Solution Annealed ASTM B540 Palladium Alloy
Solution annealed ASTM B540 is ASTM B540 palladium in the solution annealed (AT) condition. It has the lowest strength and highest ductility compared to the other variants of ASTM B540 palladium.
The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare solution annealed ASTM B540 to: precious metal electrical contact alloys (top), all alloys in the same category (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
110 GPa 16 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
14 %
Fatigue Strength
350 MPa 50 x 103 psi
Knoop Hardness
230
Poisson's Ratio
0.38
Shear Modulus
39 GPa 5.6 x 106 psi
Shear Strength
500 MPa 73 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
830 MPa 120 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Yield (Proof)
620 MPa 90 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Latent Heat of Fusion
140 J/g
Melting Completion (Liquidus)
1220 °C 2220 °F
Melting Onset (Solidus)
1020 °C 1860 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
240 J/kg-K 0.057 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Expansion
14 µm/m-K
Other Material Properties
Density
13 g/cm3 790 lb/ft3
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Volume
4.9 % IACS
Electrical Conductivity: Equal Weight (Specific)
3.5 % IACS
Common Calculations
Resilience: Ultimate (Unit Rupture Work)
100 MJ/m3
Resilience: Unit (Modulus of Resilience)
1790 kJ/m3
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
4.7 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
12 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
18 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
15 points
Thermal Shock Resistance
41 points
Alloy Composition
| Pd | 34 to 36 | |
| Ag | 29 to 31 | |
| Cu | 13.5 to 14.5 | |
| Au | 9.5 to 10.5 | |
| Pt | 9.5 to 10.5 | |
| Zn | 0.8 to 1.2 | |
| res. | 0 to 0.3 |
All values are % weight. Ranges represent what is permitted under applicable standards.
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM B540: Standard Specification for Palladium Electrical Contact Alloy