Electric contact and vacuum interrupter using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066731-B2
Application number	US-201816759926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2018
Priority date	Feb 6, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

In an electric contact including a base material, high-melting-point substance particles, and an intermetallic compound, the intermetallic compound containing a MnX compound (X represents Te or Se) and a compound of a Mn—Cu solid-solution phase and X, is dispersed in the base material. If the Vickers hardness of the high-melting-point substance particles is higher than 0 Hv and lower than 200 Hv, the particle diameter of the high-melting-point substance particles is not smaller than 0.1 μm and not larger than 100 μm. If the Vickers hardness of the high-melting-point substance particles is 200 Hv or higher, the particle diameter is not smaller than 0.1 μm and not larger than 10 μm. The mass of X atoms is not lower than 1.5 mass % and not higher than 15 mass %. The atomic weight ratio Mn/(Mn+X) is not lower than 20 at % and not higher than 80 at %.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric contact comprising:
a base material in which higher than 0 at % and not higher than 10 at % of Mn is solid-dissolved with respect to 100 at % of Cu;
high-melting-point substance particles which are dispersed in the base material and which particles of a metal or particles of a carbide of the metal; and
an intermetallic compound containing X atoms and dispersed in the base material, wherein X is Te or Se,
wherein the metal is at least one metal selected from among W, Ta, Cr, Mo, Nb, Ti, and V,
wherein a Vickers hardness of the high-melting-point substance particles is not lower than 0 HV and not higher than 200 HV, and a particle diameter of the high-melting-point substance particles is not smaller than 0.1 μm and not larger than 100 μm, or
wherein the Vickers hardness of the high-melting-point substance particles is not lower than 200 HV, and the particle diameter is not smaller than 0.1 μm and not larger than 10 μm, and
wherein a mass of the high-melting-point substance particles is not lower than 20 mass % and not higher than 80 mass %, a total mass of the electrical contact being defined as 100 mass %,
wherein a mass of the X atoms is not lower than 1.5 mass % and not higher than 15 mass %, and a remainder is the base material,
wherein the intermetallic compound contains a MnX compound, and a compound of a Mn—Cu solid-phase solution and X, and
wherein an atomic weight ratio Mn/(Mn+X) is not lower than 20 at % and not higher than 80 at %.

2. The electric contact according to claim 1 , wherein the compound of the Mn—Cu solid-phase solution and X has a composition that is at least either of (Mn,Cu)X and (Mn,Cu) 2 X.

3. The electric contact according to claim 2 , wherein the base material further contains 5 at % of MnO.

4. A vacuum interrupter comprising:
a fixed electrode;
a movable electrode which comes into contact with and becomes apart from the fixed electrode; and
an interruption chamber which holds, in vacuum, the fixed electrode and the movable electrode, wherein
the electric contact according to claim 2 is used as at least either of a fixed electric contact and a movable electric contact which are provided to contact portions of the fixed electrode and the movable electrode, respectively.

5. The electric contact according to claim 1 , wherein the base material further contains 5 at % of MnO.

6. A vacuum interrupter comprising:
a fixed electrode;
a movable electrode which comes into contact with and becomes apart from the fixed electrode; and
an interruption chamber which holds, in vacuum, the fixed electrode and the movable electrode, wherein
the electric contact according to claim 5 is used as at least either of a fixed electric contact and a movable electric contact which are provided to contact portions of the fixed electrode and the movable electrode, respectively.

7. A vacuum interrupter comprising:
a fixed electrode;
a movable electrode which comes into contact with and becomes apart from the fixed electrode; and
an interruption chamber which holds, in vacuum, the fixed electrode and the movable electrode, wherein
the electric contact according to claim 1 is used as at least either of a fixed electric contact and a movable electric contact which are provided to contact portions of the fixed electrode and the movable electrode, respectively.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Tanihara Yasutomo
• Chibahara Hiroyuki
• DONEN Taiki
• Ochi Satoshi
• Itotani Takayuki

Classifications

• H01H1/0206 Primary

  containing as major components Cu and Cr · CPC title

• C22C29/08 Primary

  based on tungsten carbide · CPC title

• H01H1/0203

  specially adapted for vacuum switches · CPC title

• H01H33/664

  Contacts; Arc-extinguishing means, e.g. arcing rings · CPC title

• B22F2998/10

  Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps · CPC title