Alcoa Inc.

Aluminum Company of America

Arconic Corporation

Aloca Inc.

Arconic Technologies LLC

Paul E Magnusen

Roberto J Rioja

Gary H Bray

Robert W Westerlund

John Liu

Dhruba J Chakrabarti

James M Marinelli

Ming Li

Luis Fanor Vega

Simon Sheu

Anthony Morales

Markus B Heinimann

Jiantao Liu

Jen C Lin

John Newman

Edward L Colvin

Gregory B Venema

Cindie Giummarra

Daniel T Moulton

Anne E Zemo

Diana K Denzer

Cagatay Yanar

Dirk C Mooy

Jocelyn I Petit

G William Kuhlman

Paul T Wang

Kenton P Young

Andrew C Spitznas

Edward Llewellyn

Dell F Skluzak

Paul L Mehr

Anne E Roberts

Soonwuk Cheong

John A Schelin

Charles J Warren

John M Newman

A recrystallized aluminum alloy having brass texture and Goss texture, wherein the amount of brass texture exceeds the amount of Goss texture, and wherein the recrystallized aluminum alloy exhibits at least about the same tensile yield strength and fracture toughness as a compositionally equivalent unrecrystallized alloy of the same product form and of similar thickness and temper.

Recrystallized aluminum alloys with brass texture and methods of making the same

Metal sheets and plates having friction-reducing textured surfaces and methods of manufacturing these metal sheets and plates are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, there is provided a transportation vessel that includes at least one metal product having at least one surface that is substantially grooved, wherein the substantially grooved surface forms a riblet topography, the riblet topography including a multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets running along at least a part of the surface, and wherein the riblet topography is coated with at least one coating sufficiently designed and applied to preserve the riblet topography. In an embodiment, the multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets results in a friction-reducing textured surface. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of an aircraft. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of a rotor blade.

Metal sheets and plates having friction-reducing textured surfaces and methods of manufacturing same

Aluminum alloys having an improved combination of properties are provided. In one aspect, a method for producing the alloy includes preparing an aluminum alloy for artificial aging and artificially aging the alloy. In one embodiment, the artificially aging step includes aging the aluminum alloy at a temperature of at least about 250&#xb0; F., and final aging the aluminum alloy at a temperature of not greater than about 225&#xb0; F. and for at least about 20 hours.

Aging of aluminum alloys for improved combination of fatigue performance and strength

Aluminum alloy having an improved combination of properties are provided. In one aspect, a method for producing the alloy includes preparing an aluminum alloy for artificial aging and artificially aging the alloy. In one embodiment, the artificially aging step includes aging the aluminum alloy at a temperature of at least about 250&#xb0; F., and final aging the aluminum alloy at a temperature of not greater than about 225&#xb0; F. and for at least about 20 hours. These aluminum alloys realize an improved combination of properties, including improved strength with at least equivalent fatigue crack growth resistance.

The invention provides a 2000 series aluminum alloy having enhanced damage tolerance, the alloy consisting essentially of about 3.0-4.0 wt % copper; about 0.4-1.1 wt % magnesium; up to about 0.8 wt % silver; up to about 1.0 wt % Zn; up to about 0.25 wt % Zr; up to about 0.9 wt % Mn; up to about 0.5 wt % Fe; and up to about 0.5 wt % Si, the balance substantially aluminum, incidental impurities and elements, said copper and magnesium present in a ratio of about 3.6-5 parts copper to about 1 part magnesium. The alloy is suitable for use in wrought or cast products including those used in aerospace applications, particularly sheet or plate structural members, extrusions and forgings, and provides an improved combination of strength and damage tolerance.

2000 Series alloys with enhanced damage tolerance performance for aerospace applications

An aluminum-copper-magnesium alloy having ancillary additions of lithium. The alloy composition includes from about 3 to about 5 weight percent Cu, from about 0.5 to about 2 weight percent Mg, and from about 0.01 to about 0.9 weight percent Li. The combined amount of Cu and Mg is maintained below a solubility limit of the aluminum alloy. The alloys possess improved combinations of fracture toughness and strength, and also exhibit good fatigue crack growth resistance.

