ASTM_B_541_-_01_2012.pdf

Designation:B54101(Reapproved 2012)Standard Specification forGold Electrical Contact Alloy1This standard is issued under the fixed designation B541;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.1.Scope1.1 This specification covers a gold-rich,age-hardenablealloy in rod,wire,and strip form applicable to electricalcontacts.1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard.The values given in parentheses are mathematicalconversions to SI units that are provided for information onlyand are not considered standard.1.3 The following precautionary statement pertains to thetest method portion only,Section 7,of this specification.Thisstandard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is the responsibility of the userof this standard to become familiar with all hazards includingthose identified in the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS)for this product/material as provided by themanufacturer,to establish appropriate safety and healthpractices,and determine the applicability of regulatory limi-tations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2B476 Specification for General Requirements for WroughtPrecious Metal Electrical Contact MaterialsE8 Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic MaterialsE384 Test Method for Knoop and Vickers Hardness ofMaterials3.Materials and Manufacture3.1 Raw materials shall be of such quality and purity thatthe finished product will have the properties and characteristicsprescribed in this specification.3.2 The material shall be finished by such operations(coldworking,annealing,turning,grinding,age hardening,etc.)asare required to produce the prescribed properties.4.Chemical Composition4.1 Material produced under this specification shall meet therequirements of Table 1 for chemical composition.5.Condition5.1 This specification covers the conditions and forms listedin Table 2.6.Mechanical Properties6.1 Mechanical properties shall conform to Table 3 andTable 4 as appropriate.6.2 The contract or order may specify ultimate tensilestrength,elongation,microhardness(Knoop or Vickers),hard-ness(Rockwell or Rockwell Superficial),or a combination ofthese mechanical properties as temper criterion.If the contractor order does not specify a temper criterion,then the criterionfor temper designation will be ultimate tensile strength andelongation.6.3 Mechanical properties of flattened wire,less than 0.012in.(0.30 mm)thick shall conform to 6.1(Table 5).7.Test Methods7.1 Test methods are in accordance with Specification B476.7.2 All tension tests are in accordance with Test Methods E8and tensile specimens are full cross-section size when practi-cal.7.3 Hardness is in accordance with Test Method E384.Testmaterial 0.005 in.(0.13 mm)in thickness(diameter)and largerusing a 100-gf indenter load.Test material less than 0.005 in.in thickness(diameter)using a 50-gf indenter load.Make aminimum of five hardness indentions on each specimen.Makeall indentions so that the long axis of the Knoop indenter isparallel to the rolling or drawing direction of the material.7.4 Perform chemical analysis by spectrochemical or wetanalysis methods.7.5 Conduct all tests at room temperature(65 to 85F)(18to 29C).1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee B02 onNonferrous Metals and Alloys and is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeB02.05 on Precious Metals and Electrical Contact Materials.Current edition approved May 1,2012.Published May 2012.Originallyapproved in 1970.Last previous edition approved in 2006 as B541 01(2006).DOI:10.1520/B0541-01R12.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 8.General Requirements8.1 Specification B476 shall apply to all materials producedto this specification.9.Inspection and Testing9.1 Material furnished under this specification shall beinspected and tested by the manufacturer as follows:9.1.1 Visual inspection at 10 magnification,9.1.2 Tension or hardness tests,or both,temper verification,9.1.3 Dimensional inspection,and9.1.4 Chemical analysis when indicated by the purchaseorder.TABLE 1 Chemical RequirementsElementComposition,Weight%NominalRangeGold71.570.572.5Platinum8.58.09.0Silver4.54.05.0Copper14.513.515.5Zinc1.00.71.3Total base metal impurities.0.2 maxTotal platinum group metal impurities.0.2 maxTABLE 2 Conditions and FormsProcessSymbolFormWireStripRodAnnealedStr