JPWO2018078527A5 - - Google Patents

Description

Cross-reference to related applications This application claims the interests and priorities of US Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 421,009 filed October 24, 2016 under Section 119 (e) of the US Patent Act. This patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates generally to aluminum alloy forming and heat treatment techniques, and more particularly to high strength aluminum alloy multi-stage aging processes used for forming vehicle components.

Depending on the situation, it may be desirable to heat treat or artificially age the aluminum alloy to condition the aluminum alloy to the desired material properties such as the desired material strength. However, secondary operations such as cutting or welding performed after the aluminum alloy components have been heat treated / artificially aged can impair material properties at the site of the secondary operations and, in some cases, make the components more susceptible to corrosion. In addition, it is generally known that aluminum alloys can be subject to internal stresses after local heat generation operations such as convection welding, thereby making some aluminum alloys more susceptible to strain and cracks after these operations. ing. Therefore, vehicle components made from some aluminum alloys, such as 7000 series aluminum alloys, are not formed by welding operations and use adhesives and / or mechanical fixtures such as rivets or screws instead of welding. Is common.

The present invention provides a system or method for forming and processing an aluminum alloy to manufacture a component, such as a beam component for a vehicle. This method can provide an aluminum wrought material , such as a sheet, plate or extruded article. The wrought material can be heat treated through a first aging step in a set of aging steps required to achieve the desired tempered state, such as T6 or T7 tempering. These initial processing steps of forming an aluminum alloy into a wrought material and the initial heat treatment of the wrought material can be performed at a first location or facility such as a metal mill or factory. The wrought material can be transported or delivered to a second location or facility before achieving the desired tempered condition. Therefore, the wrought material is formed into a desired shape and welded to a desired shape to produce a desired component. The components are then heat treated through the remaining aging steps to achieve the desired tempered state, such as T6 or T7 tempered, generally uniformly throughout the components. In the final tempered state after heat treatment, the aluminum alloy components are less susceptible to corrosion and have consistent material strength. Therefore, according to the present invention, the heat treatment or aging process for achieving the T6 or T7 tempered state is divided into at least two steps, in which the wrought material is processed, for example, by welding. Allows, thereby avoiding excessive heat treatment. This saves extra time and cost for unnecessary heat treatment operations.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of molding and processing an aluminum wrought material to produce a component. This method comprises providing a wrought material containing an aluminum alloy. The wrought material is heat treated through a first aging step of a plurality of aging steps required to achieve a final tempered state. The wrought material is processed to provide a component having the desired shape. The machined components are heat treated through the remaining aging steps of the plurality of aging steps to achieve the final tempered state.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of molding and processing an aluminum wrought material for manufacturing vehicle components. The aluminum alloy is rolled to form a sheet product having a W tempered state. The sheet product is heat treated through a first aging step of a plurality of aging steps required for the sheet product to achieve a T6 or T7 tempered state. The sheet product is molded into the desired shape and then welded into the desired shape to provide the vehicle component. The vehicle components are heat treated through the remaining aging steps of the plurality of aging steps to uniformly achieve a T6 or T7 tempered state across the vehicle components.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming and processing a high-strength aluminum alloy for producing a metal component. The method comprises providing a sheet containing a 7000 series aluminum alloy such as 7075 and 7085 aluminum alloys. Here, this sheet is heat-treated through the first aging step of a plurality of aging steps necessary to realize the T6 or T7 tempered state. The sheet is then formed into the desired shape and / or welded to the desired configuration to provide the metal component. The metal component is then heat treated through one or more of the remaining aging steps to achieve a homogeneous T6 or T7 tempered state across the metal component. The first aging step may include heat treating the sheet at about 100 ° C. for about 5-6 hours. On the other hand, one or more remaining aging steps may include heat treating the metal components at about 150 ° C. for about 10-18 hours. Welding of the sheet may optionally include laser welding with wires to provide a geometrically and metallurgically strong weld.

These and other objects, advantages, intent and features of the present invention will become apparent by reviewing the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.

