JP7414453B2 - Aluminum alloy material and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a high-strength aluminum alloy material with suppressed strength anisotropy.

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, there has been a demand for the use of aluminum alloy materials in various products such as casings of electrical equipment in order to achieve higher strength and lighter weight. By using an aluminum alloy material with higher strength, the amount of aluminum alloy material used can be reduced while maintaining the same strength of the product as before, making it possible to reduce the weight of the product.

Here, as high-strength aluminum alloys, for example, 6000 series alloys, 7000 series alloys, etc. are common. However, the above-mentioned alloys are heat treatable alloys, and since heat treatable alloys require solution treatment and aging heat treatment steps, there is a problem in that production efficiency is low. Further, since the 7000 series alloy contains a large amount of Zn and Cu, there is a problem that corrosion is likely to occur depending on the usage environment.

From the above point of view, non-heat treated aluminum alloys are sometimes used. As a non-heat treatment type aluminum alloy, 5000 series alloy, which has the highest strength, is typical. 5000 series alloys generally have excellent corrosion resistance, and have high production efficiency because they do not require solution treatment or aging heat treatment. Furthermore, by increasing the number of additive elements in the 5000 series alloy, it is possible to achieve strength greater than that of the 6000 series alloy. For this reason, 5000 series aluminum alloy materials containing 5% by weight or more of Mg as a main additive element have been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-186747 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-98338 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-197170

In the aluminum alloy materials described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 mentioned above, the Mg content is increased to 5% by weight or more in order to increase the strength. However, no consideration is given to the strength anisotropy of the aluminum alloy material.

If the aluminum alloy material has strong strength anisotropy, the final product will have low rigidity in a specific direction, which may reduce reliability. Furthermore, in product manufacturing processes such as molding, there is a risk that defects in dimensional accuracy and the like may occur. In particular, since high formability is required for annealed aluminum alloy materials (O materials), there is a problem that if the strength anisotropy is strong, cracks may occur during the forming process.

One aspect of the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose is to create an aluminum alloy material that has high strength by controlling the metal structure and suppresses strength anisotropy. It is about providing.

In order to solve the above problems, an aluminum alloy material according to one embodiment of the present invention contains Mg: 7.0 to 10.0%, Ca: 0.1% or less, and the balance is aluminum and unavoidable impurities. The aluminum alloy material has a tensile strength of 300 MPa or more and less than 500 MPa, and an elongation at break of 20% or more.

The aluminum alloy material preferably contains Mn: 0.05 to 1.0%.
Further, the aluminum alloy material is arranged in a 0° direction, which is the final processing direction, in a plane formed by the final processing direction of the aluminum alloy material and the sheet width direction, and the 0° direction from the final processing direction to the sheet width direction. It is preferable that the standard deviation of the tensile strength is 10 or less in a 45° direction that is 45° with the sheet width direction, and in a 90° direction that is 90° with the 0° direction from the final processing direction to the sheet width direction.

Preferably, the aluminum alloy material has an orientation density of {013}<100> and {011}<100> calculated using a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) of 5 or less.

Preferably, the aluminum alloy material has an orientation density of {123}<634> and {001}<100> calculated using a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) of 5 or less.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an aluminum alloy material that has high strength and suppresses strength anisotropy can be manufactured.

It is a figure showing the measurement direction of the tensile strength of the aluminum alloy material in this embodiment.

The present inventors have conducted extensive research into alloy compositions and metal structures that can suppress strength anisotropy in high-strength aluminum alloy materials containing a large amount of Mg (magnesium). As a result, they found that it is possible to suppress the strength anisotropy by adjusting the alloy composition and manufacturing process and controlling the metal structure appropriately.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the aluminum alloy material based on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail. Note that the aluminum alloy material of this embodiment is used for members that require strength and isotropy of strength, such as home appliances, buildings, structures, and transportation equipment. In addition, in the following text, regarding the description of units, "% by mass" will be simply abbreviated as "%".

