Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
  • C22F—CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS
  • C22F1/00—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working
  • C22F1/04—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon
  • C22F1/047—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon of alloys with magnesium as the next major constituent
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
  • C22C—ALLOYS
  • C22C21/00—Alloys based on aluminium
  • C22C21/06—Alloys based on aluminium with magnesium as the next major constituent
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
  • C22C—ALLOYS
  • C22C21/00—Alloys based on aluminium
  • C22C21/06—Alloys based on aluminium with magnesium as the next major constituent
  • C22C21/08—Alloys based on aluminium with magnesium as the next major constituent with silicon
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
  • C22F—CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS
  • C22F1/00—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working
  • C22F1/04—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon
  • C22F1/05—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon of alloys of the Al-Si-Mg type, i.e. containing silicon and magnesium in approximately equal proportions

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the fields of material science, material chemistry, metallurgy, aluminum alloys, aluminum fabrication, and related fields.
• Aluminum alloys used for various applications must achieve certain properties. For instance, aluminum alloys are used for fabrication of inner and outer panels of transportation machinery. Aluminum alloys are useful for this application due to a combination of their light weight, which leads to increased fuel efficiency, strength, and other properties. Among other things, the aluminum alloys used for fabrication of inner and outer panels of transportation machinery should possess good formability, paint or other finish quality, dent resistance and immunity to natural aging. It is also desirable for the alloys used in the fabrication of transportation machinery to be recyclable. New and improved metal alloys with desirable characteristics suitable for fabrication of transportation machinery panels can expand the range of alloys available for these applications, lower the material costs, increase the aluminum recycling rates, decrease the capacity limits on the production of such alloys, and decrease the environmental impact of aluminum production and use.
• the present invention provides improved heat treatable aluminum alloys containing higher amounts of Mg than conventionally considered suitable for heat treatment and can exhibit age hardening if solutionized in continuous solution heat treatment lines.
• the improved aluminum alloys provided herein can be produced as sheet alloys and can be more suitable for recycling processes than conventional alloys.
• Some embodiments of the present invention are improved aluminum alloys suitable for fabricating automotive and other transportation machinery panels.
• Some other embodiments of the present invention are innovative new uses and applications of the aluminum alloys, improved innovative processes for making, fabricating or manufacturing aluminum alloys, processes for fabricating aluminum alloy forms, objects and parts, such as stamped sheet forms, the panels for transportation machinery.
• Aluminum alloy objects, parts and forms that are fabricated from the improved aluminum alloys and/or according to the innovative processes provided herein are also provided among the embodiments of the present invention.
• One embodiment of the present invention provided herein is an aluminum alloy comprising >1.5 % Mg by weight produced by a process comprising heat treatment.
• the heat treatment process can comprise T4 temper.
• the aluminum alloy can further comprise 0.2 to 0.4% Si by weight.
• the aluminum alloy can undergo age hardening.
• the aluminum alloy can be a sheet aluminum alloy.
• Another embodiment of the present invention provided herein is a stamped sheet form fabricated from the above sheet aluminum alloy.
• the stamped sheet form can be an automotive panel.
• One embodiment of the present invention provided herein is a process for fabricating a sheet aluminum alloy comprising >1.5 % Mg and 0.2 to 0.4% Si by weight, comprising heat treatment.
• the process can comprise T4 temper.
• the resulting sheet aluminum alloy can exhibit age hardening.
• One more embodiment of the present invention described herein is a process for fabricating a stamped sheet form, comprising stamping the above sheet aluminum alloys.
• the stamped sheet form can be an automotive panel.
• Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating process steps used for producing sheet aluminum alloys.
• Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of various sheet stampings used in automobile production.
• Figure 3 is a bar graph showing DIN tensile properties of an alloy in O temper and paint bake.
• Figure 4 is a bar graph showing tensile properties of an alloy in the T4, 2% stretch, and 2% stretch followed by 20 min at 185°C.
• Figure 5 is a bar graph showing tensile properties of an alloy in the T4 temper and after paint bake simulation (60 min at 180°C).
• Figure 6 is a line plot illustrating age hardening of AA5251-T4 alloy.
• 6xxx series aluminum alloys such as AA61 11, AA6016 and AA6022, are typically used for producing automotive outer skin panels.
• 6xxx series alloys contain relatively high levels of Si and low levels of Mg, are heat treatable, and exhibit age hardening, which confers on these alloys the strength parameters suitable for fabrication of the outer panels for transportation machinery, such as automobiles.
