TW201713780A - Aluminum alloy composition and manufacturing method of aluminum alloy object - Google Patents

Abstract

An aluminum alloy composition and a manufacturing method of an aluminum alloy object are provided. The aluminum alloy composition comprises 10-16 wt% of Si, 0.9-2.2 wt% of Mg, 0.8-1.2 wt% of the combination of Cu, Ni, and Ti, and the remainder being Al.

Description

Aluminum alloy composition and method for manufacturing aluminum alloy article

The disclosure relates to an aluminum alloy composition and a method of manufacturing an aluminum alloy article.

In recent years, in the case of soaring oil prices and the increasing emphasis on energy and environmental issues, aircraft and components such as steam and locomotives (such as aircraft engine bay brackets, escape door hinges, exhaust manifolds) The use of lightweight aluminum alloy materials has become a major trend. At present, most of the aluminum alloy components of aircraft and steam, locomotive and other transportation tools are made by traditional casting methods. This traditional process has limitations on product appearance and structural design, and requires cumbersome CNC post-processing and heat treatment processes (for example, three Stage process: forming, CNC post-processing, heat treatment), the overall process is time consuming, energy consuming, and consumables, and the processing of power components with complex shapes is more difficult. Due to the complicated processing procedure of the traditional casting method and the long processing time, the overall processing cost is quite high, so it is very unsuitable for the development of aluminum alloy components for aircraft and steam, locomotive and other transportation vehicles with complex structures and multiple needs. .

In summary, the industry is committed to developing new aluminum alloy forming methods to solve the problems of time-consuming, energy-consuming and consumable materials of the prior art.

The disclosure relates to an aluminum alloy composition and a method of manufacturing an aluminum alloy article.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an aluminum alloy composition is proposed. The aluminum alloy composition comprises 10 to 16% by weight of bismuth, 0.9 to 2.2% by weight of magnesium, 0.8 to 1.2% by weight of copper, a combination of nickel and titanium, and the balance being aluminum.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing an aluminum alloy article is proposed. The method of manufacturing an aluminum alloy article includes the following steps. Providing an aluminum alloy composition comprising 10-16% by weight of bismuth, 0.9 to 2.2% by weight of magnesium, 0.8 to 1.2% by weight of copper, a combination of nickel and titanium, and the balance being aluminum; The aluminum powder composition is processed by a dusting method to form a plurality of aluminum alloy powders; a portion of the aluminum alloy powder is subjected to a laser laminate to form an aluminum alloy article; and a heat treatment step is performed on the aluminum alloy article.

In order to better understand the above and other aspects of the present invention, the preferred embodiments are described below in detail as follows:

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy composition has a main component of aluminum and has a relatively high content of 10 to 16% by weight of bismuth and 0.9 to 2.2% by weight of magnesium, and thus has a relatively high aluminum alloy machine. Intensity; and the aluminum alloy composition is made into an aluminum alloy powder by an inert gas dusting method, and then the aluminum alloy is melted into an object by a laser lamination process, and then the aging heat treatment is performed to precipitate and strengthen the aluminum alloy object. Mechanical strength, the mechanical strength of the aluminum alloy article can be greatly improved to a normal temperature tensile strength of 400 MPa or more, a normal temperature drop strength of 250 MPa or more, and a normal temperature elongation of 10% or more. The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below. The details of the embodiments are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those having ordinary knowledge may modify or change the components as needed in accordance with the actual implementation.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an aluminum alloy composition is proposed below. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy composition is, for example, an aluminum alloy powder composition, and the aluminum alloy composition can be applied to an aluminum alloy object. Still further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy composition can be applied to an aluminum alloy article by a process of inert gas dusting, laser laminate melting, and aging heat treatment.

In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy composition comprises 10-16% by weight of niobium, 0.9 to 2.2% by weight of magnesium, 0.8 to 1.2% by weight of copper, a combination of nickel and titanium, and the balance being aluminum. That is, in the aluminum alloy composition of the examples, the remainder of the composition was substantially aluminum in addition to the above-mentioned percentage by weight of bismuth, magnesium and a combination of copper, nickel and titanium.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the aluminum alloy composition has a relatively high The content of 矽. In some embodiments, the content of niobium is 10-16% by weight, which can improve the casting fluidity and thereby increase the mechanical strength of the fabricated aluminum alloy article. When the content of niobium is too low, the casting fluidity is low, and the hardness of the formed aluminum alloy formed article is also lowered.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy composition has a relatively high content of magnesium. In some embodiments, the content of magnesium is from 0.9 to 2.2% by weight, so that the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the aluminum alloy can be effectively increased. Further, the aluminum alloy composition has a relatively high content of 10 to 16% by weight of bismuth with a relatively high content of 0.9 to 2.2% by weight of magnesium, and the magnesium atom in the aluminum alloy can form magnesium telluride with the bismuth atom (Mg ₂ Si), the magnesium telluride compound is a precipitation strengthening phase in the aluminum alloy, which can significantly improve the mechanical strength of the aluminum alloy and increase the wear resistance of the aluminum alloy, thereby effectively increasing the mechanical properties of the aluminum alloy.