(Elements that must be included in aluminum alloys)
[Mg]
Mg (magnesium) mainly exists as a solid solution element and has the effect of improving strength. By setting the Mg content in the aluminum alloy to 7.0% or more, a sufficient strength improvement effect can be obtained.

However, if the Mg content in the aluminum alloy exceeds 10.0%, cracks may occur during hot rolling, making manufacturing difficult. From this, the content of Mg in the aluminum alloy is preferably in the range of 7.5% or more and 9.0% or less, and more preferably in the range of 7.5% or more and 8.5% or less.

[Ca]
Ca (calcium) mainly exists as a compound in aluminum alloys, and even a small amount may cause cracking during hot working and reduce workability. If the content of Ca in the aluminum alloy is 0.1% or less, it is possible to suppress cracking during hot working. The content of Ca in the aluminum alloy is more preferably 0.05% or less.

(Elements selectively included in aluminum alloy)
[Si]
Si (silicon) mainly produces second phase particles (for example, simple Si, Al-Si-Fe-Mn based compounds) and acts as a recrystallization nucleation site, thereby refining crystal grains. It has this effect. By setting the Si content in the aluminum alloy to 0.02% or more, the effect of making crystal grains finer can be favorably obtained.

However, when the content of Si in the aluminum alloy exceeds 0.3%, a large number of coarse second phase particles are generated, which may reduce the elongation at break of the manufactured aluminum alloy material. From this, the content of Si in the aluminum alloy is preferably in the range of 0.02% or more and 0.2% or less, and more preferably in the range of 0.02% or more and 0.15% or less.

[Fe]
Fe (iron) mainly exists as second phase particles (Al--Fe-based compounds, etc.) and has the effect of refining crystal grains by acting as a recrystallization nucleation site. By setting the Fe content in the aluminum alloy to 0.02% or more, it is possible to obtain the effect of making crystal grains finer.

However, when the content of Fe in the aluminum alloy exceeds 0.5%, a large number of coarse second phase particles are generated, and the elongation at break of the manufactured aluminum alloy material may be reduced. From this, the content of Fe in the aluminum alloy is preferably in the range of 0.02% or more and 0.25% or less, and more preferably in the range of 0.02% or more and 0.2% or less.

[Cu]
Cu (copper) mainly exists as a solid solution element and has the effect of improving strength. By setting the Cu content in the aluminum alloy to 0.05% or more, a sufficient strength improvement effect can be obtained.

However, if the content of Cu in the aluminum alloy exceeds 1.0%, cracks may occur during hot rolling, making manufacturing difficult. From this, the content of Cu in the aluminum alloy is preferably in the range of 0.05 to 0.5%, more preferably in the range of 0.10% to 0.3%.

[Mn]
Mn (manganese) mainly exists as second phase particles (Al--Mn-based compounds) and has the effect of refining crystal grains by acting as a recrystallization nucleation site. Specifically, by setting the Mn content in the aluminum alloy to 0.05% or more, it is possible to sufficiently obtain the effect of making crystal grains fine.

However, when the Mn content in the aluminum alloy exceeds 1.0%, a large number of coarse second phase particles are generated, which may reduce the elongation at break of the aluminum alloy material produced. From this, the Mn content in the aluminum alloy is preferably in the range of 0.1% or more and 0.5% or less, and more preferably in the range of 0.15% or more and 0.3% or less.

[Cr, V, Zr]
Cr (chromium), V (vanadium), and Zr (zirconium) are mainly used in second phase particles (Al-Fe-Mn compounds, Al-Cr compounds, Al-V compounds, Al-Zr compounds, etc.) It exists as a recrystallization nucleation site and has the effect of refining crystal grains. Specifically, by setting the content of Cr and V in the aluminum alloy to 0.05% or more, or the content of Zr to 0.02% or more, the effect of making the crystal grains finer can be sufficiently obtained. be able to.

However, if the Cr and V contents in the aluminum alloy exceed 0.3% or the Zr content exceeds 0.2%, a large number of coarse second phase particles are generated, and the produced aluminum alloy material There is a risk that the elongation at break may decrease.