• 5xxx series aluminum alloys in O temper such as AA5182-0 or AA5754-0, are often preferred for inner panel fabrication in automotive and related industries due to their formability properties.
• 5xxx series aluminum alloys have very little tolerance to retain Si in solid solution. If Si is added to 5xxx series aluminum alloys, it tends to combine with Mg to form coarse Mg 2 Si particles during casting. These particles are difficult to solutionize to produce super saturated solid solution of Mg and Si during solutionizing and fast cooling on the continuous annealing lines. For this reason, 5xxx series aluminum alloys contain relatively low Si levels and relatively high Mg levels, and are considered to be non-heat treatable due to their high Mg content. The presence of coarse Mg 2 Si is potentially detrimental to formability.
• alloys that contain relatively high levels of Mg, such as >1.5% Mg are heat treatable and exhibit age hardening, if appropriate amounts of Si and/or Cu are present in such alloy.
• This property makes aluminum alloys with relatively high magnesium content, as compared to traditional 6xxx alloys, unexpectedly and advantageously suitable for applications where age hardening is desirable.
• the inventors discovered that some aluminum alloys containing higher amounts of Mg than conventionally considered suitable for heat treatment, but lower amounts of Mg and higher amounts of Si in comparison to 5xxx series aluminum alloys traditionally used for inner automotive panel fabrication, such as AA5754 or AA5182 alloys, can exhibit age hardening if solutionized in continuous solution heat treatment lines.
• the inventors' discoveries are embodied in the improved aluminum alloys described herein.
• the improved aluminum alloys described herein can be produced as sheets, in which case they can be referred to as "sheet aluminum alloys," “aluminum sheets,” “sheet alloys” or by other related terms, in singular or plural.
• the term "aluminum alloy” and similar terms used herein are broader in scope than “sheet aluminum alloy” and similar terms.
• sheet aluminum alloys are a subset of aluminum alloys.
• Sheet aluminum alloys can possess the same or similar composition but, in some instances, different properties than the same alloy not in a sheet form. Some of these properties may be conferred by the manufacturing or fabrication processes used in the production of sheet aluminum alloys.
• the improved aluminum alloys that embody applicants' discoveries exhibit age hardening similarly to 6xxx series alloys. They can also exhibit formability properties similar to those of 5xxx series aluminum alloys.
• the improved aluminum alloys are heat treatable.
• the improved aluminum alloys can be suitable for fabricating automotive and other transportation machinery panels, and, more generally, in the applications where high-Mg 5xxx series alloys are traditionally used.
• Increased content of Si and/or Cu in the improved aluminum alloys according to some embodiments of the present invention is beneficial in the applications where age hardening is desirable, because Si and/or Cu are capable of conferring hardening on solutionized alloys due to precipitation of Mg 2 Si and Al 2 CuMg particles during natural or artificial ageing.
• some other elements can be present in the improved aluminum alloys described herein in higher amounts than in some 5xxx series aluminum alloys conventionally used for fabrication of automotive panels.
• the presence of such elements can confer advantageous properties on the improved aluminum alloys described herein.
• increased levels of Mn may promote formation of dispersoids, which can help to disperse slip, thus improving formability.
• improved aluminum alloys described herein are more suitable for recycling processes than conventional alloys, because the improved aluminum alloys are tolerant to relatively higher amounts of Si, Cu, Fe or Mn, as compared to 5xxx series aluminum alloys conventionally used for automotive panel manufacturing, such as AA5754 and AA5182 alloys. Accordingly, improved recycling processes embody some of the inventors' discoveries.
• the inventors' discoveries are embodied in innovative new uses and applications of the aluminum alloys, in improved innovative processes for making, fabricating or manufacturing aluminum alloys, in the processes for fabricating aluminum alloy forms, objects and parts, such as stamped sheet forms, the panels for transportation machinery.
• Aluminum alloy objects, parts and forms that are fabricated from the improved aluminum alloys and/or according to the innovative processes described herein also embody the inventors' discoveries.
• the improved aluminum alloys according to the embodiments of the present invention differ from the conventional alloys used in automotive applications in that they contain higher levels of one or more of Si, Cu, Fe, Mn, or Zn and lower levels of Mg, than at least some of 5xxx series alloys and/or higher levels of Mg than at least some 6xxx series alloys
• Table 1 The composition of the improved aluminum alloys is illustrated in Table 1 , below. The content of the listed element can fall within the ranges delimited by a lower range limit and an upper range limit shown in Table 1.