Moreover, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy composition can be applied to manufacture aluminum alloy articles by laser laminate. Compared to the aluminum alloy produced by the traditional casting process, the aluminum alloy has a slower cooling rate (about 10 ° C / s), while the laser deposition process has a faster cooling rate (about 10 ^{2 ~ 3} ° C / s). Therefore, the use of a laser laminate to produce an aluminum alloy composition having a high content of bismuth and magnesium in combination with the present disclosure can improve the solid solution ratio of the strengthening elements (for example, bismuth and magnesium) in the aluminum alloy, and is less prone to segregation. In this way, the microstructure of the formed aluminum alloy article can have characteristics of fine crystal grains, uniform microstructure, and the like, thereby effectively improving the physical properties and mechanical properties of the aluminum alloy.

In one embodiment, the weight percent of the bismuth aluminum alloy composition is from about 10% to about 13%.

In one embodiment, the copper is about the weight percent of the aluminum alloy composition. 0.25~0.4%. When the amount of copper added is too high, the fluidity of the aluminum alloy solution (for the inert gas dusting process) is low, and the D50 particle size of the powdered aluminum alloy powder is too large (for example, more than 40 micrometers). The shaped part produced after the manufacture of the laser laminate has an excessively high surface roughness. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the amount of copper added is 0.25 to 0.4% by weight, proper fluidity of the aluminum alloy solution can be maintained, and at the same time, mechanical strength, heat resistance, and corrosion resistance of the aluminum alloy can be increased.

In one embodiment, the nickel comprises from about 0.35 to about 0.5% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition.

In one embodiment, the titanium comprises from about 0.2% to about 0.3% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing an aluminum alloy article is provided below. In some embodiments, a method of making an aluminum alloy article includes the following steps.

First, an aluminum alloy composition as described above is provided. In some embodiments, the aluminum alloy composition comprises 10-16% by weight of niobium, 0.9 to 2.2% by weight of magnesium, 0.8 to 1.2% by weight of copper, a combination of nickel and titanium, and the balance being aluminum.

In one embodiment, the weight percent of the bismuth aluminum alloy composition is from about 10% to about 13%. In one embodiment, the copper comprises about 0.25 to 0.4% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition. In one embodiment, the nickel comprises from about 0.35 to about 0.5% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition. In one embodiment, the titanium comprises from about 0.2% to about 0.3% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition.

Next, the aluminum alloy composition is treated by an inert gas dusting method. A plurality of aluminum alloy powders are formed. Specifically, the aluminum alloy material is firstly arranged according to the above element composition and weight ratio, and the material is smelted and refined by a high temperature melting furnace to obtain an aluminum alloy block; then, the smelted aluminum alloy block is melted at a high temperature. The aluminum alloy powder is prepared by spraying an aluminum alloy solution with an inert gas, and the aluminum alloy powders are highly spherical.

In some embodiments, the inert gas dusting process comprises a vacuum induction smelting gas atomization (VIGA) process. In some embodiments, the aluminum alloy powder has a particle size of about 5 to 60 micrometers (μm). In some embodiments, the aluminum alloy powder may also have a particle size of about 15 to 35 microns.

Next, a laser laminate is fabricated on the aluminum alloy powder to form an aluminum alloy article. In some embodiments, the laser laminate manufacturing includes, for example, a laser firing step of the aluminum alloy powder, and the heating temperature of the laser melting step is, for example, 660 to 2400 °C.

Next, a heat treatment step is performed on the aluminum alloy article, and the heat treatment step is, for example, an aging heat treatment. In some embodiments, the heating temperature of the heat treatment step is, for example, 150 to 175 ° C, and the heating time is, for example, 6 to 8 hours.

The following examples are further described. The following series shows the composition of the aluminum alloy composition of several embodiments and the characteristic test results after the aluminum alloy article is fabricated to illustrate the characteristics of the aluminum alloy composition obtained by applying the present disclosure. However, the following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the implementation of the disclosure. The composition of the aluminum alloy composition of each of the examples and the comparative examples and the characteristic test results after the production of the aluminum alloy article are shown in Tables 1 and 2, wherein the ratio of each element is based on the weight percentage (wt%) of the entire aluminum alloy composition. Said.

In Table 1, the composition of the examples and comparative examples, except the table column and notes 1~2 In addition to the individual weight percentage elements (eg, barium, magnesium, copper, nickel, titanium, etc.), the remainder of the composition is substantially aluminum, expressed as "bal.", and "-" indicates essentially 0wt%. It should be noted that those of ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure will understand that, based on the selection of the starting materials of the respective elements, the composition formed may be in addition to the predetermined elements and their weight percentages. There are traces of other impurity elements that were originally present in the starting material.

