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WO2024186893A1 - Alliages à teneur élevée en aluminium recyclé et procédés de fabrication et d'utilisation - Google Patents

Alliages à teneur élevée en aluminium recyclé et procédés de fabrication et d'utilisation Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024186893A1
WO2024186893A1 PCT/US2024/018661 US2024018661W WO2024186893A1 WO 2024186893 A1 WO2024186893 A1 WO 2024186893A1 US 2024018661 W US2024018661 W US 2024018661W WO 2024186893 A1 WO2024186893 A1 WO 2024186893A1
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Prior art keywords
aluminum alloy
metal product
product
mpa
aluminum
Prior art date
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PCT/US2024/018661
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English (en)
Inventor
Zeqin LIANG
Guillaume Hubert FLOREY
Jonathan FRIEDLI
Vincent MARCLAY
Géraldine BARMAN
Aurele Blaise MARIAUX
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Novelis Inc Canada
Novelis Inc
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Novelis Inc Canada
Novelis Inc
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Publication of WO2024186893A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024186893A1/fr
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22C—ALLOYS
    • C22C21/00—Alloys based on aluminium
    • C22C21/02—Alloys based on aluminium with silicon as the next major constituent
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22F—CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS
    • C22F1/00—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working
    • C22F1/04—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon
    • C22F1/043—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon of alloys with silicon as the next major constituent
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22F—CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS
    • C22F1/00—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working
    • C22F1/04—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon
    • C22F1/05—Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working of aluminium or alloys based thereon of alloys of the Al-Si-Mg type, i.e. containing silicon and magnesium in approximately equal proportions

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to metallurgy generally and more specifically to aluminum alloys having high recycled content.
  • High-forming aluminum alloys are used in many different applications, particularly in applications where strength and durability are required.
  • 6xxx series aluminum alloys have been widely used in automobile applications, due to their superior combination of properties including strength-to-weight ratio, formability, weldability, and general corrosion resistance.
  • 6xxx series aluminum alloys are commonly used for automotive structural and closure panel applications in place of steel. Because aluminum alloys are generally about 2.8 times less dense than steel, the use of such materials reduces the weight of the vehicle and allows for substantial improvements in its fuel economy. Even so, the use of currently available aluminum alloys in automotive applications poses certain challenges.
  • an aluminum alloy comprises Al and about 1 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, up to about 0.35 wt.% Fe, up to about 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.2 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, up to about 0.10 wt.% Cr, up to about 0.10 wt.% Ni, up to about 0.20 wt.% Zn, up to about 0.15 wt.% Ti, and up to about 0.20 wt.% V.
  • Aluminum may be present as a remainder in the aluminum alloy (e.g., an amount of the aluminum alloy besides any alloying elements and impurities).
  • the aluminum alloy comprises up to 0.05 wt.% each of any individual impurity and up to 0.25 wt.% of all impurities.
  • certain elements in the aluminum alloys described herein are included at particular concentrations relative to other elements in the aluminum alloys.
  • a ratio of a total amount of Mn and Cr to an amount of Fe or an amount of Mn to an amount of Fe in the aluminum alloy is greater than or about 0.6, greater than or about 0.7, greater than or about 0.8, greater than or about 0.9, or greater than or about 1, such as from 0.6 to 2.5, such as from 0.6 to 0.65, from 0.65 to 0.7, from 0.7 to 0.75, from 0.75 to 0.8, from 0.8 to 0.9, from 0.9 to 1.0, from 1.0 to 1.1, from 1.1 to 1.2, from 1.2 to 1.3, from 1.3 to 1.4, from 1.4 to 1.5, from 1.5 to 1.6, from 1.6 to 1.7, from 1.7 to 1.8, from 1.8 to 1.9, from 1.9 to 2.0, from 2.0 to 2.1, from 2.1 to 2.2, from 2.2 to 2.3, from 2.3 to 2.4, from 2.4 to 2.5, or more.
  • the aluminum alloy comprises a 6xxx series aluminum alloy.
