinforcing phase made of the metal oxide 6 in the tungsten wire 3 is several% to 0.00. By containing several percent, the characteristics at high temperature are improved. That is, the heat resistance is improved, it does not deform to a higher temperature, and the excellent high temperature characteristics of tungsten are maintained.

  In the table of FIG. 8, the metal oxide 6 includes yttrium oxide (yttria), lanthanum oxide, cerium oxide (ceria), thorium oxide (tria) titanium oxide (titania), zirconium oxide (zirconia), and hafnium oxide (hafnia). The amount of wear in the arc erosion test of the tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material containing any of them is shown. The method for producing the electrode material of each example is that a metal oxide is added to a tungsten raw material powder to produce a unidirectional fiber or rod-shaped tungsten containing a reinforcing phase, and this unidirectional fiber Alternatively, tungsten containing a rod-like reinforcing phase and a sintering method that sinters copper powder or wire, or tungsten containing a unidirectional continuous fiber or rod-like reinforcing phase, and copper powder or wire at high temperature isostatic pressure HIP sintering method for forming, infiltration method in which copper is infiltrated between tungsten containing fiber or rod-shaped reinforcing phase oriented in one direction, or fiber or rod-shaped reinforcing phase oriented in one direction This is a sintering infiltration method in which a tungsten-copper powder or wire containing copper is pre-sintered and copper is further infiltrated.

About each Example, the arc erosion test was done similarly to the said 1st-3rd embodiment. After the arc erosion test, as the metal oxide 6, any of yttrium oxide (yttria), lanthanum oxide, cerium oxide (ceria), thorium oxide (tria) titanium oxide (titania), zirconium oxide (zirconia), and hafnium oxide (hafnia) It has been found that the amount of wear of the tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material containing the copper is further reduced as compared with that containing no tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material. By including these metal oxides as a reinforcing phase, it is presumed that the characteristics at high temperature are improved, the heat resistance is improved, and the tungsten is not deformed to a higher temperature and the excellent high temperature characteristics of tungsten are maintained. Further, since these metal oxides are excellent in electron emission characteristics, it is presumed that the negative anode point is easily attached to tungsten, suppresses evaporation of copper having a low melting point, and arc resistance is greatly improved. In addition, it is considered that the metal oxide suppresses the reaction between tungsten and SF ₆ gas and can suppress the wear amount.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material of the present embodiment, in which the tungsten wire 3 has two or more diameters. When the diameter of the tungsten wire 3 consists of two or more types, it turned out that the size of the copper matrix 4 per unit area tends to become more uniform. That is, it has been found that when the tungsten wire diameter is composed of two or more types, the size of the copper matrix 4 that is easily attached to the negative anode point is uniform and can be improved as compared with one of the tungsten wire diameters.

  The diameter of the tungsten wire 3 is preferably in the range of 20 μm to 2 mm. The table of FIG. 10 shows the arc erosion test result of the tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material in which the diameter of tungsten 3 is changed. The manufacturing method of the electrode material of an Example was produced similarly to the said 2nd Embodiment using the thing from which a tungsten wire diameter differs. It can be seen that tungsten wires with diameters ranging from 20 μm to 2 mm exhibit better arc erosion. This is because, when the diameter is less than 20 μm, it is difficult to form a tungsten wire, which is an arc-resistant component, in a structure arranged in one direction, that is, between the tungsten wires having a diameter of less than 20 μm. It seems that it becomes difficult to form a copper matrix uniformly, and a homogeneous structure cannot be obtained. In addition, when the diameter exceeded 2 mm, the size of the copper matrix per unit cross-sectional area was increased, and a tendency to more easily attach the negative anode point was observed.

(Sixth embodiment)
It was confirmed that there was a correlation between the arc erosion test and the amount of wear in the contact of the power switch, the welding electrode of the arc welding machine, and the discharge electrode of the electric discharge machine. From the results of the arc erosion test, it was confirmed that the amount of wear of each of the above-mentioned various machines can be organized by the accumulated current value per unit effective surface area. By using the tungsten wire / copper matrix composite electrode material of the present invention, the contact point of the high-voltage circuit breaker and switch is excellent in arc resistance compared to the current contact material, so that the wear amount is 2/3 to 3/3. It is assumed that it is reduced to 1/2. In particular. In the case of the use under the most severe conditions, for example, when the interruption is repeated under high pressure, the effect is remarkable. In addition, the electrode material in arc welding and electric discharge machining also has a life that is nearly twice that of the current electrode material, and deformation and wear are greatly reduced.

The 1st Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a), (b), (c), (d) is the longitudinal cross-sectional view and plane sectional view of the electrode material of an Example and a comparative example, respectively. The table | surface which shows the characteristic of the electrode material of the Example of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a comparative example. The figure which shows the cross section and electrical connection of the test apparatus which evaluate the arc erosion characteristic of the electrode material of embodiment of this invention. The 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a), (b), (c), (d) is the longitudinal cross-sectional view and plane sectional view of the electrode material of an Example and a comparative example, respectively. The table | surface which shows the characteristic of the electrode material of the Example of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and a comparative example. The table | surface which shows the characteristic of the electrode material of the Example of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and a comparative example. The longitudinal cross-sectional view (a) and plane sectional view (b) of the electrode material of the Example in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. The table | surface which shows the characteristic of the electrode material of the Example in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view (a) and flat sectional view (b) of the electrode material of the Example in the 5th Embodiment of this invention. The table | surface which shows the characteristic of the electrode material of the Example in the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Arc resistance component, 2 ... Conductive component, 3 ... Tungsten wire, 4 ... Copper matrix, 5 ... Tungsten particle, 6 ... Metal oxide.

Claims (8)

An electrode material having a matrix made of a conductive component and an arc-proof component arranged in the matrix, wherein the arc-proof component is continuously arranged in one direction ,
The conductive component is a good electrical conductive material made of any of Cu, Al, Ag, Au,
The arc-resistant component is a high melting point material made of any of W, Mo, C, Ta, Nb,
The electrode material characterized in that at least a part of the plurality of arc-proof components are in contact with or joined to each other . 2. The electrode material according to claim 1, wherein the arc resistant component is a tungsten wire, the conductive component is a copper matrix, and the electrode material is a composite electrode material composed of the tungsten wire and a copper matrix . The electrode material according to claim 2, wherein the volume ratio of the tungsten wire is in the range of 40 to 90%. The electrode material according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the copper matrix contains 5% or less of Ni, Cr, Fe, or Co. 5. The electrode material according to claim 2, wherein the tungsten wire contains a second phase made of a metal oxide. 6. The electrode material according to claim 2, wherein the tungsten wire has a diameter of 20 μm to 2 mm. The electrode material according to claim 6 , wherein the tungsten wire has two or more diameters. An electrode comprising the electrode material according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein a direction of good electrical conductivity of the electrode material and a direction in which a main current flows are the same.

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