• a lower range limit can be delineated by expressions "equal to or more than” (> sign) or "more than” (> sign), or other related signs and expression, such as "from
• Improved aluminum alloys described herein, including sheet aluminum alloys possess one or more properties that make them suitable for the use in automotive applications, such as fabrication of automotive panels or, more generally, panels for various types of transportation machinery, or, even more generally, stamped sheet forms. Some of these properties are formability, yield strength and age hardening. Improved aluminum alloys also possess advantageous recycling compatibility with 6xxx series aluminum alloys, such as AA61 11, AA6022 or AA6016.
• Formability properties of the aluminum alloys described herein can be influenced by a number of variables.
• Formability properties include, but are not limited to, deep drawability and stretchability.
• One variable affecting formability properties is the composition of an aluminum alloy.
• formability including castability, is influenced by the amounts of Mg, Cu and Si in an aluminum alloy. High combined amounts of Mg, Si and/or Cu generally make it more difficult to cast and hot roll an aluminum alloy. Accordingly, the content of one or more of these elements can be varied to arrive at the desired formability properties.
• Other variables that can affect formability are fabrication process variations and conditions, such as, but not limited to, aluminum sheet processing steps and conditions, surface texturing process steps and conditions and lubrication process steps and conditions.
• paint bake response of an aluminum alloy refers to change in strength during the paint cure process. Paint bake response is usually tested in the laboratory by ageing the deformed or nondeformed material in the T4 temper at elevated temperature. The exact simulation conditions determine the paint bake response vary from one car company to the other. For example, the paint bake response can be defined as change in strength by ageing an aluminum alloy at 180°C. Strength
• the improved aluminum alloys according to the embodiments of the present invention can exhibit 80 to 160 MPa yield strength (YS), which can be similar or equivalent to that of AA5754 or AA5182 in a typical finished and painted part required for automotive application.
• strength of an improved aluminum alloy is influenced by increasing an amount of Cu in the aluminum alloy, as compared to Cu content of the alloys conventionally used for fabrication of panels for automobiles and other transportation machinery.
• inventions described herein are heat treatable and exhibit age-related hardening, while exhibiting formability comparable to typical 5xxx aluminum alloys conventionally used in automotive applications. 5xxx aluminum alloys were previously not known to be heat treatable or exhibit age related hardening upon heat treatment. Improved aluminum alloys according to some embodiments of the present invention contain higher levels of Mg than the aluminum alloys conventionally recognized as heat treatable. Some examples of the improved aluminum alloys of the present invention contain >1.5% of Mg and are heat treatable. The presence of appropriate amounts of Si and/or Cu confers heat treatability and age hardening properties on an improved aluminum alloy containing >1.5% of Mg.
• improved aluminum alloys of the present invention contain reduced amount of Mg.
• Reduced levels of Mg can result in lower cost of the improved aluminum alloys described herein, as well as in the lower costs of the forms the objects manufactured from such alloys, since less Mg is required for production.
• Reduced levels of Mg in the improved aluminum alloys described herein can also result in improved solubility of Si in aluminum during solutionizing, which advantageously affects the properties of the alloys.
• Both Si and Cu are capable of improving hardening of solutionized the improved aluminum alloys described herein due to precipitation of Mg2Si and A ⁇ CuMg or Q (AlMgSiCu) containing particles during ageing.
• the improved aluminum alloys of this invention possess a tolerance for higher amounts of Si than conventional 5xxx series alloys used for manufacturing of automotive panels. This higher tolerance for Si and/or the ability of the improved aluminum alloys described herein to exhibit paint bake response makes them suitable and compatible with 6xxx alloys for recycling.
• the improved aluminum alloys of the present invention have an advantageous combination of properties that allows these improved alloys to be used in place of conventional high-Mg aluminum alloys for various applications.
• the improved aluminum alloys described herein can expand the range of alloys available for a variety of applications, one of which is manufacturing of stamped sheet forms, such as panels for automobiles and other transportation machinery, increase aluminum recycling rates, lower the costs of aluminum alloy manufacturing, and decrease the environmental impact of aluminum production
• Improved aluminum described herein can be fabricated by the processes that include at least some of the technological steps described below. At least some of these technological steps can confer advantageous properties on the improved aluminum alloys. It is therefore important, in some cases, to include process steps when describing the improved aluminum alloys.
