JP3177130B2 - Aluminum alloy for amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor substrate - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an aluminum alloy for an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photosensitive member substrate, and more particularly, to a photosensitive material used for forming an amorphous silicon photosensitive member on an electrophotographic copying machine or printer. The present invention relates to an aluminum alloy for a body substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a material for a substrate of a photoreceptor used in an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser printer, a conventional material of 1000 (pure aluminum) or 3000 (Al) is used.
-Mn), 5000 (Al-Mg) or 6000 (Al
-Mg-Si) -based aluminum or aluminum alloy is used. These aluminum or aluminum alloys are rolled or extruded to be formed into a plate-like or cylindrical (drum-like or cylindrical-like) substrate material.

[0003] Molded substrate materials are usually
The surface is cut into a smooth finished surface to form a photoreceptor substrate, amorphous silicon, selenium (S
e) A film formation process is performed by other photoconductors. However, from the viewpoint of image characteristics and durability, an amorphous silicon film has recently been used as a photosensitive film. Since amorphous silicon is formed by a CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like and is used as a thin film,
The surface of the substrate is required to have a smoother cut surface, and among the above aluminum alloys, it is particularly excellent in machinability, and a smooth surface can be easily obtained by cutting.
A 00 (Al-Mg) aluminum alloy is widely used as a material for an electrophotographic photosensitive member substrate for forming an amorphous silicon film.

In an aluminum alloy for a substrate of a photoreceptor, when Fe, Si and other impurities are present in a large amount, compounds such as Al ₂ Fe and AlFeSi are crystallized. This causes cutting scratches and makes it difficult to obtain a smooth finished surface. In addition, these cuts form non-uniform points of the amorphous silicon film, which cause image defects such as black spots. Therefore, the use of high-purity aluminum ingots to minimize impurities has also been carried out.
For example, an aluminum alloy sub for an amorphous silicon photoreceptor containing 1.5 to 5.0% Mg and 0.001 to 0.25% Cu, with the balance being Al and impurities, with the total content of Fe and Si in the impurities being limited to 0.15% or less. A straight has been proposed. (JP-A-2-310369)

[0005] The above-mentioned conventional aluminum alloy for Al-Mg-based photoreceptor substrates can obtain excellent surface properties by cutting, but after the cutting process, a high temperature of 300 to 400 ° C is required for film formation of the photoreceptor. For a long time, and it has been experienced that the dimensional accuracy is deteriorated due to deformation of the substrate during high-temperature heating. In particular, in the case of a cylindrical substrate (photosensitive drum), which is the mainstream of photoconductors, if the dimensional accuracy such as the diameter of the drum is slightly poor, the product quality is deteriorated. Materials that do not cause deformation therein are required.

On the other hand, in particular, due to the demand for thinner and lighter photosensitive drums, D and D are applied to the sheet material by drawing and ironing.
A method of manufacturing a photosensitive drum has been developed by the I method, the EI method of ironing an extruded tube, and the ED method of drawing an extruded tube, without causing microcracks or seizure during ironing or drawing. As an aluminum alloy for photosensitive drums having excellent surface smoothness, for example, Cr, Ti, V and Co are contained in a total amount of 0.2 to 10%, and the surface lubricity is improved by crystallizing and dispersing an intermetallic compound. Aluminum alloys have also been proposed.
However, when the photosensitive drum manufactured by the above method is used for an amorphous silicon photosensitive member, it is necessary to further perform a cutting process in order to make the surface mirror-finished. However, at that time, there is a disadvantage that a crystallized substance causes a cutting scratch (scratch).

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an Al-Mg
Reconsideration of the relationship between alloying components and their quantitative combinations and the cutting properties and film forming properties required for photoreceptor substrates in order to solve the above-mentioned problems in aluminum alloys for the base amorphous silicon photoreceptor substrate The purpose of this study was to conduct experiments and studies on the relationship with high-temperature deformation.The purpose was to obtain a smooth surface by cutting and have excellent film-forming properties, and to suppress deformation during high-temperature heating. An object of the present invention is to provide an aluminum alloy for an electrophotographic photoreceptor substrate which can be suitably used for a photosensitive drum which requires a small amount of dimensional accuracy.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aluminum alloy for an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor substrate, comprising:
g: 1.0 to 8.0%, V: 0.01% or more and less than 0.2%, the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities,
3. The aluminum alloy for an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor substrate according to claim 2, wherein the proof stress at 400 ° C. after holding at a temperature of 400 ° C. for 10 hours is 30 MPa or more.
The aluminum alloy for an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photosensitive member substrate according to claim 3, wherein the total content of the inevitable impurities is limited to 0.3% or less. .

The significance of the components contained in the aluminum alloy of the present invention and the reasons for limitation are as follows.
Has the function of improving high-temperature strength. The preferred content range is 1.0 to 8.0%. If the content is less than 1.0%, the high-temperature strength of the alloy cannot be sufficiently obtained, and the alloy is likely to be deformed. If the content is more than 8.0%, cracks are easily generated in hot working during material production. Become. More preferably, the Mg content is 2.0 to 5.0%, most preferably 3.5 to 4.5%.