From this, it is preferable that the content of Cr and V in the aluminum alloy is 0.2% or less. Moreover, it is preferable that the content of Zr in the aluminum alloy is 0.1%.

Note that the content of Cr, V, and Zr in the aluminum alloy is not limited to the above, and it is sufficient that the aluminum alloy contains at least one of Cr, V, and Zr.

[Ti]
Ti (titanium) has the effect of suppressing the growth of the solidified aluminum phase formed during casting and refining the casting structure, thereby suppressing defects such as cracks during casting. However, if the content of Ti in the aluminum alloy is too high, the second phase particles become coarse, which may reduce the elongation at break of the aluminum alloy material produced.

From this, by controlling the Ti content in the aluminum alloy to 0.2% or less, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the elongation at break of the manufactured aluminum alloy material. The content of Ti in the aluminum alloy is more preferably 0.1% or less. Note that other than the above-mentioned elements are basically Al and unavoidable impurities.

(Tensile strength and elongation at break)
In this embodiment, an aluminum alloy material (H material) having a tensile strength of 300 MPa or more and less than 500 MPa and an elongation at break of 20% or more is obtained by performing the manufacturing process described below on an aluminum alloy having the above-mentioned composition. can be created. This can prevent the tensile strength from falling below 300 MPa and causing insufficient strength in the final product. Furthermore, the elongation at break is less than 20%, and defects such as cracks can be prevented from occurring during processing of the final product.

In addition, it is more preferable that the tensile strength of the aluminum alloy material is 350 MPa or more. Moreover, it is more preferable that the elongation at break of the aluminum alloy material is 25% or more.

(Anisotropy of strength)
As shown in FIG. 1, the aluminum alloy material 1 of this embodiment is produced in a plane formed by the rolling direction (final processing direction) during final rolling by a set of rolls 2 and the sheet width direction, from the rolling direction to the sheet width direction. The standard deviation of the tensile strength in the 0° direction from the rolling direction, the 45° direction from the rolling direction to the sheet width direction, and the 90° direction from the rolling direction to the sheet width direction (sheet width direction) is set so that it is 10 [MPa] or less. ing. This is based on the consideration that if the standard deviation of tensile strength exceeds 10 [MPa], the anisotropy of strength will be too high and the strength of the final product in a specific direction may decrease, leading to a decrease in reliability. are doing. Here, the standard deviation of the tensile strength is calculated using equation (1) described below.

The standard deviation of the tensile strength of the aluminum alloy material 1 is preferably 5 [MPa] or less, more preferably 3 [MPa] or less.

(collective organization)
In the aluminum alloy material of this embodiment, the orientation density of {013}<100> and {011}<100> calculated using a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) is 5 or less (for example, 1). This means that when the orientation density of {013}<100> and {011}<100> exceeds 5, the anisotropy of strength becomes significant and the strength of the final product in a specific direction may decrease. I am considering it.

Further, in the aluminum alloy material of this embodiment, the orientation density of {123}<634> and {001}<100> is set to be 5 or less. This takes into consideration that if the orientation density of {123}<634> and {001}<100> exceeds 5, the anisotropy of intensity may become significant.

Here, a method for calculating orientation density using a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) will be described in detail. In this embodiment, a three-dimensional orientation analysis method using a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) (Journal of the Japan Institute of Light Metals, 1992, Vol. 42, No. 6, pp. 358-367) is applied to a manufactured aluminum alloy material. ) is used to calculate the orientation density. First, a cross section perpendicular to the processing direction (rolling direction) of an aluminum alloy material is measured using an X-ray diffraction method. At this time, the (111) plane was formed using the reflection method by Schlz (Refer to Journal of the Japan Institute of Light Metals, 1983, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 230-239) with an inclination angle in the range of 15 degrees to 90 degrees. , (220) plane, and (200) plane are measured. Next, series expansion is performed to obtain a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF). Thereby, the orientation density of each orientation is calculated as a ratio to the orientation density of a standard sample having a random texture.

