ASTM B601-99A

NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
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Designation: B 601 – 99a
Standard Practice for
Temper Designations for Copper and Copper Alloys—
Wrought and Cast
This standard is issued under the fixed designation B 601; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.
1. Scope a product resulting from thermal or mechanical processing
treatments.
1.1 This practice defines the terminology in general use for
2.2 Basic Processes Used to Produce the Different Tem-
indicating the temper of copper and copper alloy products. The
pers:
designations used in ASTM specifications under the jurisdic-
2.2.1 anneal (annealing)—a thermal treatment to change
tion of Committee B-5 will conform to this practice.
the properties or grain structure of the product.
1.2 It defines the terminology of the processes that produce
2.2.1.1 When applied to a cold-worked product having a
the tempers and the observable changes in the product that
single phase; to produce softening by recrystallization or
result from the processes.
recrystallization and grain growth, with the accompanying
1.3 It establishes an alphanumeric code for use in designat-
changes in properties.
ing the product tempers.
2.2.1.2 When applied to a product having two or more
1.3.1 The letters in the code identify the type of process
phases: to produce softening by changes in phase relationships
used to produce the product temper. For example, “H” indi-
which may include recrystallization and grain growth.
cates a temper resulting from cold working. These letters are
2.2.2 cold work—controlled mechanical operations for
frequently the same as those used in temper systems of other
changing the form or cross section of a product and for
metals, and are applied to copper products in accordance with
producing a strain-hardened product at temperatures below the
this practice.
recrystallization temperature.
1.3.2 The numbers in the code were chosen subjectively for
2.2.3 drawn stress relieved (DSR)—a thermal treatment of a
general tempers, and objectively to indicate grain size for
cold-drawn product to reduce residual stress variations, thus
annealed tempers or reductions for cold-worked tempers.
reducing susceptibility of product to stress corrosion or season
1.4 The use of this code is recommended for all product
cracking, without significantly affecting its tensile strength or
tempers in specifications and published data. Its use will
microstructure.
simplify the presentation of property data when in tabular
2.2.4 hot working—controlled mechanical operations for
form.
shaping a product at temperatures above the recrystallization
1.5 The property requirements for the tempers are given in
temperature.
applicable product specifications.
2.2.5 order strengthening—a thermal treatment of a cold-
1.6 Where the word “product” is used, it means a copper or
worked product at a temperature below its recrystallization
copper alloy product.
temperature causing ordering to occur to obtain an increase in
1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the
yield strength.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
2.2.6 precipitation heat treatment—a thermal treatment of a
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
solution heat-treated product to produce property changes such
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
as hardening, strengthening, and conductivity increase by
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
precipitation of constituents from the supersaturated solid
2. Terminology
solution. This treatment has also been called “age hardened”
and “precipitation hardened.”
2.1 Definitions:
2.2.7 quench hardening—a treatment for copper-aluminum
2.1.1 temper—the metallurgical structure and properties of
alloy products consisting of heating above the betatizing
temperature followed by quenching to produce a hard marten-
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee B05 on Copper and
sitic structure.
Copper Alloys and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee B05.91 on Editorial
2.2.8 solution heat treatment—a thermal treatment of a
and Publications.
product to put alloying elements into solution in the base metal
Current edition approved Sept. 10, 1999. Published January 2000. Originally
published as B 601 – 74. Last previous edition B 601 – 99. by heating into the temperature range of solid solubility,
Copyright © ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
B 601
followed by cooling at a sufficient rate to retain them in a produced by precipitation heat treatment of precipitation-
supersaturated solid solution. hardenable alloys.
2.2.9 spinodal heat treatment—a thermal treatment of a 3.6.5 Spinodal Heat Treated Temper, TX—Tempers pro-
solution heat-treated product to produce property changes such duced by spinodal heat treatment of spinodal hardenable
as hardening, strengthening, and conductivity increase by alloys.
spinodal decomposition of a solid solution. This treatment has 3.6.6 Cold-Worked and Precipitation Heat-Treated Tem-
also been called “age hardened,” “spinodal hardened,” or pers, TH—Tempers produced in alloys that have been solution
“spinodally decomposed.” heat treated, cold worked, and precipitation heat treated.
