Cr-Cu sintered electric-contacts for vacuum insulated switch need to be separated easily when they were welded together by Joule heat, besides they need to have high electric-conduction and heavy-voltage insulation. Therefore, the Cr-Cu sintered materials for electric-contacts need to have a compatibility of high density and low strength. In this work, we designed a new alloy of which strength is reduced by an addition of low melting point metal and evaluated mechanical property.
20 mass% Cr-Cu alloys added with 0 to 1 mass% Te were prepared by sintering at 1333K in an inert atmosphere, and tensile strength of them were evaluated. Tensile strength decreased about 40% by addition of more than 0.05 mass% of Te. Gaps between Cr particles and Cu matrix were found in the fractured surface. The reduction in strength by addition of Te is considered to be caused by the gaps.