(Method for manufacturing aluminum alloy material)
Next, a method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy material according to this embodiment will be described. Manufacture of the aluminum alloy material of this embodiment is performed in the order of a casting process, a homogenization process, a hot rolling process, a cold rolling process, and an annealing process. This manufacturing process is an example and is not limited thereto.

First, in the casting process, a slab is cast by a semi-continuous casting method such as a DC (Direct Chill) casting method or a hot top method. During the casting process, the casting speed is preferably 20 mm/min to 100 mm/min in order to prevent the formation of coarse second phase particles.

Once the casting process is completed, a homogenization process is performed. The processing temperature is set at 400°C or higher and 490°C or lower. This is because if the treatment temperature is 400° C. or lower, homogenization may not be achieved sufficiently. Furthermore, if the treatment temperature exceeds 490° C., the remaining Al--Mg compound that has not been solid-dissolved again may dissolve, which may cause problems such as cracking during hot rolling. In addition, the coarsening of the second phase particles progresses excessively, and crystal grains with a specific orientation tend to grow preferentially in the subsequent recrystallization process, which may reduce the strength anisotropy.

In the homogenization step of this embodiment, two-stage homogenization treatment may be performed. In that case, the first stage treatment temperature is set to 400°C or more and 450°C or less. This is because if the first stage treatment temperature is 400° C. or lower, there is a risk that sufficient homogenization will not be achieved. Furthermore, if the first stage treatment temperature exceeds 450° C., the remaining Al--Mg-based compound that has not been solid-dissolved again may dissolve, and problems such as cracking may occur during hot rolling.

Further, the processing time of the first stage is set within a range of 5 hours or more and 20 hours or less. This is because if the first stage treatment time is less than 5 hours, sufficient homogenization will not be achieved. Further, if the first stage processing time exceeds 20 hours, productivity will decrease. As described above, by appropriately setting the treatment temperature and treatment time and performing the first stage homogenization treatment, the Al-Mg-based compound is dissolved in solid solution, and homogenization can be further carried out at a high temperature.

Subsequently, the second stage treatment temperature is set at 450°C or higher and 490°C or lower. This is because if the second stage treatment temperature is less than 450°C, sufficient homogenization will not be achieved. Furthermore, if the second stage treatment temperature exceeds 490° C., oxidation of Mg on the surface may proceed, which may reduce the concentration of Mg on the surface layer.

Further, the processing time of the second stage is set within a range of 5 hours or more and 20 hours or less. This is because if the second stage treatment time is less than 5 hours, sufficient homogenization will not be achieved. Additionally, if the second stage treatment time exceeds 20 hours, the coarsening of the second phase particles will progress excessively, and in the subsequent recrystallization process, crystal grains with specific orientations will tend to grow preferentially, resulting in stronger There is a risk that the anisotropy of

Next, a hot rolling process is performed. In the hot rolling step, the hot rolling start temperature is set within a range of 350°C or higher and 480°C or lower. This is because if the hot rolling treatment temperature is less than 350°C, the deformation resistance is too high and rolling may become difficult. Furthermore, if the hot rolling treatment temperature exceeds 480° C., the material may partially melt and cracks may occur. Note that the homogenization step may be omitted and the hot rolling step may be performed.

Subsequently, after the hot rolling process is completed, a cold rolling process is performed. In the cold rolling process, the degree of work (ratio of the plate thickness after processing to the plate thickness before processing) from the plate thickness at the completion of the hot rolling process to the plate thickness at the completion of the cold rolling process is 50% or more. Cold rolling is performed as follows. The processing degree may be 50% or more and can be changed as appropriate.

Note that intermediate annealing may be performed before or during the cold rolling process. In this case as well, cold rolling is performed so that the degree of work from the plate thickness at the completion of intermediate annealing to the plate thickness at the completion of cold rolling is 50% or more. The treatment temperature for intermediate annealing is preferably within the range of 300°C or higher and 400°C or lower. Further, the holding time for intermediate annealing is preferably within a range of 1 hour or more and 10 hours or less. This is because if intermediate annealing is performed at a high temperature for a long period of time, oxidation of the surface progresses, which may deteriorate the appearance quality.

