Carbide dispersed, strengthened copper alloy

Abstract

A carbide dispersed, strengthened copper alloy includes copper as a major constituent, carbide particles, and a dispersing agent. The carbide particles consist of one or more carbides selected from chromium carbide, tungsten carbide, molybdenum carbide, and tantalum carbide. The dispersing agent consists of one or more elements selected from magnesium, chromium, silicon, and aluminum.

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] The present invention relates to a strengthened copper including a dispersed carbide.[0003] 2. Prior Art[0004] To provide an electrically conductive material having a sufficient strength in a high temperature, there has been used a strengthened copper including dispersed particles consisting of alumina or the like. The strengthened copper may be called a particle dispersed, strengthened copper. The strengthened copper is produced basically by a process of powder metallurgy. For example, regarding an oxide strengthened copper, a powder copper raw material is mixed with copper oxide powder. Subsequently, the particles of the copper oxide powder can be evenly dispersed in matrices of the copper elements during oxidation due to the copper oxide powder. Meanwhile, a carbide dispersed copper is obtained by mixing a powder copper raw material with a carbide in a mechanical alloying process.[0005] Thus produced copper alloys are formed into electric co...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] The invention requires to add a dispersing agent in the molten-metal. The dispersing agent acts to obtain a carbide dispersed, strengthened copper alloy in which the carbide particles are sufficiently evenly dispersed. As the dispersing agent, one or more elements are selected from magnesium, chromium, silicon, and alminium. In particular, magnesium can attain the most advantageous effect among these dispersing agents.

Problems solved by technology

However, these known strengthened coppers have been little commercially produced because of a significantly high production cost due to their long, complicated production processes.

However, a satisfactory result has not been attained.

However, such stirring apparatuses are high in installation cost, and moreover, this method provides only a product having a low tensile strength of the order of 400 N / mm.sup.2 (newton / square millimeter).

A carbide weight unit less than 0.5 can not achieve a satisfactory effect in carbide strengthening, while a carbide weight unit more than 20 significantly decreases the product alloy in formability.

A dispersing agent weight unit less than 0.1 can not achieve a satisfactory agent effect, while a dispersing agent weight unit more than 2 makes the product alloy brittle to decrease a shock-resistant performance thereof.