2.2.10 strain hardening—the increase in strength and hard- 3.6.7 Cold-Worked and Spinodal Heat-Treated Tempers,
ness and decrease in ductility as a result of permanent TS—Tempers produced in alloys that have been solution heat
deformation of the structure by cold working. treated, cold worked, and spinodal heat treated.
2.2.11 stress relief—a treatment of a product to reduce 3.6.8 Mill-Hardened Tempers, TM—Tempers of heat-
residual stresses. treated materials as supplied by the mill resulting from
2.2.11.1 by thermal treatment—without causing recrystalli- combinations of cold work and precipitation heat treatment or
zation. spinodal heat treatment.
2.2.11.2 by mechanical treatment—without causing a sig- 3.6.9 Precipitation Heat-Treated or Spinodal Heat-Treated
nificant change in size. and Cold-Worked Tempers, TL—Tempers produced by cold
2.2.12 temper annealing—a thermal treatment above the working the precipitation heat-treated or spinodal heat-treated
eutectoid temperature for copper-aluminum alloy products to alloys.
minimize the presence of the stable eutectoid structure. 3.6.10 Precipitation Heat-Treated or Spinodal Heat-
2.2.13 tempering—a thermal treatment of a quench- Treated, Cold-Worked, and Thermal Stress-Relieved Tempers,
hardened product to improve ductility. TR—Tempers produced in the cold-worked precipitation heat-
2.2.14 thermal treatment—a controlled heating; time at treated or spinodal heat-treated alloys by thermal stress relief.
maximum temperature-cooling cycle as needed to satisfy the 3.7 Tempers of Welded Tubes, W—(Welded tubes are pro-
property and grain structure requirements of the temper. duced from strip of various tempers and essentially have the
temper of the strip except in the heat-affected zone.)
3. Classification of Tempers
3.7.1 Tube, As-Welded Tempers, WM—Tempers that result
from forming and welding when producing tube.
NOTE 1—In the following paragraphs, tempers are classified according
to terminology used by U.S. manufacturers of copper and copper alloy
3.7.2 Tube, Welded and Annealed Temper, WO—Temper
products and are arranged in alphabetical order with their designated code
that results from forming, welding, and annealing when pro-
letters.
ducing tube.
3.1 Annealed Tempers, O—Tempers produced by annealing
3.7.3 Tube, Welded and Cold-Worked Tempers, WH—
to meet mechanical property requirements.
Tempers that result from forming, welding, and cold working
3.2 Annealed Tempers, OS—Tempers produced by anneal-
when producing tube.
ing to meet standard or special grain size requirements.
3.7.4 Tube, Welded, Cold-Worked and Stress-Relieved Tem-
3.3 Manufactured Tempers, M—Tempers produced in the
pers, WR—Tempers that result from forming, welding, cold
product by the primary manufacturing operations of casting
working, and stress relieving when producing tube.
and hot working and controlled by the methods employed in
3.7.5 Tube, Welded, and Fully Finished Tempers, O, OS,
the operations.
H—Tempers that result from both annealing a welded and
3.4 Cold-Worked Tempers, H—Tempers produced by con-
cold-worked tube, or cold working, a welded cold-worked and
trolled amounts of cold work.
annealed tube. With these treatments, the weld area has been
3.5 Cold-Worked (Drawn), Stress-Relieved Tempers, HR—
transformed into a wrought structure, and the usual temper
Tempers produced by controlled amounts of cold work fol-
designations apply.
lowed by stress relief.
4. Temper Designation Codes
3.5.1 Order-Strengthening Tempers, HT—Tempers pro-
duced by controlled amounts of cold work followed by a
NOTE 2—Also shown are regular temper terms that are being retained
thermal treatment to produce order strengthening.
for an indefinite period.
3.6 Heat-Treated Tempers, T—Tempers that are based on
4.1 Annealed Tempers, O:
heat treatments followed by rapid cooling.
4.1.1 Annealed to Meet Mechanical Properties, O:
3.6.1 Quench-Hardened Tempers, TQ—Tempers produced
Annealed Temper Names
by quench-hardening treatments.
Tempers—O
3.6.2 Solution Heat-Treated Temper, TB—Tempers pro-
O10 Cast and Annealed (Homogenized)
duced by solution heat-treating precip
...