After the cold working process is completed, a final annealing process is performed. At that time, it is preferable that the annealing temperature be 300° C. or more and 400° C. or less, and the holding time be 1 hour or more and 5 hours or less. If the treatment temperature is lower than 300°C, the annealing effect may be insufficient. If the treatment temperature exceeds 400° C., oxidation of the surface may progress and the appearance quality may deteriorate.

According to the aluminum alloy material in this embodiment described above, by adjusting the composition and manufacturing process of the aluminum alloy and appropriately controlling the metal structure, an aluminum alloy with high strength and suppressed strength anisotropy can be obtained. material can be manufactured. Thereby, it is possible to improve the manufacturability of the aluminum alloy material and the reliability of the final product.

Example 1 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Tables 1 and 2.

表１に示すように、実施例１のアルミニウム合金の組成は、組成が規定の範囲内となっている。ここで、規定の範囲とは、Ｍｇが７．０～１０．０％、Ｃａが０．１％以下の範囲である。 (Composition of aluminum alloy)
Table 1 shows the composition of the aluminum alloy used in Example 1.

As shown in Table 1, the composition of the aluminum alloy of Example 1 is within the specified range. Here, the specified range is a range in which Mg is 7.0 to 10.0% and Ca is 0.1% or less.

(Production method)
After melting and DC casting an aluminum alloy having the composition shown in Table 1, a homogenization process, a hot rolling process, a cold rolling process, and a final annealing process are performed. The aluminum alloy material has a plate thickness of 1.0 mm after the cold rolling process is completed.

In Example 1, heating is performed at 465° C. for 12 hours during the homogenization step before the hot rolling step. In the cold rolling process, the working degree from the plate thickness at the completion of hot rolling to the plate thickness at the completion of cold rolling is 80%. In the final annealing step, heating is performed at 360° C. for 2 hours.

(Characteristics of aluminum alloy material)
Table 2 summarizes the strength characteristics, strength anisotropy, and manufacturability of the aluminum alloy material produced by subjecting the aluminum alloy of Example 1 having the composition shown in Table 1 to the above treatment.

(Tensile strength and elongation at break)
As shown in Table 2, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the aluminum alloy material manufactured in Example 1 are within the specified ranges. That is, the aluminum alloy material manufactured in Example 1 has a tensile strength of 300 MPa or more and an elongation at break of 20% or more.

Note that the tensile strength and elongation at break of the manufactured aluminum alloy material are measured according to JIS standard Z-2241-2011. As shown in FIG. 1, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the produced aluminum alloy material 1 are in the rolling direction in a plane formed by the rolling direction (final processing direction) by one set of rolls 2 and the sheet width direction. Tensile strength and elongation at break in the 0° direction, the 45° direction from the rolling direction to the sheet width direction that is 45° with the 0° direction, and the 90° direction that is 90° with the 0° direction from the rolling direction to the sheet width direction. is measured and defined as the average value.

ここで、ＴＳ_ｉ［ＭＰａ］は、各方向の引張強さである。ＴＳ［ＭＰａ］は、各方向の引張強さの平均値である。ｎは、引張強さのデータ総数である。 (Anisotropy of strength)
The strength anisotropy is defined as the 0° direction, which is the rolling direction, in the plane formed by the rolling direction (final processing direction) and the sheet width direction, and the 45° angle from the rolling direction to the sheet width direction at 45° with respect to the 0° direction. Defined by the standard deviation [MPa] calculated using the following formula (1) by measuring the tensile strength in the 90° direction and the 90° direction that is 90° with the 0° direction from the rolling direction to the sheet width direction. do.

Here, TS _i [MPa] is the tensile strength in each direction. TS [MPa] is the average value of tensile strength in each direction. n is the total number of tensile strength data.

