Copper alloy plate and method for producing same

1. A copper alloy plate which has a chemical composition comprising 17 to 32% by weight of zinc, 0.1 to 4.5% by weight of tin, 1.38 to 2.5% by weight of silicon, 0.01 to 0.3% by weight of phosphorus, and the balance being copper and unavoidable impurities, the total of the content of silicon and six times as much as the content of phosphorus being 1.44% by weight or more, the copper alloy plate having a crystal orientation wherein I{220}/I{420} is in the range of from 2.5 to 8.0 assuming that the X-ray diffraction intensity on {220} crystal plane on the plate surface of the copper alloy plate is I{220} and that the X-ray diffraction intensity on {420} crystal plane thereon is I{420}.

2. A copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the chemical composition of the copper alloy plate further comprises 1% by weight or less of nickel.

3. A copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the chemical composition of the copper alloy plate further comprises one or more elements which are selected from the group consisting of cobalt, iron, chromium, manganese, magnesium, zirconium, titanium, antimony, aluminum, boron, lead, bismuth, cadmium, gold, silver, beryllium, tellurium, yttrium and arsenic, the total amount of these elements being 3% by weight or less.

4. A copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 1 , which has a mean crystal grain size of 3 to 20 μm.

5. A copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 1 , which has a tensile strength of not lower than 650 MPa when a tension test based on JIS 22241 is carried out with respect to a test piece TD (No. 5 test piece based on JIS 22201) for tension test, the test piece being cut out from the copper alloy plate, the longitudinal directions of the test piece being directions TD (directions perpendicular to the rolling and thickness directions of the copper alloy plate) while the width directions of the test piece being directions LD (rolling directions of the copper alloy plate).

6. A copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 5 , which has a tensile strength of not lower than 550 MPa when a tension test based on JIS 22241 is carried out with respect to a test piece LD (No. 5 test piece based on JIS 22201) for tension test, the test piece being cut out from the copper alloy plate, the longitudinal directions of the test piece being directions LD (rolling directions of the copper alloy plate) while the width directions of the test piece being directions TD (directions perpendicular to the rolling and thickness directions of the copper alloy plate).

7. A copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 6 , wherein a ratio of the tensile strength of the test piece TD to the tensile strength of the test piece LD is not less than 1.05.

8. A method for producing a copper alloy plate, the method comprising the steps of:

melting and casting raw materials of a copper alloy which has a chemical composition comprising 17 to 32% by weight of zinc, 0.1 to 4.5% by weight of tin, 1.38 to 2.5% by weight of silicon, 0.01 to 0.3% by weight of phosphorus, and the balance being copper and unavoidable impurities, the total of the content of silicon and six times as much as the content of phosphorus being 1.44% by weight or more;

hot-rolling the cast copper alloy at a rolling reduction of 90% or more in a temperature range of from 900° C. to 300° C., the hot-rolling being carried out at a rolling reduction of 10% or more in a rolling path in a temperature range of 650° C. or lower;

first cold-rolling the hot-rolled copper alloy at a rolling reduction of 50% or more;

carrying out an intermediate-annealing for holding the first-cold-rolled copper alloy at a temperature of 400 to 800° C. for 1 hour or more;

second cold-rolling the intermediate-annealed copper alloy at a rolling reduction of 40% or more;

carrying out a final intermediate-annealing for holding the second-cold-rolled copper alloy at a temperature of 550 to 850° C. for 60 seconds or less;

finish cold-rolling the final intermediate-annealed copper alloy at a rolling reduction of 30% or less; and

carrying out a low-temperature annealing for holding the finish-cold-rolled copper alloy at a temperature of 500° C. or lower, the copper alloy plate having a crystal orientation wherein I{220}/I{420} is in the range of from 2.5 to 8.0 assuming that the X-ray diffraction intensity on {220} crystal plane on the plate surface of the copper alloy plate is I{220} and that the X-ray diffraction intensity on {420} crystal plane thereon is I{420}.

9. A method for producing a copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the chemical composition of the copper alloy plate further comprises 1% by weight or less of nickel.

10. A method for producing a copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the chemical composition of the copper alloy plate further comprises one or more elements which are selected from the group consisting of cobalt, iron, chromium, manganese, magnesium, zirconium, titanium, antimony, aluminum, boron, lead, bismuth, cadmium, gold, silver, beryllium, tellurium, yttrium and arsenic, the total amount of these elements being 3% by weight or less.

11. A method for producing a copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the final intermediate-annealing causes the copper alloy to have a mean crystal grain size of 3 to 20 μm.

12. A method for producing a copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the finish cold-rolling is carried out by setting a back tension of not lower than 1 kg/mm 2 and a forward tension of not lower than 5 kg/mm 2 .

13. A connector terminal, the material of which is a copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 1 .

14. A copper alloy plate as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the content of silicon in the copper alloy plate is 1.53% by weight or more, and the total of the content of silicon and six times as much as the content of phosphorus being 1.59% by weight or more.