It is a process flowchart which shows the method of forming and processing an aluminum alloy by this invention. It is a schematic side view of the rolling process which forms and artificially ages an aluminum sheet. It is a schematic side view of the stock transfer step which shows the aluminum sheet which was laminated and stored. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a forming process in which an aluminum sheet is cut and welded to form vehicle components. FIG. 2C is an exploded top perspective view of the beam components formed by the process shown in FIG. 2C. FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the beam component shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the beam component shown in FIG. It is a process flowchart which shows an additional embodiment of the method of forming and processing an aluminum alloy. It is a schematic side view of the rolling process which forms and artificially ages an aluminum sheet. It is a schematic side view of the stock transfer step which shows the aluminum sheet stored as a coil. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a roll forming process using a roll forming machine, a sweep station and a cutting station to receive a sheet and form a beam component. FIG. 7C is a top perspective view of the beam components formed by the process shown in FIG. 7C. It is a top view of the beam component shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the beam component shown in FIG. It is a process flowchart which shows an additional embodiment of the method of forming and processing a high-strength aluminum alloy.

Here, with reference to the drawings and the exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings, aluminum alloys are formed and processed (eg, for example) to produce components, such as those shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 11, respectively. , Systems and methods for processing vehicle components (eg, reinforcing beams for impact energy management, structural beams for vehicle frame configurations or other similar vehicle components) by machining high-strength aluminum alloys 10. 110, 210 are provided. In general, the aging of solution metal such as aluminum alloys can reinforce the alloy by producing intermetallicular particles in the alloying elements that can act as reinforcing phases, thereby increasing the strength of the alloy. .. Aluminum alloys capable of solution heat treatment include 2000, 6000 and 7000 series aluminum alloys (also referred to as 2xxx, 6xxx and 7xxx series alloys) such as 7003, 7046A, 7075 and 7085 alloys. These aluminum alloys are first processed by rolling or extruding the metal alloy into a wrought material in W tempering, such as that shown in steps 12, 112, 212 in FIGS. 1, 6 and 11. obtain. In this W tempered state, the wrought aluminum alloy may be susceptible to corrosion and / or spontaneous or natural aging at room temperature after solution heat treatment and may be very susceptible in some environments. possible. In order to prevent this corrosion and natural aging, the wrought material in the W tempered state can be artificially aged by heat treatment.

Artificial aging (or simply referred to as aging) can form precipitates at elevated temperatures and can be performed in two or more steps to stabilize the aluminum alloy to T6 or T7 tempering. These steps first aged the wrought material at about 100 ° C. for about 5-6 hours in an oven or other heating environment, such as those shown in steps 14, 114, 214 in FIGS. 1, 6 and 11. It may include stabilizing the microstructure. This initial aging makes it less susceptible to corrosion compared to the W tempered state and allows the wrought material to obtain the desired strength during the remaining or subsequent aging steps. The multi-stage aging process is subsequently carried out at about 130-190 ° C., eg about 150 ° C., for about 10-18 hours at high temperatures in an oven or heating environment, such as those shown in steps 16, 116, 216 in FIGS. It may include a process step of artificially aging the wrought material over. Preferably, the subsequent artificial aging of the wrought material is carried out at 140-160 ° C, more preferably 148-158 ° C, even more preferably about 155 ° C. In both of these individual aging steps of the process, the temperature and duration of aging can be greater than or less than those presented to take into account variations in other environmental or material conditions, and nevertheless the book. It is within the scope of the invention.

Thus, artificial aging of components through the remaining or subsequent aging steps, this multi-stage aging process for aluminum alloys is a stable T6, such as that shown in steps 18, 118, 218 in FIGS. 1, 6 and 11. Alternatively, a metal piece having a T7 tempered state and providing the desired mechanical properties of the component is manufactured. These initial and subsequent aging steps can be performed directly in succession in the same oven. However, the present invention allows for additional processing such as cutting, welding, forming (roll forming or punching, etc.) between the initial aging step and subsequent aging steps, so that the time of these aging steps can be performed. And / or includes separating positions. Thereby, corrosion due to cutting, welding and molding after aging is reduced or otherwise prevented, and strain due to internal stress after heating operation is reduced or otherwise prevented. As used herein, extruded material is rolled to a thickness such as a sheet (generally having a thickness of 0.2 mm to 6.3 mm) or a plate (generally having a thickness greater than 6.3 mm). Widely refers to aluminum that is rolled, or other aluminum that is extruded from a die into a desired cross-sectional shape.

