Method of thermomagnetically processing an aluminum alloy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053760-B2
Application number	US-201715424033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 5, 2016
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A method of thermomagnetically processing an aluminum alloy entails heat treating an aluminum alloy, and applying a high field strength magnetic field of at least about 2 Tesla to the aluminum alloy during the heat treating. The heat treating and the application of the high field strength magnetic field are carried out for a treatment time sufficient to achieve a predetermined standard strength of the aluminum alloy, and the treatment time is reduced by at least about 50% compared to heat treating the aluminum alloy without the magnetic field.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of thermomagnetically processing an aluminum alloy, the method comprising:
solution heat treating an aluminum alloy at a temperature in a range from about 500° C. to about 600° C. to induce one or more alloying elements to enter into solid solution in the aluminum alloy;
during the solution heat treating, applying a high field strength magnetic field of at least about 2 Tesla to the aluminum alloy and measuring a voltage of the aluminum alloy to track a resistivity thereof;
continuing the solution heat treating and the application of the high field strength magnetic field for a treatment time to achieve a maximum value of the resistivity for the aluminum alloy; and
after the solution heat treating, rapidly cooling the aluminum alloy to obtain a supersaturated solid solution,
wherein the treatment time is reduced by at least about 50% compared to solution heat treating the aluminum alloy without the magnetic field.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the maximum value of the resistivity corresponds to a data point having a slope of zero on an increasing curve of voltage versus treatment time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment time is reduced by at least about 75%.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
aging to induce formation of precipitates from the supersaturated solid solution, wherein the aging takes place at an aging time reduced by at least about 50% compared to aging times without a magnetic field.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises from about 1 wt. % to about 6 wt. % copper.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the aluminum alloy further comprises one or more alloying elements selected from the group consisting of: Bi, Cd, Cr, Fe, Li, Mn, Mg, Ni, Ti, Zn, Sn, Si, V and Zr.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the aluminum alloy is a cast alloy having an Aluminum Association designation selected from the group consisting of: 201, 206, 208, 242, 319, 355 and 390.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the aluminum alloy is a wrought alloy having an Aluminum Association designation selected from the group consisting of: 2014, 2024, 7068, 7075 and 7178.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Ludtka Gerard M
• Rios Orlando
• Weiss David

Classifications

• C22C21/14

  with silicon · CPC title

• C22F1/057

  of alloys with copper as the next major constituent · CPC title

• C22C21/16

  with magnesium · CPC title

• C22F3/00 Primary

  Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by special physical methods, e.g. treatment with neutrons · CPC title

• C22C21/10

  with zinc as the next major constituent · CPC title