Inventors:
Theodore J. Louzon - Bridgewater NJ
Assignee:
Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated - Murray Hill NJ
International Classification:
C22F 108
Abstract:
Alloys comprising copper, nickel and tin, when appropriately processed, exhibit high levels of tensile strength and ductility. Processing has been by cold working and aging or, when cold working is impracticable, by aging of alloys which are modified by the addition of a refractory element. It has been discovered that, even without cold working and even in the absence of additives, strong and ductile Cu-Ni-Sn alloys can be produced when a body of the alloy is subjected to a characteristic heat treatment to develop an alpha plus essentially nonlamellar gamma structure. This is followed by cooling and aging at a temperature and for a time corresponding to a predominantly spinodal alpha-1 plus alpha-2 structure. Typical properties are a 0. 01 percent offset yield strength of 128 Kpsi and an elongation to fracture of 5 percent in an alloy comprising 15 weight percent Ni, 8 weight percent Sn, and remainder essentially Cu.