Referring to FIG. 1, the first step of the multi-stage process 10 is to roll an aluminum alloy, such as that shown in step 12, to form an aluminum alloy into a wrought material , i.e. sheet 30, in a W tempered state. Includes forming the sheet 30 in. This rolling step 12 is also shown in FIG. 2A. As a result, the rolling mill compresses and stretches the aluminum raw material 33 sent to the rolling mill 31, and as a result, the sheet 30 comes out of the rolling mill 31. The aluminum sheet 30 is then subjected to the first aging step in step 14, eg, at about 100 ° C. for about 5-6 hours, or otherwise the wrought material to achieve a T6 or T7 heat treated state. It can be heat treated at an inadequate temperature and duration. The first aging step 14 is also shown in FIG. 2A. The sheet 30 is placed in a heating environment such as an oven. These initial processing steps 12 and 14 may be performed at a first location or facility, such as a metal mill or factory.

During the initial heat treatment in step 14, the sheet 30 is stored in stock or in a second place, such as that shown in step 20 in FIG. 1, before the metal sheet achieves a T6 or T7 tempered state. Or it can be delivered or transported to the facility. Before or after the first aging step 14, the sheet 30 can be cut into a substantially rectangular shape, such as that shown in step 15 in FIG. 2A, and stacked to form a flat-shaped stack 32. For example, the sheet 30 such as that in the laminated form 32 shown in FIG. 2B should be stored or transported in stock at room temperature for some time, eg, up to about 30 days, without being generally subject to harmful corrosion or strain. Can be done. Due to the heat and duration of the first aging step 14, the initial heat treatment or aging of the sheet 30 in step 14 provides such protective properties to the wrought material over this inventory and transport period. The sheet may preferably contain a 7000 series aluminum alloy, and more preferably a 7075 aluminum alloy or a 7085 aluminum alloy. However, it is conceivable that the multi-stage aging and molding methods of the present invention may be carried out using other metal species and alloys.

In subsequent machining steps, such as those at a second location or at a later point in time, the sheet may undergo various machining steps 22, such as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2C. These machining steps 22 may include one or more steps such as molding 24 and welding 26 to manufacture the desired part or vehicle component. For example, 7075 and 7085 aluminum alloys can be welded with advanced welding processes that allow the sheets to be welded to provide geometrically and metallurgically strong welds that are generally free of solidification cracks. Optionally, the welding can be done by MIG welding with wires, induction welding, contact welding and the like. Parameters adjusted to form the weld include adjustment of laser moving speed, wire feeding speed, laser angle and laser output. In additional embodiments, it is conceivable that welding of the sheet after the initial heat treatment in step 14, such as in various machining steps 22, may optionally include laser welding, frictional agitation welding, and the like. It is conceivable that during the machining step 22, the sheet may be welded, whereby the portion of the sheet to be welded or the heat sensitive region may return to the W tempered state due to the local heat generated by the weld.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2C, the plurality of machining steps 22 are exemplified as those performed on a metal sheet 30 such as an aluminum alloy sheet that has been heat treated through the initial machining steps 12 and 14 shown in FIG. ing. The step shown in FIG. 2C involves removing the individual sheets 30 from the stack of aluminum sheets 32 and feeding them straight horizontally to the stamping die 36. The stamping die 36 may be configured to cut the sheet 30, bend the sheet 30 and / or give the sheet 30 various shapes to form pieces or strips of the sheet each having the desired shape. .. These pieces or strips can then be fed to the welding station 38. The welding station 38 attaches pieces or strips to each other to form a component 40, such as a beam component having at least one enclosed area. The welding machine at the welding station 38 can weld and fix the pieces of the sheet 30 into a desired shape. The welder welds the edges of one piece to another piece of the sheet to provide a component 40, such as one having an enclosed tube shape, such as those shown in FIGS. 3-5. Thereby, the piece of the sheet 30 held by the fixture is welded. The pieces can also be bent or curved. Thereby, when the pieces or strips are attached to each other, the resulting component has an overall curved shape, such a desired longitudinal curvature that fits the aerodynamic shape of the part of the vehicle to which the component attaches. It can include, for example, a vehicle door, a vehicle bump, or a curved shape corresponding to another assumed area of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the component 40 is an aluminum 5 including strips forming its front wall 46, rear wall 48, upper horizontal shear wall 50, intermediate horizontal shear wall 52 and lower horizontal shear wall 54. A beam consisting of two sheets or strips. The shear walls 50-54 are generally planar, but are preformed to have non-linear leading and trailing edges. The front wall 46 and the rear wall 48 are edged by continuous welds such as welds located at six unrounded corners 56 (FIG. 5), such as those formed when orthogonal sheets abut. It engages with the part and is fixed. The front wall 46 and the rear wall 48 are formed so as to include a mounting hole 58 in the rear wall 48, an access hole 60 in the front wall 46, and any other desired feature such as an accessory mounting hole 62. It can be preformed by such as. The anterior wall 46 and the posterior wall 48 or other walls can also be preformed and can be non-flat or flat, but sufficient to take the shape of the edges when urged to engage by a weld fixture. It is conceivable that it may have a high degree of flexibility. As further described in US Pat. No. 9,381,880, the formed beams are, for example, a thicker sheet forming the anterior and posterior walls and a thinner sheet forming the shear wall. It is also possible to have. This patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Referring again to FIG. 2C, upon exiting the welding station 38, the formed component 40 is heat treated through the remaining aging steps 16 of the plurality of aging steps and is generally homogeneously T6 or T7 throughout the vehicle component 40'. A tempered state can be realized. Therefore, the additional aging step 16 provides at least more homogeneous material properties and reduces or eliminates corrosion problems that would normally be present after welding an aluminum alloy with T6 tempering. In the final tempered state after heat treatment, the aluminum alloy vehicle component 40'is generally less susceptible to corrosion and has more consistent material strength. Therefore, the entire heat treatment or aging process for achieving a T6 or T7 tempered state is divided into at least two steps, such as steps 14 and 16, which allow the sheet to be welded between these steps. To avoid excessive heat treatment. Excessive heat treatment, in addition to the extra time and cost of unnecessary heat treatment, can distort the geometry of the components and cause welding defects over time. Once the T6 or T7 tempered state is achieved, it is conceivable that the components may be further heat treated, such as as a result of powder coating paint baking. Therefore, in the final tempered state before the paint baking operation, the subsequent heat treatment received by the components is expected, and it is possible to prevent unnecessary heat treatment.

