Tinned copper terminal material, terminal, and electrical wire end part structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801115-B2
Application number	US-201716098996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2017
Priority date	May 10, 2016
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

A terminal material in which galvanic corrosion is not occurred using a copper or copper alloy base material as a terminal crimped to an end part of an electrical wire formed from an aluminum wire material: an intermediate zinc layer 4 formed from zinc or zinc alloy and a tin layer 5 formed from tin or tin alloy are layered in this order on a base material 2 formed from copper or copper alloy; the intermediate zinc layer 4 has a thickness of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm inclusive and a zinc concentration equal to or more than 5 mass %; and the tin layer 5 has a zinc concentration of 0.4 mass % to 15 mass % inclusive and a grain size of the tin layer 5 is 0.1 μm to 3.0 μm inclusive preferably.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tinned copper terminal material comprising an intermediate zinc layer formed from zinc or zinc alloy and a tin layer formed from tin or tin alloy which are layered in this order on a base material formed from copper or copper alloy, wherein
the intermediate zinc layer consists of zinc alloy containing one or more among nickel, manganese, molybdenum, tin, cadmium, and cobalt, and the zinc concentration is not less than 65 mass % and not more than 95 mass %,
the intermediate zinc layer has a thickness not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 5.0 μm, and
the tin layer has a zinc concentration not less than 0.4 mass % and not more than 15 mass %.

2. The tinned copper terminal material according to claim 1 , wherein corrosion potential is not more than −500 mV and not less than −900 mV to a silver-silver chloride electrode.

3. The tinned copper terminal material according to claim 1 , wherein a grain size in the tin layer is not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 3.0 μm.

4. The tinned copper terminal material according to claim 1 , wherein the tin layer is formed from
a first tin layer arranged at a side to the base material and having a grain size not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 0.8 μm and a thickness not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 5.0 μm, and
a second tin layer arranged above the first tin layer and having a grain size more than 0.8 μm and not more than 3.0 μm and a thickness not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 5.0 μm.

5. The tinned copper terminal material according to claim 1 , further comprising a surface metal zinc layer formed on the tin layer, wherein the surface metal zinc layer has a zinc concentration not less than 5 at % and not more than 40 at % and a thickness not less than 1 nm and not more than 10 nm in terms of SiO 2 .

6. The tinned copper terminal material according to claim 1 , wherein
an undercoat layer consists of nickel or nickel alloy is formed between the base material and the intermediate zinc layer, and
the undercoat layer has a thickness not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 5.0 μm and a nickel content not less than 80 mass %.

7. A terminal formed from the tinned copper terminal material according to claim 1 .

8. An electrical wire end part structure wherein the terminal according to claim 7 is crimped to an end part of an electrical wire formed from aluminum or aluminum alloy.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Materials Corp

Inventors

• Kubota Kenji
• Tarutani Yoshie
• Nakaya Kiyotaka

Classifications

• C25D5/12 Primary

  at least one layer being of nickel or chromium · CPC title

• C25D5/617

  Crystalline layers · CPC title

• H01B1/026

  Alloys based on copper · CPC title

• H01R13/03 Primary

  characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials · CPC title

• C22C13/00

  Alloys based on tin · CPC title