Method for producing a structural sheet metal component, and a structural sheet metal component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501829-B2
Application number	US-201213455762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2012
Priority date	Apr 26, 2011
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A method for producing a structural sheet metal component formed from an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle includes providing an aluminum sheet blank in a state T 4 or T 5 or T 6 or T 7 , heating the aluminum sheet blank to a heating temperature between 100° C. and 450° C., forming the aluminum sheet blank to a structural sheet metal component, and heat post-treatment of the formed structural sheet metal component.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims and includes equivalents of the elements recited therein:

1. A method for producing a structural sheet metal component made from an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:
providing an aluminum sheet blank in a state T 4 or T 5 or T 6 or T 7 ,
prior to forming the aluminum sheet blank, heating the aluminum sheet blank in an unformed state thereof to a heating temperature between 350° C. and 450° C. and below solution heat treatment temperature of the aluminum sheet blank,
forming the aluminum sheet blank to a structural sheet metal component at said heating temperature, and
heat post-treatment of the formed structural sheet metal component, wherein in the heat post treatment the formed structural sheet blank is naturally aged at room temperature for less than 251 hours, followed by a heat post-treatment at 70° C. to 120° C. for 5 to 15 hours, said heat post-treatment excluding solution heat treatment of the formed structural part,
wherein T 4 , T 5 , T 6 and T 7 refer to heat-treated states of an aluminum alloy according to DIN EN 515, with T 4 referring to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and naturally aged; T 5 to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is quenched from a hot-forming temperature and tempered; T 6 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and tempered; and T 7 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and over-aged.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated to the heating temperature in less than 60 minutes.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated to the heating temperature in less than 30 minutes.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated to the heating temperature in less than 10 minutes.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated by at least one process selected from conduction, convection, resistance, induction, heat radiation and heat conduction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is formed following heating without active cooling.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is formed in a heated forming tool.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank heated to the heating temperature is passively cooled at room temperature RT with ambient air or actively cooled, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled through contact with a medium.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled by quenching at a cooling speed of greater than 100° C./s.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled by quenching at a cooling speed of greater than 250° C./s.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled by quenching at a cooling speed of greater than 400° C./s.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled with water.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein after forming, precipitation hardening is performed at room temperature.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat post-treatment is performed in two steps, wherein after a first heat post-treatment step a second heat post-treatment is performed for between 12 and 24 hours at 100° C. to 200° C.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein sheet metal blank has a thickness between the 0.1 and 15 mm.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein sheet metal blank has a thickness from 0.5 to 10 mm.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy is a precipitation-hardenable aluminum alloy, comprising at least the following alloy elements, expressed in weight-percent:

Zinc
(Zn)
[%]: 2 to 8%

Magnesium
(Mg)
[%]: 0.3 to 5.5%,

Chromium
(Cr)
[%]: 0.05 to 1%,

Zirconium
(Zr)
[%]: 0.04 to 0.5%

Copper
(Cu)
[%]: ≤4.5%

Manganese
(Mn)
[%]: ≤1.0%,

Iron
(Fe)
[%]: ≤0.8%

Silicon
(Si)
[%]: ≤0.7%

Titanium
(Ti)
[%]: ≤0.5%

Zirconium + Titanium
(Zr + Ti)
[%]: 0.04 to 0.5%

Aluminum
(Al)
[%]: remainder.

18. A method of claim 1 , further comprising cooling the sheet blank after the forming.

19. A method for producing a structural sheet metal component made from an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:
providing an aluminum sheet blank in a state T 4 or T 5 or T 6 or T 7 ,
heating the aluminum sheet blank to a heating temperature between between 350° C. and 450° C.,
forming the aluminum sheet blank to a structural sheet metal component at said heating temperature, and
heat post-treatment of the formed structural sheet metal component, wherein the heat post-treatment is performed in two steps, with a first step being performed for 5 to 15 hours between 70° C. and 120° C. and a following second step being performed for 12 to 24 hours at 100° C. to 200° C.,
wherein T 4 , T 5 , T 6 and T 7 refer to heat-treated states of an aluminum alloy according to DIN EN 515, with T 4 referring to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and naturally aged; T 5 to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is quenched from a hot-forming temperature and tempered; T 6 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and tempered; and T 7 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and over-aged.

20. A method of claim 19 , further comprising cooling the sheet blank after the forming.

Assignees

• Bohner Friedrich
• Doerr Jochen
• Grewe Jochem
• Benteler Automobiltechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Bohner Friedrich
• Dörr Jochen
• Grewe Jochem

Classifications

• C22C21/18 Primary

  with zinc · CPC title

• C22F1/053

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

• C22C21/10

  with zinc as the next major constituent · CPC title

• C22F1/047

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

• C21D1/673

  for die quenching · CPC title