Alcan International Limited

Novelis, Inc.

Alok Kumar Gupta

David James Lloyd

Pierre Henri Marois

Michael Jackson Bull

Rajeev G Kamat

Michael John Wheeler

Robert Bruce Wagstaff

Iljoon Jin

Aude Celine Despois

David Michael Custers

Devesh Mathur

Paul A Wycliffe

John Fitzsimon

Daehoon Kang

DaeHoon Kang

Gijsbertus Langelaan

Daniel Ronald Evans

Phil Morris

Eduardo Adrian Chuc Gamboa

Provided herein are anodized quality AA6xxx series aluminum alloy sheets and methods for making anodized quality AA6xxx series aluminum alloy sheets. Also described herein are products prepared from the anodized quality AA6xxx series aluminum alloy sheets. Such products include consumer electronic products, consumer electronic product parts, architectural sheet products, architectural sheet product parts, and automobile body parts.

AA6xxx aluminum alloy sheet with high anodized quality and method for making same

Disclosed are novel processes to increase productivity on a continuous anneal and solution heat treatment line for heat-treatable automotive aluminum sheet products with high T4 and after-paint bake strengths and reduced roping. As a non-limiting example, the processes described herein can be used in the automotive industry. The disclosed heat treatable alloys and processes also may be applicable to the marine, aerospace, and transportation industries.

Highly formable automotive aluminum sheet with reduced or no surface roping and a method of preparation

A method of producing a clad sheet article having superplastic properties, and the resulting clad sheet article. The method involves producing a cladding layer onto at least one rolling face of a core ingot made of a metal having superplastic properties, preferably by co-casting, to form a clad ingot and then rolling said clad ingot to produce a sheet article. The core ingot includes an element that diffuses from an interior of the ingot to a surface at superplastic forming temperatures thereby deteriorating surface properties of the ingot. The cladding layer is provided with an element (dopant) that reacts with the element of the core to reduce the ability of the element to diffuse through the cladding layer.

Cladding superplastic alloys

A process of producing a shaped article suitable for use as an automotive body panel intended for finishing by painting and, if necessary, baking. The process comprises obtaining a sheet article made of an aluminum alloy of the 2000 or 6000 series in a T4 or T4P temper and that exhibits an increase in hardness after painting and optionally baking, shaping the sheet article by forming to produce an intermediate shaped article, and subjecting the intermediate shaped article to a thermal spiking treatment prior to painting and optionally baking. The thermal spiking treatment involves heating the intermediate shaped article from ambient temperature to a temperature in a range of 150 to 300&deg; C. with or without holding at that temperature for a period of time to enhance the increase in hardness. The process may also include the painting and optionally baking step. The invention includes the shaped articles, either prior to or after painting and optionally baking, produced by the process. The invention makes it possible to provide shaped articles that develop good hardness when used as automotive panels and the like, and may thus make it possible to reduce the gauge (and therefore weight) of those articles. This can be done without having to modify conventional procedures of casting and rolling to gauge to produce coiled sheet products.

Heat treatment of formed aluminum alloy products

An aluminum alloy containing the following elements in the stated amounts: 0.6&lE;Mg&lE;0.9; 0.25&lE;Si&lE;0.6; 0.25&lE;Cu&lE;0.9; Fe<0.4; Mn<0.4; the total of the amounts of Cu, Si and Mg being, in atomic weight percent, more than 1.2% and less than 1.8%. These alloys may be subjected to homogenization at about 470 to 560&deg; C. for more than four hours, hot rolling at a temperature in the range of 400 to 580&deg; C., cold rolling, solutionizing at a temperature in the range of 470 to 580&deg; C., and natural aging at ambient temperature. The alloys may then be used as structural components for all aluminum vehicles and may be recycled with other aluminum alloys used in such vehicles.

Precipitation-hardened aluminum alloys for automotive structural applications

A process of producing an aluminum alloy sheet product suitable for forming into automotive parts and exhibiting reduced roping effects. The process involves producing an aluminum alloy sheet product by direct chill casting an aluminum alloy to form a cast ingot, homogenizing the ingot, hot rolling the ingot to form and intermediate gauge product, cold rolling the intermediate gauge product to form a product of final gauge, and subjecting the final gauge product to a solutionizing treatment by heating the product to a solutionizing temperature, followed by a pre-aging step involving cooling the product to a coiling temperature above 50.degree. C., coiling the cooled product at the coiling temperature, and cooling the coiled final gauge product from the coiling temperature above 50.degree. C. to ambient temperature at a rate less than about 10.degree. C. per hour to improve T8X temper characteristics of the product. Additionally, a batch anneal step is carried out on the intermediate gauge product or at an intermediate stage of the cold rolling to reduce or eliminate roping tendencies of the alloy sheet product. To maintain a high T8X response, the alloy used in the process has the following composition: 0.4 to 1.1% by weight magnesium; 0.3 to 1.4% by weight silicon; 0 to 1.0% by weight copper; 0 to 0.4% by weight iron; 0 to 0.15% by weight manganese; 0 to 0.15% weight naturally-occurring impurities (collective total); and the balance aluminum. The invention also relates to a sheet alloy product exhibiting reduced roping effects produced by the indicated process.

Process of producing aluminum alloy sheet exhibiting reduced roping

A process of producing solution heat treated aluminum alloy sheet material comprises subjecting hot- or cold-rolled aluminum alloy sheet to solution heat treatment followed by quenching and, before substantial age hardening has taken place, subjecting the alloy sheet material to one or more subsequent heat treatments involving heating the material to a peak temperature in the range of 100.degree. to 300.degree. C. (preferably 130.degree.-270.degree. C.), holding the material at the peak temperature for a period of time less than about 1 minute, and cooling the alloy from the peak temperature to a temperature of 85.degree. C. or less. The sheet material treated in this way can by used for automotive panels and has good a good 'paint bake response', i.e. an increase in yield strength from the T4 temper to the T8X temper upon painting and baking of the panels.

Heat treatment process for aluminum alloy sheet

An alloy of aluminum containing magnesium, silicon and optionally copper in amounts in percent by weight falling within one of the following ranges:

Aluminum alloys and process for making aluminum alloy sheet

The invention provides an aluminum alloy material consisting essentially of, by weight percent, 1% to 1.8% Cu, 0.8% to 1.4% Mg, 0.2% to 0.39% Si, 0.5% to 0.4% Fe, 0.05% to 0.40% Mn, with the balance aluminum with normal impurities. The alloy forms two precipitation phases during heat treatment and age hardening: a beta phase of Mg.sub.2 Si and an S' phase of Al.sub.2 CuMg. The alloy has improved formability without significant sacrifice of strength, and is particularly suited to be formed into automobile sheet metal parts such as hood lids, trunks lids, and fenders.

Growing community of inventors

Kingston, Canada

Alok Kumar Gupta