Ultrafine copper alloy wire, stranded copper alloy wire conductor, extrafine coaxial cable, and process for producing ultrafine copper alloy wire

• US 20040187977A1
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Cable Limited (Proterial Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Cable Limited (Proterial Ltd.)
• Inventors: Okada, Ryohei, Ichikawa, Takaaki, Aoyama, Seigi, Seya, Osamu, Matsui, Hakaru
• Application Number:
  US10/820,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20040187977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 148/553
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/00 Alloys based on copper
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/08 of copper or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/026 Alloys based on copper
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12431 Foil or filament smaller than 6 mils

Abstract

A wire rod comprising high-purity copper having a total unavoidable impurity content of not more than 1 ppm by mass and, added to the high-purity copper, 1.0 to 5.0% by mass of silver having a purity of not less than 99.99% by mass is drawn to an ultrafine copper alloy wire with a diameter of not more than 0.08 mm. According to this constitution, since the content of foreign matter, causative of breaking of wires, in a base material has been minimized, excellent wire drawability and bending properties can be realized. Further, since silver is used as an additive element, the ultrafine copper alloy wire possesses excellent tensile strength. This constitution can further realize a stranded copper alloy wire conductor, and an extrafine coaxial cable possessing excellent tensile strength, wire drawability, and bending properties.

Claims

1. -11. (Canceled)

12. A process for producing an ultrafine copper alloy wire, comprising:

melting a high-purity copper having a total unavoidable impurity content of not more than 1 ppm by mass in a carbon crucible installed in a vacuum;

replacing an atmosphere surrounding the melted copper by an argon gas atmosphere and adding 1.0 to 5.0% by mass of silver having a purity of not less than 99.99% by mass to said copper;

casting said copper with silver added thereto in a carbon mold into a wire rod; and

drawing said wire rod to a diameter of not more than 0.08 mm.

13. A process for producing an ultrafine copper alloy wire, comprising:

melting a high-purity copper having a total unavoidable impurity content of not more than 1 ppm by mass in a carbon crucible installed in a vacuum;

replacing an atmosphere surrounding the melted copper by an argon gas atmosphere and adding, to said copper, 1.0 to 5.0% by mass of silver having a purity of not less than 99.99% by mass and 0.01 to 0.5% by mass of magnesium having a purity of not less than 99.9% by mass;

casting said copper with silver and magnesium added thereto in a carbon mold into a wire rod; and

drawing said wire rod to a diameter of not more than 0.08 mm.

14. A process for producing an ultrafine copper alloy wire, comprising:

melting a high-purity copper having a total unavoidable impurity content of not more than 1 ppm by mass in a carbon crucible installed in a vacuum;

replacing an atmosphere surrounding the melted copper by an argon gas atmosphere and adding, to said copper, 1.0 to 5.0% by mass of silver having a purity of not less than 99.99% by mass and 0.01 to 0.3% by mass of indium having a purity of not less than 99.99% by mass;

casting said copper with silver and indium added thereto in a carbon mold into a wire rod; and

drawing said wire rod to a diameter of not more than 0.08 mm.