  • concentrations and relationships between concentrations may provide for the ability to include relatively high amounts of recycled aluminum alloy content in the disclosed aluminum alloys, while still retaining useful and/or beneficial physical and mechanical characteristics in products generated using the aluminum alloys.
  • the aluminum alloy comprises up to 100% recycled aluminum alloy content (e.g., by weight). In some examples, the aluminum alloy comprises more than 20% recycled aluminum alloy content (e.g., by weight).
  • the aluminum alloys described may include from 20% to 100% recycled aluminum alloy content (e.g., by weight), such as from 20% to 25%, from 25% to 30%, from 30% to 35%, from 35% to 40%, from 40% to 45%, from 45% to 50%, from 50% to 55%, from 55% to 60%, from 60% to 65%, from 65% to 70%, from 70% to 75%, from 75% to 80%, from 80% to 85%, from 85% to 90%, from 90% to 95%, or from 95% to 100%.
  • 20% to 100% recycled aluminum alloy content e.g., by weight
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Si in amounts from about 1 wt.% to 1.5 wt.%.
  • Si may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 1.00 wt.% to 1.01 wt.%, from 1.01 wt.% to 1.02 wt.%, from 1.02 wt.% to 1.03 wt.%, from
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Fe in amounts up to about 0.35 wt.% Fe.
  • Fe may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0 wt.% to 0.01 wt.%, from 0.01 wt.% to 0.02 wt.%, from 0.02 wt.% to 0.03 wt.%, from 0.03 wt.% to 0.04 wt.%, from 0.04 wt.% to 0.05 wt.%, from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to 0.07 wt.%, from 0.07 wt.% to 0.08 wt.%, from 0.08 wt.% to 0.09 wt.%, from 0.09 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%, from 0.10 wt.% to 0.11 wt.%, from 0.11 wt.% to 0.12 wt.%, from 0.12 wt.% to
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Cu in amounts up to about 0.25 wt.%.
  • Cu may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0 wt.% to 0.01 wt.%, from 0.01 wt.% to 0.02 wt.%, from 0.02 wt.% to 0.03 wt.%, from 0.03 wt.% to 0.04 wt.%, from 0.04 wt.% to 0.05 wt.%, from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to
  • Cu may be optional.
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Mn in amounts from about 0.05 wt.% to 0.25 wt.%.
  • Mn may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to 0.07 wt.%, from 0.07 wt.% to 0.08 wt.%, from 0.08 wt.% to 0.09 wt.%, from 0.09 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%, from 0.10 wt.% to 0.11 wt.%, from 0.11 wt.% to 0.12 wt.%, from 0.12 wt.% to 0.13 wt.%, from 0.13 wt.% to 0.14 wt.%, from 0.14 wt.% to 0.15 wt.%, from 0.15 wt.% to 0.16 wt.%, from 0.16 wt.% to 0.17 wt.%, from
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Mg in amounts from about 0.2 wt.% to 0.60 wt.%.
  • Mg may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0.20 wt.% to 0.21 wt.%, from 0.21 wt.% to 0.22 wt.%, from 0.22 wt.% to 0.23 wt.%, from 0.23 wt.% to 0.24 wt.%, from 0.24 wt.% to 0.25 wt.%, from 0.25 wt.% to 0.26 wt.%, from 0.26 wt.% to 0.27 wt.%, from 0.27 wt.% to 0.28 wt.%, from 0.28 wt.% to 0.29 wt.%, from 0.29 wt.% to 0.30 wt.%, from 0.30 wt.% to 0.31 wt.%, from 0.31 wt.% to 0.32 wt.%, from
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Cr in amounts up to about 0.10 wt.%.
  • Cr may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0 wt.% to 0.005 wt.%, from 0.005 wt.% to 0.01 wt.%, from 0.01 wt.% to 0.02 wt.%, from 0.02 wt.% to 0.03 wt.%, from 0.03 wt.% to 0.04 wt.%, from 0.04 wt.% to 0.05 wt.%, from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to 0.07 wt.%, from 0.07 wt.% to 0.08 wt.%, from 0.08 wt.% to 0.09 wt.%, or from 0.09 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%.
  • Cr may be optional.
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Ni in amounts up to about 0.10 wt.% Ni.
