Process for making aluminum alloy conductor wire

• US 4,183,771 A
• Filed: 02/23/1978
• Issued: 01/15/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Swiss Aluminium, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Swiss Aluminium, Ltd.
• Inventors: Winter, Joseph, Setzer, William C., Hardy, Ronald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, R.
• Application Number:
  US05/880,415
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 148/2, 148/11.5 A, 148/32, 148/32.5, 75/139, 75/143
• US Class Current: 148/550
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/00 Alloys based on aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/04 of aluminium or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/023 Alloys based on aluminium

Abstract

A process for making aluminum alloy conductor wire having an electrical conductivity of at least 60.0% IACS which involves processing an alloy containing from 0.04 to 1.0% by weight iron, from 0.02 to 0.2% by weight silicon, from 0.1 to 1.0% by weight copper, from 0.001 to 0.2% by weight boron, balance essentially aluminum and processing said alloy without a final redraw step into wire. The process preferably includes hot working from at least approximately 900° F. without reheating to form the redraw rod. This hot working is performed in order to allow the wire produced from this process to meet the desired properties at the final gages, such properties including high electrical conductivity under rapid annealing conditions.

Claims

1. A process for making aluminum alloy conductor wire consisting essentially of the steps:

(a) providing an aluminum alloy consisting essentially of from 0.04 to 1.0% by weight iron, from 0.02 to 0.2% by weight silicon, from 0.1 to 1.0% by weight copper, from 0.001 to 0.2% by weight boron, balance aluminum;

(b) casting and filtering said alloy into billet or bar form;

(c) deforming said billet or bar to form redraw rod without reheating at a starting temperature of at least approximately 900°

F.;

p1 (d) cold deforming said redraw rod to final gage at a diameter of between 0.002 and 0.5 inch; and

(e) finally annealing said cold deformed rod at final gage for a period of time and at a temperature sufficient to form wire having an electrical conductivity of at least 60% IACS in addition to a combination of high strength, excellent ductility and good connection characteristics.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein said deforming step (c) produces redraw rod having a nominal diameter between 0.375 and 0.5 inch.

3. A process according to claim 1 wherein said annealing step (e) is a resistance annealing step.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein a small but effective amount of an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, zirconium, manganese, chromium, titanium, and mixtures thereof is added to said alloy of step (a).

5. The aluminum alloy conductor wire produced from the process of claim 1.