Process for preparing copper base alloys

Claim 1

A process for preparing wrought copper base alloys having good strength and bend characteristics, good solderability and low contact resistance which comprises: A. providing a copper base alloy consisting essentially of from 7 to 14% nickel, from 1.5 to 3.3% tin with the minimum nickel plus tin content being 9.5%, a material selected from the group consisting of iron from 0.1 to 3%, cobalt from 0.1 to 3% and mixtures thereof wherein the minimum iron plus cobalt content in the alloy is 1.0%, balance copper; B. hot rolling said alloy with a finishing temperature in excess of 550°C; C. cold rolling said alloy with a cold reduction of at least 20%; D. annealing said alloy at a temperature of from 300° to 850°C for at least 1 minute; E. cold rolling the alloy with a reduction of at least 20%; F. aging at a temperature of from 300° to 550°C for from 15 minutes to 24 hours; and G. cold rolling the alloy with a reduction of from 20 to 55%, thereby providing a wrought copper base alloy having a fine grain size below 0.025 mm and characterized by the presence of a fine, dispersed magnetic phase containing said material selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt and mixtures thereof.