• one exemplary embodiment of an improved aluminum alloy described herein is AA5251 alloy.
• AA5251 alloy which contains >1.5% Mg, was not known to be suitable for heat treatment, and to exhibit age hardening, when in the T4 temper.
• an exemplary embodiment of improved aluminum alloys described herein is AA5251 alloy in T4 temper, which can be referred to as AA5251-T4.
• the processes of making or fabricating the improved aluminum alloys can involve heat treating in order to alter the physical and/or chemical properties of the improved aluminum alloys.
• Heat treatments involve the use of heating and/or chilling, of an aluminum alloy to achieve a desired result, such as hardening.
• An embodiment of the processes described herein employs T4 or T4P temper, which involves solution heat treatment and natural aging of an aluminum alloy to a substantially stable condition.
• T4P temper refers to special thermal heat treatment included following solutionizing. This treatment can be implemented either by controlled cooling from solutionizing temperature or be reheating to a temperature ranging from 50 to 1 10°C within an hour of solutionizing.
• T6 and T8 tempers can also be used.
• FIG. 1 One exemplary process is schematically illustrated in Figure 1. It is to be understood that one or more of the process steps illustrated in Figure 1 can be incorporated into the processes for making improved aluminum alloys. Another example of a process that incorporates one or more steps that can be combined in various ways and suitably employed for fabricating the improved aluminum alloys is described in this paragraph.
• An improved sheet aluminum alloy is produced from a direct chilled (DC) ingot.
• the hot rolling stock may also be produced from a continuous cast slab.
• the DC cast ingots are scalped to remove near surface segregation layer on both sides of the ingot and homogenized at a temperature between 500 and 575°C for time periods between 1 to 48 hours before being subjected to hot and cold rolling to the final gauge.
• Improved sheet aluminum alloy can also be subjected to special surface texturing, such as, but not limited to, electro discharge texturing, in order to improve formability of the final sheet.
• the cold rolled strip is solutionized by heating at >3°C/s in a continuous annealing line to a temperature between 500 and 575°C, followed by fast cooling and natural ageing to produce sheet in the T4 temper.
• Solution heat treatment can re-dissolve soluble particles, such as Mg 2 Si or other particles back into the matrix, depending on the alloy composition.
• Fast quenching is used to produce a super saturated solid solution, in terms of both solutes and excess vacancies.
• the fast cooling from the solutionizing temperature can be carried out in forced air, water mist, or combination of both water mist and forced air.
• Coiling is performed at a temperature between 50 to 1 10°C, followed by coil cooling at a rate ⁇ 10°C/hour.
• the coil can be reheated in the strip form to ensure the coiling temperature between 50 to 110°C. It is possible to subject the solutionized sheet alloy to either acidic or alkaline cleaning, followed by pre- treatment with special chemicals and lubricants, oils or waxes before coiling at a temperature between 50 and 1 10°C.
• the coil can be blanked and used for stamping inner panels, such as those illustrated in Figure 2.
• a direct chilled cast alloy ingot is homogenized above 500°C for >2 hours, hot rolled to an intermediate gauge with coiling temperature between 280 to 400°C, cold rolled to the final gauge in one or more passes with either mill or optimized finished texture and solutionized in the strip form at temperatures above 480°C in a continuous annealing line, fast cooled and coiled between 50°C and 120°C.
• the hot coiling step is optional and is used to improve the paint bake response of the alloy. In some situations, the solutionized coil may also be cleaned, pretreated and lubricated prior to stamping.
• AA5754 or AA5182 alloys are supplied for manufacturing of automotive panels in the soft O temper, so that a part can be formed from these alloys and then subjected to paint cure operation.
• AA5754 or AA5182 in O temper exhibit softening due to recovery during paint bake.
• the improved aluminum alloys according to some embodiments of the present invention are not subject to such softening or are not subject to it to the same extent as AA5754 or AA5182 in O temper.
• the improved aluminum alloys described herein can maintain strength closer to AA5754 and AA5182 after forming and paint cure.
• the strength properties on the final part manufactured from the improved aluminum alloys of the present invention can be similar or equivalent to AA5754 alloy.
• the uses and applications of the improved aluminum alloys and objects that are manufactured from such alloys are not limited to automobile panels.
