COPPER ALLOY

• US 20140193293A1
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Klaus Schmidt
• Original Assignee: Klaus Schmidt
• Inventors: Aruga, Yasuhiro, Katsura, Shinya, Matsumoto, Katsushi, Shishido, Hisao
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 420/473
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/10 Alloys containing non-metals C22C1/05, C22C1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/00 Alloys based on copper
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/02 with tin as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/04 with zinc as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/06 with nickel or cobalt as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/00 Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working apparatus for mechanical working of metal B21, B23, B24
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/08 of copper or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/026 Alloys based on copper

Abstract

Disclosed is a copper alloy containing 1.0% to 3.6% of Ni, 0.2% to 1.0% of Si, 0.05% to 3.0% of Sn, 0.05% to 3.0% of Zn, with the remainder including copper and inevitable impurities. The copper alloy has an average grain size of 25 pm or less and has a texture having an average area percentage of cube orientation of 20% to 60% and an average total area percentage of brass orientation, S orientation and copper orientation of 20% to 50%. The copper alloy has a KAM value of 0.8 to 3.0 and does not suffer from cracking even when subjected to U-bending. The copper alloy has excellent balance between strengths (particularly yield strength in a direction perpendicular to the rolling direction) and bending workability.

Claims

1. A copper alloy, comprising:

by mass,

Ni in a content of from 1.0% to 3.6%;

Si in a content of from 0.2% to 1.0%;

Sn in a content of from 0.05% to 3.0%;

Zn in a content of from 0.05% to 3.0%; and

copper,

wherein;

the copper alloy has an average grain size of 25 μ

m or less;

the copper alloy comprises a texture having an average area percentage of cube orientation {001} <

100>

of from 20% to 60% and having an average total area percentage of specific three orientations of from 20% to 50% as measured by scanning electron microscope-electron back-scattering pattern analysis (SEM-EBSP) with the three orientations being brass orientation {011} <

211>

, S orientation {123} <

634>

, and copper orientation {112} <

111>

; and

the copper alloy has a kernel average misorientation (KAM) value of from 1.00 to 3.00.

2. The copper alloy of claim 1, further comprising at least one element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Mg, Co, Ti, Cr, and Zr in a total content of from 0.01% to 3.0% by mass.

3. The copper alloy of claim 1, wherein the copper alloy has an average total area percentage of the three orientations of from greater than 40% to 50%.

4. The copper alloy of claim 2, wherein the copper alloy has an average total area percentage of the three orientations of from greater than 40% to 50%.

5. The copper alloy of claim 1, wherein the copper alloy has an average grain size of 15 μ

m or less.

6. The copper alloy of claim 1, wherein the copper alloy has an average area percentage of cube orientation {001} <

100>

of from 30% to 50%.

7. The copper alloy of claim 1, wherein the copper alloy comprises Zn in a content of from 0.05% to 1.5% by mass.

8. The copper alloy of claim 1, wherein the copper alloy comprises Sn in a content of from 0.1% to 1.0% by mass.