Aluminum-copper-magnesium alloys having ancillary additions of lithium

A process for improving 6XXX alloys, such as 6013, preferably includes heating, hot rolling, inter-rolling thermal treatment at a very high temperature such as 1020&#xb0; F. or more, again hot rolling (with or without subsequent continuous hot rolling or cold rolling or both), solution heat treating and artificial aging. The initial heating, inter-rolling, thermal treatment and solution treatment, especially the latter two, are carried out at very high temperatures such as 1030&#xb0; F. Each aforesaid hot rolling stage produces substantial metal thickness reduction. The improved sheet or plate product has a substantially reduced occurrence of reduced density features revealed in scanning electron microscope examination at 500X and exhibits improved (reduced) fatigue crack growth rate providing an advantage in aerospace applications such as fuselage skin, especially fuselage belly skin.

Process to improve 6XXX alloys by reducing altered density sites

A process for improving 6XXX alloys, such as 6013, preferably includes heating, hot rolling, inter-rolling thermal treatment at a very high temperature such as 1020&deg; F. or more, again hot rolling (with or without subsequent continuous hot rolling or cold rolling or both), solution heat treating and artificial aging. The initial heating, inter-rolling, thermal treatment and solution treatment, especially the latter two, are carried out at very high temperatures such as 1030&deg; F. Each aforesaid hot rolling stage produces substantial metal thickness reduction. The improved sheet or plate product has a substantially reduced occurrence of reduced density features revealed in scanning electron microscope examination at 500&times; and exhibits improved (reduced) fatigue crack growth rate providing an advantage in aerospace applications such as fuselage skin, especially fuselage belly skin.

Aluminum sheet products having highly anisotropic grain microstructures and highly textured crystallographic microstructures are disclosed. The products exhibit improved strength and improved resistance to fatigue crack growth, as well as other advantageous properties such as improved combinations of strength and fracture toughness. The sheet products are useful for aerospace and other applications, particularly aircraft fuselages.

Aluminum sheet products having improved fatigue crack growth resistance and methods of making same

There is claimed an aerospace alloy having improved corrosion resistance performance, particularly intergranular corrosion resistance. The alloy consisting essentially of: about 0.6-1.15 wt. % silicon, about 0.6-1.0 wt. % copper, about 0.8-1.2 wt. % magnesium, about 0.55-0.86 wt. % zinc, less than about 0.1 wt. % manganese, about 0.2-0.3 wt. % chromium, the balance aluminum, incidental elements and impurities. While it is preferably made into sheet or plate product forms, it can also be extruded. Products made from this alloy exhibit at least about 5% greater yield strength and about 45% or greater resistance to intergranular corrosion attack than their 6013-T6 counterparts, as measured by average depth of corrosion after 24 hours exposure to an aqueous NaCl&mdash;H O solution per ASTM Standard G110 (1992).

Corrosion resistant 6000 series alloy suitable for aerospace applications

Disclosed is a method of producing a forged and rolled Al-Zn-Cu-Mg alloy plate product having improved fatigue properties in the long transverse direction. The method comprises providing a body of an Al-Zn-Cu-Mg alloy, working said body by a forging operation to reduce its thickness in a C direction by at least 30% and rolling or working the forged body to provide a forged and rolled plate product having improved fatigue properties in the long transverse direction.

Aluminum alloy thick plate product and method

A method of producing a sheet product and improved products having improved levels of toughness and fatigue crack growth resistance at good strength levels. The method comprises providing an aluminum base alloy containing 4 to 4.5% Cu, 1.2 to 1.5% Mg, 0.4 to 0.6% Mn, 0.12% max. Fe, 0.1% max. Si, the remainder aluminum, incidental elements and impurities and hot rolling the alloy, heating the alloy to above 910.degree. F. and additionally hot rolling it in a range of about 600.degree. to 900.degree. F., solution heat treating, preferably for a time of less than about 15 minutes at a solution heat treating temperature, and rapidly cooling and naturally aging. The invention products have very good combinations of strength together with high fracture toughness or low fatigue crack growth rate, or both, making them well suited for aerospace applications such as fuselage skin. The products preferably include a corrosion protecting cladding of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

Damage tolerant aluminum alloy products useful for aircraft applications

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Paul E Magnusen