V is an important component that forms Al-V-based fine precipitates in the alloy matrix and has an action of suppressing deformation during high-temperature heating. The preferred content range is 0.0
If it is 1% or more and less than 0.2%, and if it is less than 0.01%, the amount of precipitates is insufficient and the effect of suppressing high-temperature deformation is small.
% Or more, crystallized substances which cause image defects are likely to be generated. More preferred V content is 0.02 to 0.18%
And the most preferred content range is from 0.02 to 0.1.
10%.

[0011] In the present invention, Cu is a component element that is contained as necessary, but reacts with Mg that is dissolved in the alloy matrix to form an Al-Cu-Mg-based precipitate, Plays a role in suppressing the deformation of. The preferred content range is 1.0% or less. If the content exceeds 1.0%, cracks are liable to occur in hot working during the production of the material. The content is more preferably not more than 0.8%, most preferably not more than 0.5%. If the content is low, the amount of precipitates is small and the effect is small, so the content is preferably not less than 0.3%. Further, Be: 50 ppm or less can be added for the purpose of preventing molten metal oxidation without affecting the properties of the alloy of the present invention.

Fe, Si and other unavoidable impurities are:
Although a content that is contained in a normal 5000 series Al-Mg alloy is permissible, the generation of insoluble Al-Fe-Si compounds that cause cutting scratches and deterioration of the quality of the photoconductor is suppressed. From the viewpoint, the total amount of impurities including Fe and Si is preferably set to 0.3% or less, and most preferably 0.1%.
Limit to 1% or less.

According to the present invention, in an aluminum alloy for an Al-Mg amorphous silicon electrophotographic photosensitive member substrate, a combination of the above-mentioned alloy components, in particular, by containing a specific amount of V, the texture of fine precipitates dispersed therein. Is obtained, and the deformation at the time of high-temperature heating is suppressed without lowering the machinability and the film-forming processability.

The aluminum alloy of the present invention has a proof stress measured at 400 ° C. of 30 MPa after being held at a temperature of 400 ° C. for 10 hours.
a. Due to this strength characteristic, when the aluminum alloy material of the present invention is used particularly as an amorphous silicon photoreceptor substrate, a dimensional change during high-temperature heating is suppressed to such an extent that it does not hinder practical use as a photoreceptor.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The aluminum alloy for an electrophotographic photoreceptor substrate of the present invention is cast according to a conventional method after removing inclusions by melting and melting, and casting the obtained ingot into a normal Al-Mg based ingot. After homogenizing under the same conditions as for the alloy, hot rolling and cold rolling, or extrusion and, if necessary, drawing are performed to obtain a plate or cylindrical substrate material. Then, the surface of the material is precision-cut to form a substrate with a smooth surface, and an amorphous silicon photoreceptor is coated on the surface of the substrate.
Coating is performed by a VD method, a sputtering method, or the like.

In the case of a photosensitive drum substrate in which the amorphous silicon photoreceptor substrate is formed into a cylindrical shape, the surface condition of the substrate is to prevent the occurrence of film defects in the amorphous silicon photoreceptor or to reduce the surface of the photoreceptor. In order to suppress the state and the adverse effect on the image quality of the electrophotographic image, it is desirable that the substrate has a mirror surface state with a surface roughness of 0.2 S or less (average surface roughness of 0.2 μm or less). Preferably, the surface of the substrate is cut and / or polished.

[0017]

Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described in comparison with comparative examples. Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 An Al—Mg-based aluminum alloy having the composition shown in Table 1 was melted and ingot-formed by a continuous casting method to produce an extruded billet having a diameter of 304.8 mm. After homogenizing the obtained billet at 500 ° C for 8 hours, hot extrusion was performed at 500 ° C to obtain an outer diameter of 13
It was extruded into a cylindrical body having a diameter of 0 mm and an inner diameter of 110 mm. Subsequently, drawing was performed to an outer diameter of 109 mm and an inner diameter of 98 mm, and after annealing at 350 ° C. for 1 hour, the outer surface was cut to obtain a photosensitive member substrate 1 having the shape shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, OD = 108 mm,
_{ID 1 = 98mm, ID 2 =} 100mm, L = 358mm, a D = 23 mm. In Table 1, those outside the conditions of the present invention are underlined.

The prepared photoreceptor substrate 1 is
Raise the temperature to 0 ° C over 4 hours, hold it at this temperature for 10 hours, cool it down to 200 ° C over 24 hours, and then cool it by air cooling. The dimensional change of the inner diameter (inner diameter ID ₂ ) of the part 2 (inner diameter ID ₂ = 100 mm × length D = 23 mm) was measured. The measurement was performed at 16 points, and the average was obtained as the amount of change. Table 1 shows the results.

[0019]

[Table 1] << Table Note >> The total amount of impurities including Fe and Si in the test materials was 0.3% or less in each case.

