ASTM_B_540_-_97_2012.pdf

Designation:B54097(Reapproved 2012)Standard Specification forPalladium Electrical Contact Alloy1This standard is issued under the fixed designation B540;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 an alloy containing palladium,silver,copper,gold,platinum,and zinc in the form of wire,rod,and strip for electrical contacts.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 safety hazard caveat pertains only to thetest methods portion,Section 6 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.1.4 It is the responsibility of the user to become familiarwith all hazards including those identified in the appropriateMaterial Safety Data Sheet(MSDS)for this product/materialas provided by the manufacturer.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,heat treating,annealing,turning,grinding,pickling)as are required to produce the prescribed properties.4.Chemical Composition4.1 Material produced under the specification shall meet therequirements of chemical composition shown in Table 1.5.Mechanical Properties5.1 The contract or order may specify ultimate tensilestrength,elongation,mirohardness(Knoop or Vickers),or acombination of these mechanical properties(as listed in Table2,Table 3,and Table 4)as temper criterion.If the contract ororder does not specify a temper criterion,then the criterion fortemper designation will be ultimate tensile strength and elon-gation.6.Test Methods6.1 Test methods shall be in accordance with SpecificationB476.6.1.1 Knoop hardness tests shall be in accordance with TestMethod E384.Material 0.005 in.(0.13 mm)in thickness(diameter)and larger shall be tested using a 100-g indenterload.Material less than 0.005 in.(0.13 mm)in thickness(diameter)shall be tested using a 50-g indenter load.Aminimum of five hardness indentations shall be made on eachspecimen.All indentations shall be made so that the long axisof the indenter is parallel to the rolling or drawing direction ofthe material.The hardness value reported shall be the averageof the five indentations.6.1.2 All tension test specimens shall be full cross-sectionsize when practical(see Test Methods E8).6.1.3 All tests shall be conducted in room temperature,65 to85F(18.3 to 29.4C).6.2 Chemical analysis shall be performed by spectrochemi-cal or wet analysis methods.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 Nov.1,2012.Published November 2012.Originallyapproved in 1970.Last previous edition approved in 2008 as B540 97(2008)1.DOI:10.1520/B0540-97R12.2For 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 7.Inspection and Testing7.1 Material furnished under this specification shall beinspected and tested by the manufacturer as listed below:7.1.1 Visual inspection at 10 magnification,7.1.2 Tension or hardness tests,or both,for temperverification,7.1.3 Dimensional inspection,andTABLE 1 Chemical RequirementsElementComposition,weight%Palladium34.036.0Silver29.031.0Copper13.514.5Gold9.510.5Platinum9.510.5Zinc0.81.2Total platinum group metal impurities(iridium,osmium,rhodium,ruthenium)0.1 maxTotal base metal impurities0.2 maxTABLE 2 Mechanical Properties of WireA(0.004 to 0.020 in.(0.1 to 0