Referring to FIG. 6, an additional embodiment of the multi-stage process 110 comprises molding an aluminum alloy into a wrought material , i.e. sheet 130. The sheet 130 is formed in a W tempered state, such as that shown in step 112, which is also illustrated in FIG. 7A. As a result, the sheet 130 comes out of the rolling mill 131. The rolling mill 131 processes the aluminum raw material 133 supplied to the rolling mill 131. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the aluminum sheet 130 is then subjected to the first aging step in step 114, eg, at about 100 ° C. for about 5-6 hours, or otherwise the wrought material . It may be heat treated at a temperature and duration that is not sufficient to achieve a T6 or T7 tempered state. During the initial heat treatment in step 114, the sheet 130 may be stored in inventory, such as that shown in step 120 in FIG. 6, or delivered or transported to a second location or facility.

The sheet 130 can be wound into the coil 132 before or after the first aging step 114, such as that shown in step 115 of FIG. 7A. The plurality of coils 132, as shown in FIG. 7B, are generally free from harmful corrosion or strain due to the heat and duration applied in the first aging step 114, for some time, eg, up to about 30 days. It can be stored or shipped in stock at room temperature. For example, as shown in FIG. 7C, the plurality of machining steps 122 are exemplified as being performed on the aluminum sheet 130. The steps shown in FIGS. 6 and 7C include unwinding the sheet 130 from the stock roll coil 132 and feeding it horizontally straight to the roll forming machine. The roll forming machine is, for example, the illustrated roller forming machine having a set of first rollers 134 ′ and a set of second rollers 134 ″. Each of the first roller set 134'and the second roller set 134'' is configured to give the sheet 30 different shapes to form the desired shape. The shape can be a beam with at least one enclosed area. Upon exiting the roll forming machine, a welding machine 136 is provided which allows the sheet 130 to be welded and fixed into the desired shape, eg, the side edges of the sheet along the length of the sheet to another of the sheets. The sheet 130 is welded by welding to the portion and surrounding at least one tube shape. It is also conceivable that the desired shape can be a different cross-sectional shape without welding the edges of the sheet, or both side edges of the sheet can be welded.

