Aluminum member and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023212776-A1
Application number	US-202117927998-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 11, 2021
Priority date	Jul 9, 2020
Publication date	Jul 6, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An aluminum member (1) includes: a base material (2) composed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy; and an anodic oxide film (3) formed on a surface of the base material. The anodic oxide film includes: an amorphous layer (31), which is composed of an amorphous aluminum oxide and is formed on the base material (2); and a crystal layer (32), which is composed of a crystalline aluminum oxide and is formed on the amorphous layer (31). The aluminum member (1) can be obtained by forming the anodic oxide film (3) on the base material (2) by performing an anodization process on the base material (2) in an electrolytic solution, which contains boron atoms and has a pH of 7.0-12.0.

First claim

1 . An aluminum member comprising:
a base material composed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy; and an anodic oxide film formed on a surface of the base material; wherein the anodic oxide film comprises:
an amorphous layer, which is composed of an amorphous aluminum oxide and is formed on the base material; and
a crystal layer, which is composed of a crystalline aluminum oxide and is formed on the amorphous layer.

2 . The aluminum member according to claim 1 , wherein the crystal layer has small holes having an average diameter of 1 μm or more and 20 μm or less.

3 . The aluminum member according to claim 1 , wherein arithmetic-average roughness Ra of the surface of the anodic oxide film is 0.5 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less.

4 . The aluminum member according to claim 1 , wherein an L* value of a CIE 1976 L*a*b* color space obtained by measuring color tone of the surface of the aluminum member having the anodic oxide film is 70.0 or more.

5 . A method of manufacturing the aluminum member according to claim 1 , comprising:
forming the anodic oxide film by performing an anodization process on the base material in an electrolytic solution, wherein the electrolytic solution contains boron atoms and has a pH of 7.0 or more and 12.0 or less.

6 . The method of manufacturing the aluminum member according to claim 5 , wherein the electrolytic solution is an aqueous solution of ammonium tetraborate.

7 . The method of manufacturing the aluminum member according to claim 5 , wherein, in the step of forming the anodic oxide film, constant-current electrolysis is performed at a temperature of the electrolytic solution of 283 K or higher and 343 K or lower and an electric-current density of 10 A/m 2 or more and 200 A/m 2 or less.

8 . The method of manufacturing the aluminum member according to claim 6 , wherein, in the step of forming the anodic oxide film, constant-current electrolysis is performed at a temperature of the electrolytic solution of 283-343 K and an electric-current density of 10-200 A/m 2 .

9 . The method of manufacturing the aluminum member according to claim 8 , further comprising:
prior to the step of forming the anodic oxide film, degreasing and/or polishing the base material.

10 . The method of manufacturing the aluminum member according to claim 9 , wherein the electrolytic solution has an electrolyte concentration of 0.1-1.0 mol/L.

11 . The method of manufacturing the aluminum member according to claim 10 , wherein the base material is composed of aluminum having an Al purity of at least 99.99 mass %.

12 . The aluminum member according to claim 2 , wherein a surface of the anodic oxide film has an arithmetic-average roughness Ra of 0.5-1.5 μm.

13 . The aluminum member according to claim 12 , wherein the surface of the anodic oxide film has an L* value of a CIE 1976 L*a*b* color space of 70.0 or more.

14 . The aluminum member according to claim 13 , wherein the amorphous layer has a thickness of 0.10-0.90 μm.

15 . The aluminum member according to claim 13 , wherein the amorphous layer has a thickness of 0.20-0.80 μm.

16 . The aluminum member according to claim 15 , wherein the crystal layer is composed of α-Al 2 O 3 and/or γ-Al 2 O 3 .

17 . The aluminum member according to claim 16 , wherein the crystal layer has a thickness of 1.0-15.0 μm.

18 . The aluminum member according to claim 1 , wherein the amorphous layer has a thickness of 0.10-0.90 μm.

19 . The aluminum member according to claim 1 , wherein the amorphous layer has a thickness of 0.20-0.80 μm.

Assignees

• Univ Hokkaido Nat Univ Corp
• Uacj Corp

Inventors

• Kikuchi Tatsuya
• SATO Miu
• NUNOMURA Junji
• Oya Yoshiyuki

Classifications

• C25D11/14

  Producing integrally coloured layers · CPC title

• C25D11/06 Primary

  characterised by the electrolytes used · CPC title

• C25D11/04

  of aluminium or alloys based thereon · CPC title

• C25D11/16

  Pretreatment {, e.g. desmutting} · CPC title