  • Ni may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0 wt.% to 0.01 wt.%, from 0.01 wt.% to 0.02 wt.%, from 0.02 wt.% to 0.03 wt.%, from 0.03 wt.% to 0.04 wt.%, from 0.04 wt.% to 0.05 wt.%, from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to 0.07 wt.%, from 0.07 wt.% to 0.08 wt.%, from 0.08 wt.% to 0.09 wt.%, or from 0.09 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%.
  • Ni may be optional.
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Zn in amounts up to about 0.20 wt.% Zn.
  • Zn may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0 wt.% to 0.01 wt.%, from 0.01 wt.% to 0.02 wt.%, from 0.02 wt.% to 0.03 wt.%, from 0.03 wt.% to 0.04 wt.%, from 0.04 wt.% to 0.05 wt.%, from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to 0.07 wt.%, from 0.07 wt.% to 0.08 wt.%, from 0.08 wt.% to 0.09 wt.%, from 0.09 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%, from 0.10 wt.% to 0.11 wt.%, from 0.11 wt.% to 0.12 wt.%, from 0.12 wt
  • the aluminum alloys can contain Ti in amounts up to about 0.15 wt.% Ti.
  • Ti may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0 wt.% to 0.01 wt.%, from 0.01 wt.% to 0.02 wt.%, from 0.02 wt.% to 0.03 wt.%, from 0.03 wt.% to 0.04 wt.%, from 0.04 wt.% to 0.05 wt.%, from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to 0.07 wt.%, from 0.07 wt.% to 0.08 wt.%, from 0.08 wt.% to 0.09 wt.%, from 0.09 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%, from 0.10 wt.% to 0.11 wt.%, from 0.11 wt.% to 0.12 wt.%, from 0.12 wt.% to
  • the aluminum alloys can contain V in amounts up to about 0.20 wt.% V.
  • V may be present in the aluminum alloy in amounts from 0 wt.% to 0.01 wt.%, from 0.01 wt.% to 0.02 wt.%, from 0.02 wt.% to 0.03 wt.%, from 0.03 wt.% to 0.04 wt.%, from 0.04 wt.% to 0.05 wt.%, from 0.05 wt.% to 0.06 wt.%, from 0.06 wt.% to 0.07 wt.%, from 0.07 wt.% to 0.08 wt.%, from 0.08 wt.% to 0.09 wt.%, or from 0.09 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%.
  • V may be optional.
  • Fe present in an aluminum alloy can combine with other elements to form Fe-containing intermetallic particles.
  • Fe can combine with other elements to form alpha phase Fe-containing intermetallic particles and/or beta phase Fe- containing intermetallic particles.
  • the aluminum alloy, a metal product made from or comprising the aluminum alloy comprises more alpha phase Fe-containing intermetallic particles than beta phase Fe-containing intermetallic particles.
  • metal products such as metal products comprising an aluminum alloy, such as those described herein.
  • the disclosed metal products can be processed into any desirable shape or form.
  • the metal product comprises an automotive body product.
  • the disclosed metal products can be made using any suitable processing where the aluminum alloy is processed using various processing steps to generate the metal product.
  • the metal product is a rolled metal product.
  • the metal product is a dual-recrystallized metal product.
  • the metal product can exhibit suitable properties, such as mechanical or physical properties or characteristics, which may be advantageous for various end uses or implementations.
  • the metal product exhibits isotropic strain characteristics.
  • the metal product may exhibit a Lankford ratio at about 10% strain along longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal directions of about 0.45 or greater, such as from 0.45 to 1.0, from 0.45 to 0.50, from 0.50 to 0.55, from 0.55 to 0.60, from 0.60 to 0.65, from 0.65 to 0.70, from 0.70 to 0.75, from 0.75 to 0.80, from 0.80 to 0.85, from 0.85 to 0.90, from 0.90 to 0.95, or from 0.95 to 1.0.
  • the metal product exhibits an fl 5% bending factor along a transverse direction of from about 0.3 to 1.0, such as from 0.3 to 0.4, from 0.4 to 0.5, from 0.5 to 0.6, from 0.6 to 0.7, from 0.7 to 0.8, from 0.8 to 0.9, or from 0.9 to 1.0.