Upon exiting the welding station 136, the welded tube shape is bent or swept by the sweep station 138, such as that shown in FIG. 7C, to fit, for example, the aerodynamic shape of the vehicle bumper or bumper region. Can be curved. It is also possible to cut a continuous beam or curved profile into areas of a certain length to provide multiple parts. These components can each define components such as structural frame members or energy absorber members for vehicles or other applications. For example, the formed vehicle component 140 may be configured to provide a vehicle reinforcement beam such as that shown in FIGS. 8-10. Thereby, the length and curvature of the enclosed beam can be adapted to the front or rear curvature design of the vehicle bumper. Also, the cross-sectional shape of the beam can be adapted to the desired energy absorption characteristics. As shown in FIG. 10, the component 140 is roll-formed to provide a generally constant cross-sectional shape along its length and two enclosed tubular areas 142. The edges 144 on both sides of the sheet 130 are curved to attach to the rear surface of the front wall 146. The component 140 may also include channels or reinforcing ribs 147 formed along the anterior wall 146 for increased rigidity and strength.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7C again, during machining step 122, the sheet 130 can be welded along the component 140 to form a geometrically and metallurgically strong weld. Thereby, due to the local heat from welding, the portion of the sheet to be welded or the heat sensitive area may return to the W tempered state. The formed component 140 can then be heat treated through the remaining aging steps 116 of the plurality of aging steps to achieve a generally homogeneous T6 or T7 tempered state throughout the vehicle component 140'. Thereby, the additional aging step 116 provides at least more homogeneous material properties and reduces or eliminates corrosion problems that would normally be present after welding an aluminum alloy with T6 tempering. In the final tempered state after heat treatment, the aluminum alloy components are generally less susceptible to corrosion and have more consistent material strength. Therefore, the entire heat treatment or aging process for achieving a T6 or T7 tempered state is divided into at least two steps, such as steps 114 and 116, which allow the sheet to be welded between these steps. To avoid excessive heat treatment. Excessive heat treatment, in addition to the extra time and cost of unnecessary heat treatment, can distort the geometry of the components and cause welding defects over time.

Referring to FIG. 11, an additional embodiment of the multi-stage process 210 comprises molding an aluminum alloy into a wrought product, i.e., an extruded product. Extruded products, such as those shown in step 212, are molded in a W tempered state. Thereby, the extruded product leaves the extruded die that processes the aluminum raw material. Similar to the embodiments described above, the aluminum extruded product 230 can then be artificially aged or heat treated through the first aging step in step 214 to achieve, for example, an intermediate tempered state or otherwise spread. The extruded material ages with insufficient heat and / or duration to achieve a final heat treated condition such as T6 or T7 tempered. During the initial heat treatment in step 214, the extruded article may be stored in inventory, such as that shown in step 220, or delivered or transported to a second location or facility. When removed from inventory or transported to the next stage, the wrought material can be machined to form component parts, such as those shown in step 222 in FIG. It is conceivable that the component component may be a component of various types or shapes, particularly with respect to the configuration of a vehicle or furniture, among other possible uses. The formed components can be heat treated through the remaining aging steps 216, for example, to achieve a generally homogeneous final tempered state throughout the component 40, as shown in FIG.

With respect to the general methods or molding steps discussed herein, those steps are carried out in various orders different from those discussed to similarly result in the formation of the desired component or beam or parts thereof. Can be done.

As used herein, tempering symbols for aluminum alloys are understood as follows. W tempering is applied only to alloys that spontaneously age after solution heat treatment. On the other hand, T tempering is applied to products that are heat treated with or without auxiliary strain hardening to produce a stable tempered state. T tempering is always followed by one or more numbers, such as T6. This number represents an alloy that has been solution-treated and then artificially aged. That is, T6 tempering is applied to (a) products that are not cold-worked after solution treatment, or (b) products in which the effect of cold-working on flattening or straightening cannot be recognized due to mechanical property limits. .. T7 tempering represents an alloy that is solution heat treated and overaged / stabilized. That is, T7 tempering is (a) a wrought material that is artificially aged after solution heat treatment to increase its strength beyond the maximum achievable to provide control of some important property or feature. Or (b) applied to castings that are artificially aged after solution heat treatment to provide dimensional and strength stability.

