Method for producing a motor vehicle component from a 6000 series aluminum alloy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11746403-B2
Application number	US-201816054311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Aug 3, 2017
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A method for producing a motor vehicle component from a 6000 series aluminum alloy including providing a blank made of a 6000 series aluminum alloy, rapid heating of the blank to a temperature between 450 deg. C. and 600 deg. C. at a heating rate of more than 15 K/s in a period of less than 20 seconds, ending the heating process and optionally homogenizing, if a grain size between 20 and 50 μm has been produced, quenching the blank thus tempered, applying a lubricant, preferably at 20 deg. C. to 100 deg. C., forming the cooled blank in a forming tool, wherein the time between completion of the heating process and the start of the forming is less than 30 seconds, and aging.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a motor vehicle component from a 6000 series aluminum alloy, comprising:
providing a blank made of a 6000 series aluminum alloy with a material structure, wherein the blank is in the state F temper condition according to EN515;
rapid contact heating of the blank to a temperature between 450 deg. C. and 600 deg. C. at a heating rate of more than 25 K/s in a period of less than 20 seconds;
solution annealing above 450 deg. C.;
ending the heating process after achieving a grain size between 20 and 50 μm for the material structure of the heated blank;
quenching the blank thus tempered;
applying a lubricant at a temperature between 20 deg. C. to 100 deg. C.;
cold forming the cooled blank in a forming tool, wherein the time between completion of the heating process and the start of the forming is less than 30 seconds;
wherein an aluminum alloy is used that comprises the following alloy elements, expressed in percent by weight:

silicon (Si)
0.70 to 1.10,

magnesium (Mg)
0.50 to 0.80

manganese (Mn)
0.10 to 0.20

balance aluminum and impurities due to smelting, and
wherein the aluminum alloy further comprises at least one of the following alloy elements, expressed in percent by weight:

copper (CU)
0.03 to 0.20

chromium (Cr)
0.10 to 0.20

titanium (Ti)
0.010 to 0.030

iron (Fe)
0.10 to 0.25; and

aging.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a relative ratio of the fractions in percent by weight of magnesium to silicon is from 5 to 7 up to 5 to 9.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the content in percent by weight of magnesium and silicon together is greater than or equal to 1.20 and less than or equal to 1.90.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising producing a yield limit Rp 0.2 of greater than 260 MPa.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising producing a tensile strength Rm of greater than 320 MPa.

6. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising producing a ratio of yield limit to tensile strength of less than or equal to 0.95.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the heating and/or quenching is carried out in a localized manner.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising heating and/or quenching the blank at varying contact pressure; or that the contact plates with different temperatures are used, so that during the thermal treatment different temperatures are produced in certain regions of the blank.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the heating is carried out by contact heating at a heating rate of greater than 20 K/s.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein for rapid heating and/or quenching, contact plates are used, and wherein the contact plates comprise a coating.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the heating, cooling and/or forming is carried out in multiple steps.

12. A method for producing a motor vehicle component from a 6000 series aluminum alloy, comprising:
providing a blank made of a 6000 series aluminum alloy with a material structure, wherein the blank is in the state T4 or T6 prior to heating;
rapid contact heating of the blank to a temperature between 450 deg. C. and 600 deg. C. at a heating rate of more than 25 K/s in a period of less than 20 seconds;
solution annealing above 450 deg. C.;
ending the heating process after achieving a grain size between 20 and 50 μm for the material structure of the heated blank;
quenching the blank thus tempered;
applying a lubricant at a temperature between 20 deg. C. to 100 deg. C.;
cold forming the cooled blank in a forming tool, wherein the time between completion of the heating process and the start of the forming is less than 30 seconds;
wherein an aluminum alloy is used that comprises the following alloy elements, expressed in percent by weight:

silicon (Si)
0.70 to 1.10,

magnesium (Mg)
0.50 to 0.80

manganese (Mn)
0.10 to 0.20

balance aluminum and impurities due to smelting, and
wherein the aluminum alloy further comprises at least one of the following alloy elements, expressed in percent by weight:

copper (CU)
0.03 to 0.20

chromium (Cr)
0.10 to 0.20

titanium (Ti)
0.010 to 0.030

iron (Fe)
0.10 to 0.25; and

aging.

Assignees

• Benteler Automobiltechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Grewe Jochem
• Jiao Feng
• Bohner Friedrich
• Tölle Jörn
• Soritov Nikolay

Classifications

• C22F1/05 Primary

  of alloys of the Al-Si-Mg type, i.e. containing silicon and magnesium in approximately equal proportions · CPC title

• C21D9/0062

  Heat-treating apparatus with a cooling or quenching zone · CPC title

• C21D9/0068

  for particular articles not mentioned below · CPC title

• C22C21/04

  Modified aluminium-silicon alloys · CPC title

• C22F1/002

  by rapid cooling or quenching; cooling agents used therefor · CPC title