(collective tissue)
The orientation density of the aluminum alloy material of Example 1 is calculated using the three-dimensional orientation analysis method using the crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) described above. Specifically, a cross section of a part of the manufactured aluminum alloy material perpendicular to the processing direction (rolling direction) of the aluminum alloy material is measured using an X-ray diffraction method. At this time, after measuring the incomplete point diagrams of the (111) plane, (220) plane, and (200) plane using the above-mentioned Schlz reflection method at an inclination angle in the range of 15 degrees to 90 degrees, series expansion is performed. and obtain the crystal orientation distribution function (ODF).

The orientation density of each orientation thus obtained is calculated as a ratio to the orientation density of a standard sample having a random texture. Table 2 shows the evaluation results in which cases where the orientation density of {013}<100> and {011}<100> is 5 or less are marked as "○", and cases where the density exceeds "5" are marked as "x". Moreover, those with {123}<634> and {001}<100> orientation density of 5 or less are marked as "○", and those with orientation density of more than 5 are marked as "x".

As shown in Table 2, it can be seen that in Example 1, the strength anisotropy was suppressed well. Further, in Example 1, there was no problem in manufacturability.

(Comparative example)
As a comparative example for Example 1 above, Table 4 shows the characteristics of aluminum alloy materials manufactured by subjecting the aluminum alloys of Comparative Examples 1 to 4 having the compositions shown in Table 3 to the same treatment as in Example 1. summarized in. However, in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the homogenization treatment was performed at 500° C. for 8 hours.

In Comparative Example 1, since Mg is too small, the tensile strength of the manufactured aluminum alloy material falls below the specified range, and good mechanical properties cannot be obtained. Furthermore, since the homogenization treatment temperature is too high, the strength anisotropy exceeds the specified range, making it impossible to obtain good mechanical properties.

In Comparative Example 2, since Mg is too small, the tensile strength of the manufactured aluminum alloy material falls below the specified range, and good mechanical properties cannot be obtained. Furthermore, since the homogenization treatment temperature is too high, the strength anisotropy exceeds the specified range, making it impossible to obtain good mechanical properties.

In Comparative Example 3, since the content of Mg is too high, cracks occur during hot rolling, making rolling difficult, and therefore cannot be manufactured.

In Comparative Example 4, since the content of Ca is too high, cracks occur during hot rolling, making rolling difficult, and therefore cannot be manufactured.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and examples described above, and various changes can be made within the scope of the claims, and technical means disclosed in different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Embodiments obtained using the above methods are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Aluminum alloy material 2 Roll

Claims (3)

Contains Mg: 7.0 to 10.0%, Ca: more than 0% and less than 0.01% ,
An aluminum alloy material consisting of balance aluminum and unavoidable impurities,
Tensile strength is 300 MPa or more and less than 500 MPa, elongation at break is 20% or more,
The aluminum alloy material has a 0° direction which is the final processing direction and a 0° direction from the final processing direction to the sheet width direction in a plane formed by the final processing direction of the aluminum alloy material and the sheet width direction. The standard deviation of the tensile strength in the 45° direction that makes 45° and the 90° direction that makes 90° from the 0° direction from the final processing direction to the plate width direction is 10 or less,
An aluminum alloy material characterized in that the orientation density of each of {013}<100> and {011}<100> calculated using a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) is 5 or less . Contains Mg: 7.0 to 10.0%, Ca: more than 0% and less than 0.01%,
An aluminum alloy material consisting of balance aluminum and unavoidable impurities,
Tensile strength is 300 MPa or more and less than 500 MPa, elongation at break is 20% or more,
The aluminum alloy material has a 0° direction which is the final processing direction and a 0° direction from the final processing direction to the sheet width direction in a plane formed by the final processing direction of the aluminum alloy material and the sheet width direction. The standard deviation of the tensile strength in the 45° direction that makes 45° and the 90° direction that makes 90° from the 0° direction from the final processing direction to the plate width direction is 10 or less,
An aluminum alloy material characterized in that the orientation density of each of {123}<634> and {001}<100> calculated using a crystal orientation distribution function (ODF) is 5 or less . The aluminum alloy material according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the aluminum alloy material contains Mn: 0.05 to 1.0%.

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