CuCr for Vacuum Interrupters - Production, Properties and Application

摘要

Today, CuCr is the mostly used contact material for vacuum interrupters in low and mean voltage application. Their production is done by powder metallurgy e.g. by pressing and sintering, pressing and infiltration or by vacuum arc melting. By cold extrusion an anisotropic microstructure can be produced, resulting in an improvement of the electrical behaviour of CuCr materials. As raw material for the production of CuCr materials copper powder and alumi-nothermic or electrolytic chromium powder is used. The properties of CuCr materials largely depend on the quality of the chromium powder used and the production method. The paper reports on the different production methods. Also the properties of different CuCr materials are compared and discussed.