Copper Alloy Wire Indium Tin Composition Strength Conductivity Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing copper alloy wires face a trade-off between achieving high tensile strength and maintaining high electrical conductivity, as increasing tensile strength often leads to a decrease in electrical conductivity during the drawing process.
Innovation Solution
A copper alloy wire composition containing indium between 0.3 and 0.45 mass % and tin between 0.02 and 0.1 mass %, with a total content of indium and tin not exceeding 0.45 mass %, is used, along with a manufacturing process involving continuous casting, rolling, and multiple drawing steps with intermediate annealing to balance tensile strength and electrical conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the tensile strength of copper alloy wire is increased through alloying and drawing processes, then the strength improves, but the electrical conductivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the indium content within 0.01-0.5 mass% and tin content within 0.01-0.1 mass%, and by controlling the oxygen content to 0.01 mass% or less. These parameter optimizations enable the copper alloy wire to achieve tensile strength of 800 MPa or more while maintaining electrical conductivity of 80% IACS or more, resolving the trade-off between strength and conductivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite alloy system by combining copper with specific amounts of indium and tin. This multi-element composition (Cu-In-Sn alloy) produces synergistic effects where indium provides solid solution strengthening and tin contributes to precipitation hardening, achieving high strength while maintaining good electrical conductivity that pure copper or simpler alloys cannot achieve
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The copper alloy wire achieves a tensile strength of at least 800 MPa and electrical conductivity of 80% IACS or higher, while minimizing the decrease in conductivity and maintaining a low oxygen content to suppress strength loss.
Implementation Method 1
A copper alloy wire made of a copper alloy is provided, and the copper alloy contains indium, a content of which is equal to or more than 0.3 mass % and equal to or less than 0.45 mass %
Implementation Method 2
the copper alloy contains tin, a content of which is equal to or more than 0.02 mass % and less than 0.1 mass %
Implementation Method 3
A Patent Document 3 (International Patent Publication No. WO/2014/007259) describes that an intermediate heating process is performed between a plurality of cooling processes in steps of manufacturing a copper alloy member
Data Source
AI summary
A copper alloy wire is made of a copper alloy, and the copper alloy contains indium, a content of which is equal to or more than 0.3 mass % and equal to or less than 0.45 mass %. A tensile strength of the copper alloy wire is equal to or higher than 800 MPa, and an electrical conductivity of the same is equal to or higher than 80% IACS.