Binary copper alloy was prepared by vacuum arc smelting method with 0.3% Cr element addition

and a ternary copper alloy ingot was prepared with 0.3% of Al

Sn and Ni elements

respectively.After solution treatment

70% cold deformation and aging treatment

the electric conductivity

hardness and electrochemical behavior of the alloy were analyzed.The results show that Cr element can improve significantly the hardness and the corrosion resistance of copper

and reduce the corrosion rate

however

its effect on the electrical conductivity can be ignored.With adding trace elements of Al

Sn

or Ni to the Cu-0.3 Cr alloy

the electrical conductivity of the alloy is further decreased

and the dominance is Sn>Al>Ni

and the hardness value is reduced slightly

where the effective order is Sn>Al>Ni.In addition

the passivation phenomenon is enhanced obviously

especially the Al element addition