Aluminum alloy conductor

• US 9,214,251 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Automotive Systems Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited), Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Automotive Systems Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited), Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Sekiya, Shigeki, Mihara, Kuniteru, Susai, Kyota
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Roy
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORILLO, JANELL COMBS
• Application Number:
  US13/594,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20120321889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/00 Alloys based on aluminium
• 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 1/04 of aluminium or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/023 Alloys based on aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2927 including structurally defined particulate matter

Abstract

An aluminum alloy conductor, containing: 0.01 to 0.4 mass % of Fe, 0.1 to 0.3 mass % of Mg, 0.04 to 0.3 mass % of Si, 0.1 to 0.5 mass % of Cu, and 0.001 to 0.01 mass % of Ti and V in total, with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities,

wherein the conductor contains three kinds of intermetallic compounds A, B, and C, in which the intermetallic compounds A, B, and C have a particle size of 0.1 μm or more but 2 μm or less, 0.03 μm or more but less than 0.1 μm, and 0.001 μm or more but less than 0.03 μm, respectively, and
area ratios a, b, and c of the intermetallic compounds A, B, and C, in an arbitrary region in the conductor, satisfy: 0.1%≦a≦2.5%, 0.1%≦b≦3%, and 1%≦c≦10%.

Claims

1. An aluminum alloy conductor, consisting essentially of:

0.01to 0.4 mass % of Fe, 0.1 to 0.3 mass % of Mg, 0.04 to 0.3 mass % of Si, and 0.1 to 0.5 mass % of Cu, and 0.001 to 0.01 mass % of Ti and V in total, with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities,

wherein the conductor contains three kinds of intermetallic compounds A, B, and C, in which

the intermetallic compound A has a particle size within the range of 0.1 μ

m or more but 2 μ

m or less and is selected from the group consisting of Al—

Fe, Al—

Fe—

Si, Al—

Fe—

Si—

Cu, and Al—

Zr,

the intermetallic compound B has a particle size within the range of 0.03 μ

m or more but less than 0.1 μ

m and is selected from the group consisting of Al—

Fe—

Si, Al—

Fe—

Si—

Cu, and Al—

Zr,

the intermetallic compound C has a particle size within the range of 0.001 μ

m or more but less than 0.03 μ

m, and

an area ratio a of the intermetallic compound A, an area ratio b of the intermetallic compound B, and an area ratio c of the intermetallic compound C, in an arbitrary region in the conductor, satisfy the relationships of 0.1%≦

a ≦

2.5%, 0.1% ≦

b ≦

3%, and 1%≦

c≦

10%, respectively,

wherein the aluminum alloy conductor has a recrystallized microstructure.

2. The aluminum alloy conductor according to claim 1, which has a grain size at a vertical cross-section in the wire-drawing direction of 1 to 30 μ

m, by subjecting to a continuous electric heat treatment, which comprises the steps of rapid heating and quenching at the end of the production process of the conductor.

3. The aluminum alloy conductor according to claim 1, which has a tensile strength of 100 MPa or more, and an electrical conductivity of 55% IACS or more.

4. The aluminum alloy conductor according to claim 1, which has a tensile elongation at breakage of 10% or more.

5. An aluminum alloy conductor, consisting essentially of:

0.01 to 0.4 mass % of Fe, 0.1 to 0.3 mass % of Mg, 0.04 to 0.3 mass % of Si, 0.1 to 0.5 mass % of Cu, and 0.01 to 0.4 mass % of Zr, and 0.001 to 0.01 mass % of Ti and V in total, with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities,

wherein the conductor contains three kinds of intermetallic compounds A, B, and C, in which

the intermetallic compound A has a particle size within the range of 0.1 μ

or more but 2 μ

m or less and is selected from the group consisting of Al—

Fe, Al—

Fe—

Si, Al—

Fe—

Si—

Cu, and Al—

Zr,

the intermetallic compound B has a particle size within the range of 0.03 μ

m or more but less than 0.1 μ

m and is selected from the group consisting of Al—

Fe—

Si, Al—

Fe—

Si—

Cu, and Al—

Zr,

the intermetallic compound C has a particle size within the range of 0.001 μ

m or more but less than 0.03 μ

m, and

an area ratio a of the intermetallic compound A, an area ratio b of the intermetallic compound B, and an area ratio c of the intermetallic compound C, in an arbitrary region in the conductor, satisfy the relationships of 0.1%≦

a≦

2.5%, 0.1%≦

b≦

5.5%, and 1%≦

c≦

10%, respectively,

wherein the aluminum alloy conductor has a recrystallized microstructure.

6. The aluminum alloy conductor according to claim 5, which has a grain size at a vertical cross-section in the wire-drawing direction of 1 to 30 μ

m, by subjecting to a continuous electric heat treatment, which comprises the steps of rapid heating and quenching at the end of the production process of the conductor.

7. The aluminum alloy conductor according to claim 5, which has a tensile strength of 100 MPa or more, and an electrical conductivity of 55% IACS or more.

8. The aluminum alloy conductor according to claim 5, which has a tensile elongation at breakage of 10% or more.