Contactor assembly

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR MAKING A CONTACTOR ASSEMBLY HAVING A CONTACTOR MEMBER COMPRISING A PRECIPITATION HARDENABLE COPPER-BASE ALLOY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF, BY WEIGHT, FROM 0.08% TO 2.54% CHROMIUM, AND THE BALANCE COPPER WITH SMALL AMOUNTS OF ADDITIVES AND INCIDENTAL IMPURITIES, AND A COMPOSITE METAL CONTACT ON SAID CONTACTOR MEMBER COMPRISING FROM 45% TO 65%, BY WEIGHT, OF A REFRACTORY CONSTITUENT SELECTED FROM THE ROU CONSISTING OF TUNGSTEN, MOLYBDENUM, TUNGSTEN CARBIDE AND MOLYBDENUM CARBIDE, AND FROM 35% TO 55%, BY WEIGHT, OF A METALLIC BONDING CONSTITUENT HAVING A HIGH ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILVER, COPPER AND COPPER-CHROMIUM ALLOYS, THE STEPS COMPRISING, (1) WELD DEPOSITING THE COMPOSITE METAL CONTACT ON SAID CONTACTOR MEMBER WITH A COMPOSITE METAL WELD ROD, (2) SOLUTION TREATING THE CONTACTOR ASSEMBLY AT A FIRST RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR A LENGTH OF TIME SUCH THAT THE CONTACTOR MEMBER CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF THE COPPER-BASE ALLOY IN A SOLID SOLUTION PHASE, (3) RAPIDLY QUENCHING THE CONTACTOR ASSEMBLY, (4) HEATING THE CONTACTOR ASSEMBLY TO A RELATIVELY LOWER SECOND TEMPERATURE NOT IN EXCESS OF 600*C. TO CAUSE PRECIPITATION OF A SECOND SOLID SOLUTION PHASE THEREBY HARDENING THE CONTACTOR MEMBER.