The test materials No. 5 and No. 1 were measured at 400 ° C.
Table 10 shows the results of a tensile test conducted at a temperature of 400 ° C. after holding at this temperature for 10 hours, and a result of a tensile test conducted after cooling to room temperature. As can be seen from Table 2, the test material No. 5 according to the present invention has a proof stress at 400 ° C. of 30 MPa or more, a tensile strength at room temperature of 200 MPa or more, and an elongation of 30%.
Although the test material No. 1 containing the essential component V of the present invention and having a large variation in the inner diameter of the spigot was 400,
The proof stress at ℃ is less than 30MPa, the tensile strength at room temperature is less than 200MPa, and the elongation exceeds 30%.

[0021]

[Table 2]

As shown in Table 1, the test material N according to the present invention
o.2 to 7 indicate that the change in inner diameter of the spigot after heating is 1
Test materials Nos. 3 to 7 having a diameter of less than 00 μm, particularly those of Nos. 3 to 7, exhibited excellent deformation resistance of less than 50 μm, and no cutting scratches were observed on the cutting surface. On the other hand, since the test material No. 1 does not contain V, the change in the inner diameter of the spigot after heating is large, and the test material No. 8 with too much V content has a small change in the inner diameter of the spigot after heating. However, cutting flaws were observed on the cutting surface, resulting in non-uniform points in the film forming process. In addition, the test materials Nos. 2 to 7 in accordance with the present invention were also subjected to a test in which the holding time at 400 ° C. was extended to 20 hours.

Example 2 An Al—Mg-based aluminum alloy having the composition shown in Table 3 was melted and cast in the same manner as in Example 1 to produce an extruded billet having a diameter of 254 mm. After the obtained billet was homogenized at a temperature of 500 ° C. for 8 hours, it was subjected to hot extrusion at 500 ° C. to obtain a cylindrical body having an outer diameter of 100 mm and an inner diameter of 84 mm. Then, drawing was performed to an outer diameter of 80.5 mm and an inner diameter of 69 mm.
After the time annealing treatment, the outer surface was cut to obtain a photoreceptor substrate 1 having the shape shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, OD = 80 mm, ID ₁ = 69 mm, ID ₂ = 70 mm, L = 358 mm, D = 15 mm
It is.

The manufactured photosensitive member substrate 1 was subjected to a heat treatment under the same conditions as in Example 1, and the amount of change in the inner diameter of the spigot was measured at 16 points to determine the average amount of change. Table 3 shows the results. As can be seen from Table 3, the test materials Nos. 9 to 17 according to the present invention all had a deformation amount after heating of 10%.
It had excellent deformation resistance of less than 0 μm. A heat treatment test was also performed on these test materials at 400 ° C. for a holding time of 20 hours, and the change in inner diameter of the spigot after heating was less than 100 μm in all cases.

[0025]

[Table 3] << Table Note >> The total amount of impurities including Fe and Si in the test materials was 0.3% or less in each case.

Comparative Example 2 An Al—Mg-based aluminum alloy having the composition shown in Table 4 was melted, cast, extruded, drawn, annealed and subjected to outer surface cutting under the same conditions as in Example 2 and the same as in Example 2. A photoreceptor substrate 1 having dimensions was prepared. The prepared photoreceptor substrate 1 was subjected to the same heat treatment as in Example 2, and the amount of change in the inner diameter of the spigot was determined as the average of the values measured at 16 points. Table 4 shows the results. In Table 4, those that are outside the conditions of the present invention are underlined.

[0027]

[Table 4] << Table Note >> The total amount of impurities including Fe and Si in the test materials was 0.3% or less in each case.

As shown in Table 4, the test material No. 18 had too little Mg content, so the high-temperature strength was insufficient, and the inner diameter of the spigot after heating was large. Test material No. 19 had too much Mg content, so cracks occurred during hot extrusion, and a cylindrical extruded material could not be obtained. Test material No. 20 had a large amount of V, so that a large number of cuts due to crystallized substances were generated on the cut surface. Test material No. 21 had a high Cu content, so cracks occurred during hot extrusion, and no extruded material was obtained.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor having excellent cutting properties, no cutting scratches on the cutting surface, a small amount of deformation during high-temperature heating, and excellent dimensional accuracy. An aluminum alloy for a substrate is provided. The improvement in dimensional accuracy not only increases the yield, but also simplifies the structure of a copying machine, a printer, and the like, on which a photosensitive drum or the like formed by forming a film on the substrate is mounted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a photoreceptor substrate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Photoconductor substrate 2 Thin part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Matsuda 5-11-3 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Inside Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideo Yoshida 5-113-3 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-285953 (JP, A) JP-A-63-179039 (JP, A) JP-A-6-25785 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C22C 21/00-21/18 G03G 5/10

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A Mg: 1.0 to 8.0% (wt%, hereinafter the same), V: containing less than 0.01% to 0.2%, the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities, 400 ° C. Temperature
Proof stress at 400 ° C after holding for 10 hours
Amorphous silicon electrophotographic photoreceptor substrates for aluminum alloys, characterized in that at least. 2. The aluminum alloy for an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photosensitive member substrate according to claim 1, further comprising Cu: 1.0% or less. 3. The aluminum alloy for an amorphous silicon electrophotographic photosensitive member substrate according to claim 1, wherein the total amount of unavoidable impurities is limited to 0.3% or less.