4. Conclusion

The heat treatments described above have made it possible to make the most of the characteristics of special copper-based alloys. New high-tech applications have thus been made possible, requiring, for example, special mechanical, thermal or electrical properties, or good resistance to very low temperatures (without brittleness), or excellent resistance to various forms of corrosion, etc.

These alloys are used in electronics and connectors (transistor covers, leadframes, conductive springs), nuclear power plants (heat exchangers), desalination plants (heat exchangers), offshore platforms (piping, etc.), heat pumps, solar collectors, and more.

New prospects are opened up by oxide dispersion copper (copper-alumina...) and shape memory alloys.

Copper, a traditional metal, has thus become, thanks to its special alloys...