Texas Instruments Corporation

Wickeder Westfalenstahl Gmbh

Ems Engineered Materials Solutions, LLC

Donald G McDonnell

Joseph P Mennucci

Michael Balkenhol

Michael D Hardy

Ronald R Dos Santos

A clad metal composite produced according to a method for edge-to-edge cladding of two or more different metals (such as aluminum and copper). The metals are joined next to each other to form an edge-to-edge or side-by-side clad bimetal. In one embodiment, nine metal strips are used to create the desired clad metal composite. The design includes strips of metal that have industry standard cut edges (such as, slit-cut edges). In one embodiment, the clad metal composite includes multiple layers of metals positioned edge-to-edge. In one embodiment, the method of making an edge-to-edge composite includes providing multiple layers of metal made of separate strips, aligning the strips in the multiple layers with one another so that edges of the strips of the multiple layers do not align with one another, and then bonding the layers and strips to one another.

Method of making an edge-to-edge metal composite

An electrical contact material having metal oxide particles dispersed in a silver metal matrix and having an easily brazeable backing layer is made free of internal oxide depletion zones by bonding a conventional internally oxidizable silver alloy to a thin backing layer of a second silver alloy to form a composite metal. The first silver alloy is selected to be internally oxidizable under selected oxidizing conditions. The second alloy is selected so that under the selected oxidizing conditions an oxygen-impenetrable barrier is quickly established on the surfaces of the composite formed by the second alloy. In that way, the first alloy layer is forced to be internally oxidized unidirectionally from the opposite surface of the composite to form the desired metal oxide dispersal extending substantially throughout the first alloy layer free of any internal oxide depletion zone in the first layer. An external scale that prevented internal oxidation from proceeding from the second layer surface is then easily removed from the remaining unoxidized silver alloy providing a means for attachment of the contact material by bonding or brazing.

Method of making electrical contact material

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Attleboro, MA, United States of America

Donald G McDonnell