Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Ravi Verma

Paul Edward Krajewski

Jon T Carter

Sooho Kim

Leonid Charles Lev

Chongmin Kim

Moinuddin S Rashid

Joshua D Lasceski

Frederick Irvin Saunders

Richard Murray Kleber

Edward Frank Ryntz

Edward F Ryntz, Jr

Kulsum Rashid, Legal Representative

A wheel barrier assembly is disclosed for creating a physical barrier between a wheel hub, a wheel and a plurality of lugs securing the wheel to the wheel hub. The wheel barrier assembly may include a plate extending between the wheel hub and the wheel to insulate the wheel from the wheel hub. The wheel barrier assembly may also include a plurality of collets extending through the wheel and secured to the plate to insulate the wheel from the lugs.

Wheel assembly and corrosion barrier for same

A method of imparting superior fatigue performance to a vehicle wheel cast from a magnesium alloy by selective application of friction stir processing to regions of the casting known to be subject to high in-service stresses is described. The method may be particularly applicable to open wheel designs in which a plurality of spokes is used to connect the hub and rim portions of the wheel.

Cast magnesium alloy wheels

A method for stamping a desired shape from a sheet blank includes providing the sheet blank. The method also includes locally cooling the sheet blank with a stream of fluid in a predetermined area of high stress concentration to be experienced during forming of the sheet blank into a desired shape. The method additionally includes forming the metal sheet blank into the desired shape in a stamping press with a punch. A system employing the method for forming a sheet blank is also disclosed.

Fluid-assisted non-isothermal stamping of a sheet blank

The formability of coiled and annealed (O-temper) magnesium alloy sheet material in high temperature forming operations is sometimes adversely affected by small amounts of cold work introduced into the fine grained material during handling of the coil and unwinding it to obtain blank workpieces for hot stamping, hot blow forming, or the like. When necessary, the formability of the sheet material with regions of hard worked microstructure may be improved by predetermining a recovery heat treatment using small portions of the material in formability tests. The recovery heat treatment, determined for the specific coiled stock, may then be applied to the material of the coil as it is used in making vehicle body panels or the like.

Recovery heat treatment to improve formability of magnesium alloys

A method is disclosed for stretching magnesium-containing aluminum alloy sheet stock into intricate shapes such as are required in automotive body panels. The sheet stock, at a temperature in the range of about 400&#xb0; C. to about 510&#xb0; C., is stretched under the pressure of a working gas into conformance with the surface of a forming tool. The sheet forming pressure is increased continually in a controlled manner from ambient pressure to a final forming level in the range of about 250 psi to about 500 psi or higher. A portion of the sheet can experience strain rates substantially higher than 10secand the forming of the sheet can be completed within 12 minutes.

Quick plastic forming of aluminum alloy sheet metal

Magnesium and other metal alloy sheet materials are deformed at hot forming temperatures into vehicle body panels and other articles. Many such hot forming operations are improved in speed and product quality by predetermining a static recrystallization temperature of the sheet material. As the sheet material is being heated to its hot forming temperature, deformation is commenced below the static recrystallization temperature. As heating and deformation are continued, dynamic recrystallization of the workpiece occurs and deformation may proceed faster and to a greater extent.

Hot forming process for metal alloy sheets

An apparatus for plastically deforming a work piece in the form of a sheet, comprising at least two cylindrical guide rolls rotatable in a first direction, each of said cylindrical guide rolls having an outer circumference; a bendable strip having a portion of at least one surface in communication with a portion of the outer circumference of each of the at least two guide rollers, said bendable strip being capable of motion around the at least two guide rollers in the first direction and exerting a force upon a work piece, a first cylindrical feeding roll rotatable in a second direction opposite to the first direction, said first cylindrical feeding roll having an outer circumference, a plastic deformation passage having a first surface and a second surface, at least a portion of the first surface being defined by a portion of the bendable strip, and at least a portion of the second surface being defined by the outer circumference of the first cylindrical feeding roll, wherein one or both of the bendable strip and the cylindrical feeding roll, when in motion, propel the work piece through the plastic deformation passage wherein it is plastically deformed.

Sheet processing apparatus, method of use, and plastically deformed sheet

An apparatus for plastically deforming a work piece. The apparatus comprises at least two cylindrical guide rolls rotatable in a first direction, a bendable strip having a portion of at least one surface in communication with a portion of an outer circumference of each of the at least two cylindrical guide rolls, a first cylindrical feeding roll rotatable in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and a plastic deformation passage having a first surface and a second surface, at least a portion of the first surface being defined by a portion of the bendable strip, and at least a portion of the second surface being defined by the outer circumference of the first cylindrical feeding roll. One or both of the bendable strip and the cylindrical feeding roll, when in motion, propel the work piece through the plastic deformation passage wherein the work piece is plastically deformed.

A magnesium, manganese and copper-containing aluminum alloy sheet material suitable for use in high elongation forming processes is produced according to an improved thermomechanical process. The sheet material is produced by continuous casting with an as-cast gage of 5 to 35 millimeters and immediately hot rolling with a final strip exit temperature between 200&#xb0; C. and 350&#xb0; C. and then coiling. The hot rolled coil is annealed at 450&#x2013;560&#xb0; C. to homogenize the microstructure. After cooling to ambient temperature, the coil is cold rolled to desired sheet thickness with a net gage reduction of 50&#x2013;90 %. After suitable recrystallization of the cold worked microstructure the sheet is ready for hot, high elongation forming.

Continuously cast magnesium containing, aluminum alloy sheet with copper addition

A method is disclosed for making relatively low cost sheet material of magnesium- and manganese-containing aluminum alloy for high elongation forming of articles of complex configuration. The alloy is continuously cast with an as-cast gage of 6-30 mm and immediately hot rolled with final strip exit temperature between 200 C. and 350 C., and net rolled gage reduction of 30-80% to 3-12 mm, and coiled. The hot rolled coil is annealed at 470-560&deg; C. to homogenize the microstructure. After cooling to ambient, the coil is cold rolled to desired sheet thickness, but with a net gage reduction of 50-90%. After suitable recrystallization of the cold worked microstructure the sheet is ready for hot, high elongation forming.

Method for processing of continuously cast aluminum sheet

A method is disclosed for stretching magnesium-containing aluminum alloy sheet stock into intricate shapes such as are required in automotive body panels. The sheet stock, at a temperature in the range of about 400&deg; C. to about 510&deg; C., is stretched under the pressure of a working gas into conformance with the surface of a forming tool. The sheet forming pressure is increased continually in a controlled manner from ambient pressure to a final forming level in the range of about 250 psi to about 500 psi or higher. A portion of the sheet can experience strain rates substantially higher than 10,sec,and the forming of the sheet can be completed within 12 minutes.

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Shelby Township, MI, United States of America

Ravi Verma