Also, for the purposes of this disclosure, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "rear", "front", "vertical", "horizontal" and their derivatives are used. It is related to the present invention in the orientation of FIG. However, it is understood that the present invention may take various alternative orientations, unless explicitly specified to be the opposite. It is also understood that the particular devices and processes shown in the accompanying drawings and described herein are merely exemplary embodiments of the invention concept as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, certain dimensions and other physical properties for embodiments disclosed herein should not be considered limiting unless expressly stated in the claims.

Modifications and modifications to the specifically described embodiments can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. The present invention is intended to be limited only by the appended claims, which are construed in accordance with the principles of patent law. The present disclosure has been exemplified. It is also understood that the term used is by nature intended as an explanatory term rather than a limitation. In light of the above teachings, many modified and modified forms of the present disclosure are possible. This disclosure may be carried out differently than specifically stated.

Claims (18)

A method of molding and processing aluminum wrought material to manufacture components.
Of the plurality of aging steps required to achieve the final tempered state, the provision is to provide an aluminum alloy sheet that has been heat-treated through the first aging step , wherein the first aging step is the aluminum. To provide an aluminum alloy sheet that provides an intermediate heat treatment state for the alloy sheet ,
The aluminum alloy sheet is molded into a desired shape by punching or roll molding at a molding station .
In the fusion welding process at the welding station following the forming station, the aluminum alloy sheet of the desired shape is welded between the forming station and the welding station without a processing step to provide components.
A method comprising heat-treating the processed component through the final aging step of the plurality of aging steps to achieve the final tempered state. The method of claim 1, wherein the first aging step comprises heat treating the wrought material at 100 ° C. for 5-6 hours. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the remaining aging step comprises heat treating the processed component over 130 ° C. for 10-18 hours. The method of claim 1, wherein the processed component is heat treated through the remaining aging steps to provide the final tempered state over the entire processed component. 1. Processing the wrought material comprises at least one of cutting, welding and molding the wrought material in order to provide the component in the desired shape. The method described in. The method of claim 1, wherein molding and welding the aluminum alloy sheet comprises forming a beam. The method according to claim 1, wherein the edge portion of the aluminum alloy sheet is welded in order to fix the aluminum alloy sheet in a tubular shape. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the final tempered state includes a T6 tempered state or a T7 tempered state. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the wrought material contains a 7xxx aluminum alloy. 17 . _ the method of. The method of any one of claims 1-10 , wherein the component comprises a reinforcing beam for a vehicle. A method of molding and processing aluminum wrought material to manufacture vehicle components.
Rolling an aluminum alloy to form a sheet ,
The sheet is subjected to solution heat treatment to provide a W tempered state.
Of the plurality of aging steps required for the sheet product to achieve a T6 or T7 tempered state, the sheet is heat-treated through the first aging step.
The sheet is continuously bent by a roll forming machine to roll form into a desired shape.
Welding the sheet of the desired shape between the roll forming machine and the welding machine without a processing step with a welding machine following the roll forming machine.
Including heat treating the vehicle component through the remaining aging steps of the plurality of aging steps to achieve a T6 or T7 tempered state over the entire vehicle component.
The vehicle components are less susceptible to stress corrosion cracking than components formed and fused from T6 or T7 tempered sheets by roll forming and welding prior to the remaining aging steps. .. 12. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sheet comprises a 7xxx aluminum alloy. 12. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first aging step comprises heat treating the sheet at 100 ° C. for a period of time that does not allow the sheet to achieve a T6 or T7 tempered state. The method of claim 14 , wherein the remaining aging step comprises heat treating the vehicle component at 150 ° C. until the vehicle component reaches a T6 or T7 tempered state. Welding the sheet means welding the edge of the sheet to another part of the sheet along the length of the sheet so as to surround at least one tube shape in the formation of the vehicle component. 12. The method of claim 12 . 16. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the sheet comprises rolling the sheet to form a reinforcing beam having at least one enclosed region. Welding the sheet causes the area of the welded portion of the sheet to achieve a W tempered state.
16. The method of claim 16 , wherein the region of the weld realizes a T6 or T7 tempered state during heat treatment of the vehicle component through the remaining aging steps.

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