Investigation of electro-mechanical and corrosion behavior of leaded copper

Copper (Cu) is a well-known high-conductive material with good mechanical strength, machinability, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance. As such, Cu is widely used in industries, automobiles, aircraft, and marine applications as electrical connectors, piping systems, fittings, and heat exchanger tubes, among others. The presence of lead (Pb) in copper, widely known as leaded copper, does not behave exactly in the same manner as pure copper. Unfortunately, Pb inclusion as a trace amount in copper has not been considered by researchers and has remained neglected so far. Therefore, the present paper is an attempt to investigate the electro-mechanical and corrosion behavior of leaded copper. The mechanical properties are significantly affected by the presence of lead content. However, the impact on electrical conductivity is comparatively less pronounced than the changes observed in mechanical properties. Additionally, the microstructure demonstrates a notable geometric effect, varying with the different percentages of lead present. A progressive surge in the corrosion rate as the lead content in copper alloys increases is also found to be significant and can also be found through OEM images.