In Table 2, Examples A1 to A6 were prepared by using the compositions of Examples A1 to A6 of Table 1, respectively, and sequentially subjected to inert gas dusting, laser laminate melting and aging heat treatment (165 ° C, 6 hours). Aluminum objects. Further, in Table 2, Comparative Example A357, Comparative Example AC4B-1, and Comparative Example AlSi ₁₀ Mg-1 were respectively composed of Comparative Example A357, Comparative Example AC4B, and Comparative Example AlSi ₁₀ Mg of Table 1, and were conventional. Aluminum alloy articles obtained by three-stage casting process of forming, CNC post-processing and heat treatment; Comparative Example AC4B-2 and Comparative Example AlSi ₁₀ Mg-2 were respectively composed of Comparative Example AC4B of Table 1 and Comparative Example AlSi ₁₀ Mg And the aluminum alloy articles obtained by inert gas dusting, laser laminated sintering and aging heat treatment (165 ° C, 8 hours).

The powders formed by the inert gas spraying of the compositions of Examples A1 to A6 have an average particle diameter D50 of about 26.3 to 28.7 micrometers (μm), a fluidity (Carr index) of about 15.3% to 17.9%, and a bulk density of about It is 70.6~72.2%. For example, the powder formed by the inert gas dusting of the composition of Example A2 has an average particle diameter D50 of about 26.4 μm, a fluidity (Carr index) of about 15.3%, and a bulk density of about 72.2%.

In Table 2, "laser laminate melt hardness (HRB)" means the hardness of the melt of the aluminum alloy composition after the inert gas dusting and the laser laminate melting, but not subjected to the aging heat treatment, "aging The post-hardness (HRB) indicates the hardness of the burned melt formed by the laser laminate after the aging heat treatment. "Normal temperature tensile strength (UTS)", "normal temperature drop strength (YS)" and "normal temperature elongation (Elongation)" are measured after the aging treatment of the melt. Each of the above mechanical properties was measured with the instrument Gleeble 3500.

Table 2

As shown in Table 2, in the samples of Examples A1 to A6, as the content of strontium and magnesium increased, the hardness of the aluminum alloy material increased significantly after aging, among which The melt of Example A6 had the greatest increase in hardness after aging heat treatment.

Further, as shown in Table 2, in the samples of Examples A1 to A6, it is considered that both the strength and the ductility of the material must be considered, wherein the melt of the melt of Example A2 has the best mechanical strength at room temperature after aging heat treatment. (normal temperature tensile strength and normal temperature drop strength) and room temperature elongation.

In summary, the present disclosure provides an aluminum alloy composition, an aluminum alloy article produced by using the same, and a method for manufacturing the same, the aluminum alloy composition (aluminum alloy article) is mainly composed of aluminum and has a relatively high content. Niobium and magnesium have a relatively high mechanical strength of aluminum alloy. Further, after the aluminum alloy composition is smelted, a spherical powder having a uniform composition and a solid solution state is produced by an inert gas dusting method, and the melted melt which is also in a solid solution state can be formed by the laser laminate. The aging heat treatment is only required, and the mechanical strength of the aluminum alloy article can be greatly improved to a normal temperature tensile strength of 400 MPa or more, a normal temperature drop strength of 250 MPa or more, and a normal temperature elongation of 10% or more.

In conclusion, the present invention has been disclosed in the above preferred embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. A person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (14)

An aluminum alloy composition comprising: 10-16% by weight of bismuth; 0.9 to 2.2% by weight of magnesium; 0.8 to 1.2% by weight of a combination of copper, nickel and titanium; and the balance being aluminum. The aluminum alloy composition according to claim 1, wherein the weight percentage of the aluminum alloy composition is 10 to 13%. The aluminum alloy composition according to claim 1, wherein the copper comprises 0.25 to 0.4% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition. The aluminum alloy composition according to claim 1, wherein the nickel accounts for 0.35 to 0.5% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition. The aluminum alloy composition according to claim 1, wherein the titanium comprises 0.2 to 0.3% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition. A method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy article, comprising: providing an aluminum alloy composition comprising: 10-16% by weight of bismuth; 0.9-2.2% by weight of magnesium; 0.8-1.2% by weight of copper, nickel and titanium Combination; and The remaining portion is aluminum; the aluminum alloy composition is treated by an inert gas dusting method to form a plurality of aluminum alloy powders; and the aluminum alloy powders are subjected to a laser laminate to form an aluminum alloy article; The aluminum alloy article is subjected to a heat treatment step. The manufacturing method of claim 6, wherein the inert gas dusting method comprises a vacuum induction smelting gas atomization (VIGA) process. The manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the aluminum alloy powder has a particle diameter of 5 to 60 μm. The manufacturing method of claim 6, wherein the laser lamination process comprises: performing a laser sintering step on the aluminum alloy powder, wherein the heating temperature of the laser sintering step is 660 to 2400 °C. The manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the heat treatment step has a heating temperature of 150 to 175 °C. The manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the weight percentage of the aluminum alloy composition is 10 to 13%. The manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the copper accounts for 0.25 to 0.4% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition. The manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the nickel accounts for 0.35 to 0.5% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition. The manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the titanium accounts for 0.2 to 0.3% by weight of the aluminum alloy composition.