  • fl 5% is the bending factor after pre-straining of 15% in the transverse direction.
  • the metal product exhibits an inner-bending angle after pre-straining of 10% of about 10° to 60°, such as from 10° to 15°, from 15° to 20°, from 20° to 25°, from 25° to 30°, from 30° to 35°, from 35° to 40°, from 40° to 45°, from 45° to 50°, from 50° to 55°, or from 55° to 60°.
  • the metal product exhibits a surface arithmetical mean height (Sa) of at most 0.60 pm after pre-straining of about 10% in the transverse direction, such as less than or about 0.10 pm, less than or about 0.15 pm, less than or about 0.20 pm, less than or about 0.25 pm, less than or about 0.30 pm, less than or about 0.35 pm, less than or about 0.40 pm, less than or about 0.45 pm, less than or about 0.50 pm, less than or about 0.55 pm, or less than or about 0.60 pm.
  • Sa surface arithmetical mean height
  • the metal product exhibits a yield strength of from about 90 MPa to about 130 MPa when in a T4 temper, such as from 90 MPa to 95 MPa, from 95 MPa to 100 MPa, from 100 MPa to 105 MPa, from 105 MPa to 110 MPa, from 110 MPa to 115 MPa, from 115 MPa to 120 MPa, from 120 MPa to 125 MPa, or from 125 MPa to 130 MPa.
  • the metal product exhibits a yield strength of from about 200 MPa to about 235 MPa when in a T6 temper, such as from 200 MPa to 205 MPa, from 205 MPa to 210 MPa, from 210 MPa to 215 MPa, from 215 MPa to 220 MPa, from 220 MPa to 225 MPa, from 225 MPa to 230 MPa, or from 230 MPa to 235 MPa.
  • the metal product exhibits an ultimate tensile strength of from about 195 MPa to about 270 MPa when in a T4 temper, such as from 195 MPa to 200 MPa, from 200 MPa to 205 MPa, from 205 MPa to 210 MPa, from 210 MPa to 215 MPa, from 215 MPa to 220 MPa, from 220 MPa to 225 MPa, from 225 MPa to 230 MPa, from 230 MPa to 235 MPa, from 235 MPa to 240 MPa, from 240 MPa to 245 MPa, from 245 MPa to 250 MPa, from 250 MPa to 255 MPa, from 255 MPa to 260 MPa, from 260 MPa to 265 MPa, or from 265 MPa to 270 MPa.
  • a T4 temper such as from 195 MPa to 200 MPa, from 200 MPa to 205 MPa, from 205 MPa to 210 MPa, from 210 MPa to 215 MPa, from 215 MPa to
  • the metal product exhibits an ultimate tensile strength of from about 240 MPa to about 300 MPa when in a T6 temper, such as from 240 MPa to 245 MPa, from 245 MPa to 250 MPa, from 250 MPa to 255 MPa, from 255 MPa to 260 MPa, from 260 MPa to 265 MPa, from 265 MPa to 270 MPa, from 270 MPa to 275 MPa, from 275 MPa to 280 MPa, from 280 MPa to 285 MPa, from 285 MPa to 290 MPa, from 290 MPa to 295 MPa, or from 295 MPa to 300 MPa.
  • a T6 temper such as from 240 MPa to 245 MPa, from 245 MPa to 250 MPa, from 250 MPa to 255 MPa, from 255 MPa to 260 MPa, from 260 MPa to 265 MPa, from 265 MPa to 270 MPa, from 270 MPa to 275 MPa, from 275 MPa to
  • the metal product exhibits a uniform elongation of from 20% to 30% when in a T4 temper, such as from 20% to 21%, from 21% to 22%, from 22% to 23%, from 23% to 24%, from 24% to 25%, from 25% to 26%, from 26% to 27%, from 27% to 28%, from 28% to 29%, or from 29% to 30%.
