Olin Corporation

Swiss Aluminium Ltd.

Other

John F Breedis

Ronald N Caron

Julius C Fister

W Gary Watson

Sankaranarayanan Ashok

Frank N Mandigo

Dennis R Brauer

Jacob Crane

David D McDevitt

Derek E Tyler

Joseph Saleh

Carl L Deppisch

William L Brenneman

Chung-Yao Chao

George J Muench

Richard P Vierod

Deepak Mahulikar

Michael J Pryor

Joseph Winter

John C Yarwood

Eugene Shapiro

Andrew J Brock

Brian Mravic

Peter W Robinson

Hans-Achim Kuhn

Yousef Saleh

Jack Crane

Kip D Klein

J&ouml;rg Seeger

Andreas B&ouml;gel

Mark N Pearman

David B Knorr

A copper alloy that consists essentially of, by weight, from 0.15% to 0.7% of chromium, from 0.005% to 0.3% of silver, from 0.01% to 0.15% of titanium, from 0.01% to 0.10% of silicon, up to 0.2% of iron, up to 0.5% of tin, and the balance copper and inevitable impurities has high strength, a yield strength in excess of 80 ksi, and high electrical conductivity, in excess of 80% IACS. The alloy further has substantially isotropic bend characteristics when the processing route includes a solution heat anneal above 850&deg; C. and subsequent cold rolling into sheet, strip or foil interspersed by bell annealing. As a result, the alloy is particularly suited for forming into box-type electrical connectors for both automotive or multimedia applications. The alloy is also suitable for forming into a rod, wire or section.

Silver containing copper alloy

A copper alloy having improved stress relaxation resistance is formed from a copper base alloy that consists, by weight, essentially of 1.8%-3.0% iron, 0.01%-1.0% zinc, 0.001 %-0.25% phosphorus, 0.1 %-0.35% magnesium and the balance is copper and unavoidable impurities. When compared to other copper base alloys that include iron, zinc and phosphorous, the disclosed alloy has improved resistance to stress relaxation. In addition, directionality of stress relaxation resistance (where stress relaxation resistance is typically poorer in a transverse strip direction relative to a longitudinal strip direction for a copper alloy that is strengthened by cold rolling) is reduced to being nearly equivalent, regardless of strip direction. The alloy is particularly useful for electronic applications, such as being formed into an electrical connectors.

Copper alloy having improved stress relaxation resistance

An alpha brass (copper/zinc alloy with less than 39%, by weight, of zinc) stock alloy has controlled additions of nickel, tin and phosphorous. The combination of nickel and tin increase resistance of the alloy to elevated temperature stress relaxation. As a result, spring contacts formed from alloys of the invention maintain a higher percentage of initially imposed stress at elevated temperatures, in the range of 125&deg; C. to 150&deg; C., for significantly longer times than other brass alloys of comparable strength.

Stress relaxation resistant brass

There is provided a copper-base alloy useful for coinage that has a golden visual appearance. The material has a transverse electrical conductivity substantially similar to that of copper alloy C713 and when clad to a copper alloy C110 core, a transverse electrical conductivity substantially similar to both sides of a Susan B. Anthony United States dollar coin. The copper-base alloy is a copper-manganese-zinc-nickel alloy.

Copper alloy with a golden visual appearance

A copper alloy having improved resistance to cracking due to localized plastic deformation and the process of making it. The alloy consists essentially of: from 0.7 to 3.5 weight percent nickel; from 0.2 to 1 weight percent silicon; from 0.05 to 1 weight percent tin; from 0.26 to 1 weight percent iron; and the balance copper and unavoidable impurities. The copper alloy has a local ductility index of greater than 0.7 and a tensile elongation exceeding 5%. Cobalt may be substituted for iron, in whole or in part, on a 1:1 basis by weight. The alloy is precipitation hardenable and useful for electronic applications, including without limitation, connectors.

