Copper alloy containing cobalt, nickel and silicon

US8257515B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• GBC Metals, LLC · US
• WIELAND-WERKE AG · DE

Inventors

• Frank N. Mandigo · Northford, US
• Peter W. Robinson · Branford, US
• Derek E. Tyler · Cheshire, US
• Andreas Boegel · Weißenhorn, DE
• Hans-Achim Kuhn · Illertissen, DE
• Frank M. Keppeler · Neu-Ulm, DE
• Joerg Seeger · Ulm, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 7, 2005
• Grant date: Sep 4, 2012
• Expiry date: Sep 20, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L2924/0002
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A copper alloy having an improved combination of yield strength and electrical conductivity consists essentially of, by weight, from 1% to 2.5% of nickel, from 0.5% to 2.0% of cobalt, with a total nickel plus cobalt content of from 1.7% to 4.3%, from 0.5% to 1.5% of silicon with a ratio of (Ni+Co)/Si of between 3.5 and 6, and the balance copper and inevitable impurities wherein the wrought copper alloy has an electrical conductivity in excess of 40% IACS. A further increase in the combination of yield strength and electrical conductivity as well as enhanced resistance to stress relaxation is obtained by a further inclusion of up 1% of silver. A process to manufacture the alloys of the invention as well as other copper-nickel-silicon alloys includes the sequential steps of (a). casting the copper alloy; (b). hot working the cast copper-base alloy to effect a first reduction in cross-sectional area; (c). solutionizing the cast copper-base alloy at a temperature and for a time effective to substantially form a single phase alloy; (d). first age annealing the alloy at a temperature and for a time effective to precipitate an amount of a second phase effective to form a multi-phase alloy…