  • the metal product exhibits a uniform elongation of from 10% to 20% when in a T6 temper, such as from 10% to 11%, from 11% to 12%, from 12% to 13%, from 13% to 14%, from 14% to 15%, from 15% to 16%, from 16% to 17%, from 17% to 18%, from 18% to 19%, or from 19% to 20%.
  • a uniform elongation of from 10% to 20% when in a T6 temper such as from 10% to 11%, from 11% to 12%, from 12% to 13%, from 13% to 14%, from 14% to 15%, from 15% to 16%, from 16% to 17%, from 17% to 18%, from 18% to 19%, or from 19% to 20%.
  • methods are also described herein, such as methods of processing aluminum alloys and methods of producing metal products.
  • a method of this aspect comprises casting an aluminum alloy to generate a cast product, such as an aluminum alloy described herein; homogenizing the cast product to generate a homogenized product; hot rolling the homogenized product to generate a rolled product; and subjecting the rolled product to a final cold rolling process product to produce the metal product.
  • an exit temperature of the hot rolling is no more than 400 °C.
  • the hot rolling achieves a thickness reduction between the homogenized product and the rolled product of 90% or more.
  • methods of this aspect further comprise subsequent to the hot rolling, subjecting the rolled product to a recrystallization process to generate a recrystallized product, such as where the final cold rolling process comprises cold rolling the recrystallized product to produce the metal product.
  • the recrystallization process occurs between the hot rolling and the final cold rolling process.
  • methods of this aspect comprise subjecting the rolled product to a preliminary cold rolling process subsequent to the hot rolling and prior to the recrystallization process, such as where the recrystallization process occurs between the preliminary cold rolling process and the final cold rolling process.
  • the recrystallization process comprises annealing the rolled product at peak metal temperature of from 325 °C to 425 °C for up to 1 minute to generate a recrystallized product; and quenching the recrystallized product. Additional details of recrystallization processes and associated methods useful with the aluminum alloys described herein are described in U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/261,042, filed on September 9, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
  • methods of this aspect further comprise subjecting the metal product to a solutionizing process to generate a solutionized metal product.
  • methods of this aspect further comprise subjecting the metal product to an aging or artificial aging process to generate an aged metal product. Additional processing steps may be optionally used for processing the disclosed aluminum alloys to generate metal products.
  • FIG. 1 provides a schematic overview of an example method for making a rolled aluminum alloy product.
  • FIG. 2 provides a schematic overview of a process for preparing aluminum alloy articles.
  • FIG. 3 shows measured grain size characteristics of various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 4 shows measured texture characteristics of various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 5 shows measured yield strength of various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 6 shows measured ultimate tensile strength of various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 7 shows measured uniform elongation of various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 8 shows measured total elongation of various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 9 measured strain-hardening exponent for 5% strain for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 10 shows measured strain-hardening exponent for 10-20% strain for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 11 shows R-values as measured along longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal directions for various aluminum alloy samples subjected to a cold rolling process without interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • FIG. 12 shows R-values as measured along longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal directions for various aluminum alloy samples subjected to a cold rolling process including an interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show bending performance for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 15 shows yield strength for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 16 shows total elongation for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 17 shows uniform elongation for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 18 provides strain-hardening measurement results for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 provides micrograph images of different aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 21 provides a summary of area fractions of undissolved precipitates, microvoids, and intermetallic particles for the aluminum alloy samples depicted in FIGS. 19 and 20.
  • FIG. 22 provides a summary of grain size for the aluminum alloy samples depicted in FIGS. 19 and 20.
  • FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 provide summaries of recrystallization texture for various aluminum alloy samples.
  • the disclosed alloys can be prepared using large amounts of recycled aluminum alloy content, such as up to 100% recycled content, or more.
  • the disclosed aluminum alloys include amounts of iron, manganese, chromium, and/or silicon in excess of comparable aluminum alloys commonly made by alloying prime aluminum. Further, the disclosed alloys include ratios of a total amount of manganese and chromium to iron or of the amount of manganese to iron of greater than or about 0.60, greater than or about 0.80, or greater than or about 1, which may contribute, at least partly, to desirable bending, forming, and surface properties and characteristics of metal products made using the aluminum alloys.
