Mechanical behaviour of heavily deformed CuAgZr conductor materials

Abstract

The mechanical properties of Cu–7m.%Ag–0.05m.%Zr-alloys have been improved by optimised thermo-mechanical treatments. After processing the conductor material shows an ultimate tensile strength of more than 1.1 GPa, a yield strength of about 1 GPa, a plastic strain of 0.7%, and a conductivity of 60 %IACS (at room temperature). The yield strength of a cold deformed Cu – 7m.%Ag – 0.05m.%Zr-alloy has been assessed on the basis of different hardening mechanisms: solid solution, grain boundary, precipitation and dislocation hardening. The critical shear stress which is determined from the experimentally observed critical shear strength by Schmid's law is between a linear and a quadratic superposition of its individual contributions and hence is in good agreement with the theoretical prediction.