Method for producing a motor vehicle component from aluminum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9938613-B2
Application number	US-201514683896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2015
Priority date	Jun 10, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A method for producing a motor vehicle component is disclosed having the steps of providing a strain-hardened blank composed of a 5000 grade aluminum alloy, partially heating the blank in a first region to a temperature higher than 350° C., in particular to 400° C., the blank being kept at a temperature between 15° C. and 30° C., preferably at 20° C., in a second region, and the partial heating being performed in less than 20 s, preferably less than 10 s and in particular in 2 to 5 s, adjusting the temperature of the blank as a whole to between 150 and 350° C. in less than 20 s, preferably less than 10 s and in particular in 2 to 5 s, and deforming the blank to form the motor vehicle component in less than 20 s, preferably less than 10 s and in particular in 2 to 5 s, and cooling the motor vehicle component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a motor vehicle component, characterized by the following method steps:
providing a strain-hardened blank composed of a 5000 grade aluminum alloy,
partially heating the blank in a first region to a temperature higher than 350° C., the blank being kept at a temperature between 15° C. and 30° C. in a second region, and the partial heating being performed in less than 20 s,
adjusting the temperature of the blank as a whole to between 150 and 350° C. in less than 20 s,
deforming the blank to form the motor vehicle component in less than 20 s, and cooling the motor vehicle component,
generating a yield strength in the first region of less than 250 MPa and greater than 120 MPa, and a yield strength in the second region of less than 450 MPa and greater than 200 MPa.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature adjustment is performed in a forming tool.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cooling is performed in a forming tool, the cooling being performed during and/or after the forming.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the forming and cooling are performed in a combined forming and cooling tool in less than 20 s.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature adjustment is performed in a temperature adjustment tool.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the blank is trimmed before, during or after the forming.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a blank having at least two mutually different wall thicknesses is deformed.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle component is a motor vehicle pillar composed of aluminum is produced, the motor vehicle pillar being coupled to an inner reinforcement panel and/or an outer reinforcement panel.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cooling is performed by way of a first cooling process, cooling to a temperature between 120 and 200° C. being performed in the first cooling process, and the first cooling process is followed by a second cooling process, the second cooling process being performed in less than 20 s.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the second cooling process is performed in a separate cooling tool.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the blank is subjected to surface treatment.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, after the partial heating and before the temperature adjustment of the blank as a whole, an intermediate step is performed, the intermediate step providing for the partially heated blank to be completely cooled.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature adjustment of the blank as a whole is performed at a time immediately following the partial heating, the temperature adjustment being performed in the same tool in which the partial heating is also performed, or the temperature adjustment being performed in a tool that is separate from the partial heating.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said partially heating the blank in a first region to a temperature higher than 350° C. comprises partially heating to 400° C.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the blank being kept at a temperature between 15° C. and 30° C. comprises the blank being kept at a temperature of 20° C.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the partial heating being performed in less than 20 s comprises partial heating in less than 10 s.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the partial heating being performed in less than 20 s comprises between 2 to 5 s.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein adjusting the temperature of the blank as a whole to between 150 and 350° C. comprises a temperature of 300° C.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein adjusting the temperature of the blank as a whole in less than 20 s comprises adjusting the temperature of the blank as a whole in less than 10 s.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein adjusting the temperature of the blank as a whole in less than 20 s entails between 2 to 5 s.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein deforming the blank to form the motor vehicle component in less than 20 s entails less than 10 s.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein deforming the blank to form the motor vehicle component in less than 20 s comprises between 2 to 5 s.

23. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the forming and cooling are performed in a combined forming and cooling tool in less than 10.

24. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the forming and cooling are performed in a combined forming and cooling tool in between 2 and 5 s.

25. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the temperature adjustment is performed in a temperature adjustment station.

26. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the motor vehicle pillar is adhesively bonded to an inner reinforcement panel and/or an outer reinforcement panel, and wherein the adhesive is thermally activatable.

27. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the cooling is performed by way of a second cooling process being performed in less than 10 s.

28. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the cooling is performed by way of a second cooling process being performed in less between 2 and 5 s.

29. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the cooling is performed by way of a second cooling process of cooling to room temperature.

30. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the blank is conversion coated.

31. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate step of cooling the partially heated blank to a temperature between 5 and 40° C.

32. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate step of cooling the partially heated blank to room temperature.

Assignees

• Benteler Automobiltechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Bohner Friedrich
• Doerr Jochen
• Grewe Jochem
• Hielscher Christian
• Toelle Joern
• Rauscher Boris

Classifications

• B62D29/008

  predominantly of light alloys, e.g. extruded · CPC title

• C22C21/08

  with silicon · CPC title

• C22F1/047 Primary

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