Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Reynolds Metals Company

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Uacj Corporation

Hidetoshi Uchida

Hideo Yoshida

Tsutomu Furuyama

Tadashi Minoda

Yoshikazu Ozeki

Noboru Hayashi

Kunihiro Yasunaga

J Daniel Bryant

Hideo Itoh

Mineo Asano

Hitoshi Kazama

Kazuya Saito

Robert M Ramage

Armand J Beaudoin

Osamu Yokoyama

Takamichi Watanabe

Yasunori Nagai

Hiden Yoshida

The present invention provides an aluminum alloy sheet for press forming, having the crystallo-graphic texture in which the orientation density of CR orientation ({001}&#x3c;520&#x3e;) is higher than that of any orientation other than the CR orientation. The orientation density of the CR orientation is preferably 10 or more (random ratio). The orientation densities of all orientations other than the CR orientation are preferably less than 10. The aluminum alloy sheet is preferably made of an Al&#x2014;Mg&#x2014;Si alloy.

Aluminum alloy sheet for press forming

A hydrous oxide film is formed on the surface of a superplastic forming aluminum alloy sheet. The superplastic forming aluminum alloy sheet can be formed without applying a lubricant to a die, exhibits excellent releasability, and prevents scratches due to sliding between the die and the sheet.

Aluminum alloy sheet for superplastic forming

A method of producing aluminum alloy sheet product includes casting a slab or ingot, homogenizing the cast slab, and hot rolling the homogenized slab to provide an intermediate gauge product. The temperature and other operating parameters of the hot rolling process are controlled so that the temperature of the ingot at the beginning of hot rolling is maintained at a temperature between 925&deg; F. (496&deg; C.) and 1025&deg; F. (552&deg; C.), and the temperature of the intermediate gauge product exiting the hot rolling step is between about 500&deg; F. (260&deg; C.) and 600&deg; F. (316&deg; C.). The intermediate gauge product is then subjected to a cold reduction of 45% to 70%, annealed, and cold rolled to final gauge. The combination of controlling the hot rolling to provide the desired hot line entry temperature and the desired exit temperature of the intermediate gauge product and annealing prior to cold rolling to final gauge minimizes or eliminates the appearance of ridging line defects in the aluminum sheet product when the product is subjected to further straining in a forming operation. An improved aluminum alloy sheet product is produced having a superior surface finish for use in automotive components while maintaining a higher strength than that of the prior art.

Method of making high strength aluminum sheet product and product therefrom

The invention provides an aluminum alloy sheet that has excellent formability, high coat-baking hardenability, excellent corrosion resistance, and is particularly suitable for external automobile body plates. The aluminum alloy sheet comprises: 0.9 to 1.3 wt. % of Si, 0.4 to 0.6 wt. % of Mg, 0.05 to 0.15 wt. % of Mn, 0.01 to 0.1 wt. % of Ti, with the remainder comprising Al and inevitable impurities, while limiting Fe as an impurity to 0.2 wt. % or less and Cu as an impurity to 0.1 wt. % or less. The aluminum homogenizing an aluminum ingot with the above-described composition; cooling the homogenized ingot to a temperature of 450.degree. C. or below to begin hot-rolling; finishing hot-rolling in a temperature range from 250 to 350.degree. C.; applying intermediate annealing to the hot-rolled plate; conducting cold-rolling at a draft of 70% or more; applying a solid solution treatment followed by quenching the alloy sheet and holding it at 530.degree. C. or above for 60 sec. or less; forming a chromate film onto the quenched alloy sheet; forming a film of a lubricant containing a water-dispersible polyurethane resin and a natural wax onto the chromate film; then applying a heat treatment to the coated alloy sheet in a temperature range of from 200 to 240.degree. C. for 60 sec. or less.

Aluminum alloy sheet with excellent formability and method for

The invention provides an aluminum alloy sheet that has excellent formability, high coat-baking hardenability, and ensures a proof stress of 200 MPa or more after the coat-baking stage, and that gives favorable product surface quality after the forming stage and excellent corrosion resistance, and that is particularly suitable for external automobile body plates. The aluminum alloy sheet comprises: 0.9 to 1.3 wt. % of Si, 0.4 to 0.6 wt. % of Mg, 0.05 to 0.15 wt. % of Mn, 0.01 to 0.1 wt. % of Ti, with the remainder comprising Al and inevitable impurities, while limiting Fe as an impurity to 0.2 wt. % or less and Cu as an impurity to 0.1 wt. % or less; a coating film of a lubricant composition containing a water-dispersible polyurethane resin and a natural wax on the aluminum alloy sheet.

A method and apparatus for making aluminum alloy sheet product with improved paintbake response during automotive paintbake cycles, resistance to natural aging and better formability includes rapidly heating the aluminum alloy sheet product between a solution heat treating/quenching operation and a sheet coiling operation. Performing the rapid heating at this stage in the sheet manufacture minimizes the adverse effect of early natural aging (dwell time) on the paintbake response of these types of aluminum sheet alloy products. According to the invention, this dwell time is minimized by the application of a rapid heating step immediately following quenching from the solution heat treatment. After the aluminum sheet product has been rapidly heated, it is immediately coiled and cools under ambient conditions in coil form, this ambient cooling providing a pre-aging treatment which contributes to the improved performance of the sheet product in paintbake response, improved formability and natural aging resistance.

Process and apparatus to enhance the paintbake response and aging

A process for manufacturing an aluminum alloy material having excellent shape fixability and bake hardenability, the process comprising: conducting semicontinuous casting of an aluminum alloy comprising 0.4 to 1.7% (wt.%) Si and 0.2 to 1.4% Mg, optionally further comprising 0.05% or less Ti and 100 pm or less B and optionally further comprising at least one member selected from the group of 1.00% or less Cu, 0.50% or less Mn, 0.20% or less Cr and 0.20% or less V, with the balance consisting of Al and unavoidable impurities, subjecting the cast alloy to conventional hot rolling; conducting solution heat treatment by holding the hot-rolled alloy at a temperature of from 450 to 580.degree. C. for 10 minutes or less; conducting first-stage cooling of the alloy at a cooling rate of 200.degree. C./min or more to a quenched temperature in the range of from 60 to 250.degree. C.; and subjecting the alloy to second-stage cooling at a cooling rate selected within the zone ABCD shown in the attached FIG. 2.

Process for manufacturing aluminum alloy material having excellent shape

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Hidetoshi Uchida