Copper alloy having improved resistance to cracking due to localized stress

There is provided a tin brass alloy having a grain structure that is refined by the addition of controlled amounts of both zinc and iron. Direct chill cast alloys containing from 1% to 4%, by weight of tin, from 0.8% to 4% of iron, from an amount effective to enhance iron initiated grain refinement to 35% of zinc and the remainder copper and inevitable impurities are readily hot worked. The zinc addition further increases the strength of the alloy and improves the bend formability in the 'good way', perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a rolled strip. Certain of the grain refined brass alloys are useful as semisolid forming feedstock.

Iron modified tin brass

A copper alloy achieves high electrical conductivity, in excess of 70% IACS; high strength, ultimate tensile strength in excess of 75 ksi; good surface cosmetics; and good stampability, above 25% break, by controlled additions of magnesium, iron and phosphorous. There is a critical iron content to achieve both good stampability and high electrical conductivity and a critical phosphorous content to achieve high strength and relatively small metal phosphide particles. There is further, a critical relationship between the amount of iron and phosphorous. An additions of magnesium, in amounts of more than 0.03%, broadens the effective ratio of iron to phosphorous, widening the composition box of the alloys of the invention.

Copper alloy with magnesium addition

There is provided a phosphor bronze alloy having a grain structure that is refined by the addition of a controlled amount of iron. Direct chill cast alloys containing from 1.5% to 2.5%, by weight tin, from 1.65% to 2.65% iron, from 0.03% to 0.35% phosphorous and the remainder copper and inevitable impurities have an as-cast average crystalline grain size of less than 100 microns and are readily hot worked. When the iron content is too low, the average crystalline grain size increases and the alloy cracks during hot working. When the iron content is too high, iron stringers form, detrimentally impacting both the appearance and properties of a wrought strip.

Iron modified phosphor-bronze

There is provided a tin brass alloy having a grain structure that is refined by the addition of controlled amounts of both zinc and iron. Direct chill cast alloys containing from 1% to 4%, by weight of tin, from 0.8% to 4% of iron, from an amount effective to enhance iron initiated grain refinement to 20% of zinc and the remainder copper and inevitable impurities are readily hot worked. The zinc addition further increases the strength of the alloy and improves the bend formability in the 'good way', perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a rolled strip.

There is provided a machinable .alpha.+.beta. brass containing bismuth and phosphorous. By maintaining the phosphorous content within a critical range, the alloy exhibits good elevated temperature tensile elongation in the temperature range of 100.degree. C.-350.degree. C. without a decrease in machinability due to phosphide formation. In preferred embodiments, the alloy further contains a tin addition for enhanced corrosion resistance. The combination of tin and phosphorous provides enhanced corrosion resistance to the alloy than could be predicted from either addition alone.

Corrosion-resistant bismuth brass

There are disclosed processing methods to improve the properties of copper base alloys containing chromium and zirconium. One method of processing results in a copper alloy having high strength and high electrical conductivity. A second method of processing results in a copper alloy with even higher strength and a minimal reduction in electrical conductivity. While a third method of processing results in a copper alloy having improved bend formability.

Process for improving the bend formability of copper alloys

Copper base alloys having improved bend formability

There is provided a metallic composite useful for coinage. The core is formed from a copper alloy that contains between 50% and 99.0% copper, has a room temperature electrical conductivity in excess of 25% IACS an initial yield strength in excess of 10,000 psi and a dynamic softening response onset at a temperature in the range of 200.degree. C.-400.degree. C. The cladding layers have an initial yield strength more than that of the core and a gold color. The strengthening response of the core during cladding is similar to that of the cladding layers making the metallic composites resistant to corrugation. Reducing corrugation increases the sensitivity of electromagnetic coin discriminators.

Copper alloy clad for coinage

Machinable alpha beta brass having a reduced lead concentration is claimed. The alloy contains bismuth to improve machinability. Either a portion of the zinc is replaced with aluminum, silicon or tin, or a portion of the copper is replaced with iron, nickel or manganese.

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Trumbull, CT, United States of America

John F Breedis