• Other objects can be suitably manufactured from the improved aluminum alloys described herein.
• One example is the panels generally incorporated into various transportation vehicles and other moving machinery, which can be termed "transportation panels” or “machinery panels.”
• transport panels or “machinery panels.”
• the panels used for transport trucks can be advantageously manufactured from the improved aluminum alloys described herein.
• Transport trucks with aluminum cabs are traditionally produced from AA5052 alloy. This alloy has a tendency to exhibit stretch bands or yield point elongation during forming, causing objectionable surface appearance.
• Improved aluminum alloys according to some embodiments of the present invention do not exhibit yield point elongation and can be used to advantageously replace AA5052 alloy for manufacturing of panels used in transport trucks.
• some embodiments of the improved aluminum alloys described herein in comparison to conventional 5xxx alloys, show less tendency to display Luders bands, also known as “slip bands” or “stretcher-strain marks,” which are localized bands of plastic deformation in metals experiencing tensile stresses. Accordingly, the improved aluminum alloys described herein can be advantageously employed in the manufacturing of parts or objects where Luders bands are objectionable, such as outer panels for automobiles and other transportation vehicles and moving machinery.
• alloys described herein are suitable for complex electronic applications.
• One example of such application is aluminum TV frames. More generally, various sheet stamping, stamped sheet forms, stamped panels, or related objects fabricated from the improved aluminum alloys described herein are included within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention.
• This example shows the effects of solutionizing on the tensile properties of an aluminum alloy.
• An aluminum ingot containing 1.85% Mg, 0.3% Fe, 0.28% Mn and 0.29% Si was homogenized at 540°C for >5 hours, hot rolled to 3.2 mm gauge and cold rolled to the final 1.3 mm gauge.
• the cold rolled 1.3 mm gauge sheets were solutionized for 2 min at 560°C, cooled and immediately pre-aged for 8 h at 85°C.
• the transverse ASTM properties of the solutionized alloy were determined after 24 hours of natural ageing.
• Figure 4 shows comparative tensile properties of the alloy in the T4 temper, 2% stretch and 2% stretch plus 20 min at 185°C tempers.
• the aluminum alloy in the T4 temper was stronger in comparison to its O temper counterpart, as illustrated by the comparison of Figures 3 and 4.
• the aluminum alloy in T4 temper exhibited a significant increase in YS due to 2% stretch and after subjecting the stretch sample to ageing at 185°C for 20 min.
• the tensile properties of the aluminum alloy in the T4 temper were close to the conventional AA5754 alloy.
• the yield strength of the aluminum alloy was close to the expected strength of AA5182 or AA5754 alloy, after subjecting it to similar paint bake treatment.
• the alloy tested in this example exhibited 143 MPa YS, 284 MPa UTS and 28% total elongation in the T4 temper, and showed significant hardening after ageing for 60 min at 180°C due to precipitation of CuMgAl 2 and Mg 2 Si particles.
• the aluminum ingots of AA5754 and AA5251 alloy having the composition shown in Table 3 were homogenized at 540°C for >5 hours, hot rolled and cold rolled to the final 1 and 1.3 mm gauges, respectively, in separate trials. Coils of AA5754 and AA5251 were solutionized on the continuous annealing line at 500 and 560°C, respectively.
• the tensile test results from the trial coils are shown in Table 4. It can be seen that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the conventional AA5754 sheet in O temper in the 0°, 45° and 90° with respect to the rolling direction is close to 100 MPa and within the 219 to 231 MPa range, respectively.
• AA5251 alloy in O temper exhibits lower values compared to the AA5754, except for the strain hardening exponent (n) value.
• AA5251 alloy in T temper exhibits significant improvement in strength properties, such as yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, compared to AA5251 O temper alloy. In terms of strength, AA5251 T temper alloy falls between AA5754 and AA5251-0 temper.
• AA5251 T temper alloy exhibits paint bake response typically not observed in the AA5251 and AA5754-0 temper alloys.
• the detected improvements in AA5251 T temper alloy offer a possibility of using it as a substitute for AA5754 and possibly AA5182 alloys.
• Marginally inferior forming characteristics of AA5251 T temper alloy, indicated by lower elongation, UTS and n values can be compensated by variety of techniques including optimizing alloy and process composition, using preferred sheet surface texture, or choice of lubricant during forming. Table 3.

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