Plate-like electric conductor for a busbar and the busbar formed therefrom

A plate-like electric conductor for a busbar formed from an aluminum alloy plate having a thickness (T) of 0.5-12 mm obtained by using an aluminum alloy consisting essentially of 0.05-2.0% by mass of Fe, 0.05-0.6% by mass of Si, 0.01-0.35% by mass of Cu, and a balance comprising Al and inevitable impurities, and subjecting the aluminum alloy to a hot rolling process so as to obtain the plate-like electric conductor having an electric conductivity of 55-60% IACS, in an as-rolled state at the room temperature,

• wherein the plate-like electric conductor has a tensile strength not lower than 170 MPa and a yield strength not lower than 155 MPa, in the as-rolled state at the room temperature, and the plate-like electric conductor does not suffer from cracking when the plate-like electric conductor is bent by 90° with an inner bending radius equal to said thickness (T),
• and wherein the plate-like electric conductor has the electric conductivity of 55-60% IACS, the tensile strength not lower than 160 MPa, and the yield strength not lower than 145 MPa, at the room temperature, after a heat treatment in which the plate-like electric conductor is held at a temperature of 140-160° C. for not longer than 1,000 hours.