  • the disclosed alloys can be used to prepare automotive and structural panels such that these products are generated using large amounts of recycled aluminum alloy content.
  • the ratios of the total amount of manganese and chromium to iron or the amount of manganese to iron may be less than about 2.5, such as less than 2.
  • Aluminum alloys used for recycling can contain a mixture or unknown amounts of various aluminum alloys. In some cases, contaminants can also be present in aluminum alloys used for recycling.
  • aluminum alloys used for recycling may correspond to scrap source aluminum, such as end of life automotive aluminum or industrial scrap source, such as remelt scrap ingot (RSI), extrusion profile, aluminum plate, brazing scrap, as well as casting alloy scrap.
  • RSI remelt scrap ingot
  • the energy requirements and carbon footprint for preparing the metal products can be significantly reduced.
  • the alloys and processing techniques described herein are useful for generating aluminum alloy sheet metal, or other metal products, with desirable bending characteristics, strength characteristics, forming characteristics (e.g., isotropic forming properties), and the like.
  • the alloy known as AA6016 is commonly used in automotive or structural applications. In general, however, AA6016 is not prepared using large amounts of recycled aluminum. For example, the elemental limits on AA6016 are typically lower for certain elements (e.g., Fe) than are commonly found in recycled aluminum alloy material. Stated another way, adding amounts of recycled aluminum content to an aluminum alloy that is destined to become AA6016 may necessitate use of large amounts of prime aluminum to ensure that certain elements (e.g., Fe) are not included in excess of those limits defined by the AA6016 designation. Thus, when large amounts of recycled aluminum content are included in an aluminum alloy, the designation can be different from AA6016. When such alloy is processed according to techniques commonly used to prepare products using AA6016, the resultant products can have mechanical and physical characteristics different from those made using AA6016.
  • the elemental limits on AA6016 are typically lower for certain elements (e.g., Fe) than are commonly found in recycled aluminum alloy material.
  • the alloys described herein overcome these challenges by including certain elements (e.g., iron, manganese, chromium, and/or silicon) in particular amounts to still retain beneficial properties. Furthermore, by carefully controlling the ratio of certain elements (e.g., ratio of a total amount of manganese and chromium to iron), desirable properties (e.g., mechanical properties or physical properties) in aluminum alloy products can be achieved. Additionally, particular processing schemes, such as those employing a rapid, low temperature annealing process prior to cold rolling or in between cold rolling steps, can be used to impart desirable properties (e.g., bending properties, forming properties, strength properties, and/or surface characteristics) to the resultant aluminum alloy products.
  • desirable properties e.g., bending properties, forming properties, strength properties, and/or surface characteristics
  • invention As used herein, the terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent application and the claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below.
  • a plate generally has a thickness of greater than about 15 mm.
  • a plate may refer to an aluminum product having a thickness of greater than about 15 mm, greater than about 20 mm, greater than about 25 mm, greater than about 30 mm, greater than about 35 mm, greater than about 40 mm, greater than about 45 mm, greater than about 50 mm, or greater than about 100 mm.
  • a shate (also referred to as a sheet plate) generally has a thickness of from about 4 mm to about 15 mm.
  • a shate may have a thickness of about 4 mm, about 5 mm, about 6 mm, about 7 mm, about 8 mm, about 9 mm, about 10 mm, about 11 mm, about 12 mm, about 13 mm, about 14 mm, or about 15 mm.
  • a sheet generally refers to an aluminum product having a thickness of less than about 4 mm.
  • a sheet may have a thickness of less than about 4 mm, less than about 3 mm, less than about 2 mm, less than about 1 mm, less than about 0.5 mm, or less than about 0.3 mm (e.g., about 0.2 mm).
  • An F condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy as fabricated.
  • An O condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy after annealing.
  • An Hxx condition or temper also referred to herein as an H temper, refers to a non-heat treatable aluminum alloy after cold rolling with or without thermal treatment (e.g., annealing). Suitable H tempers include HX1, HX2, HX3 HX4, HX5, HX6, HX7, HX8, or HX9 tempers.
  • a TI condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy cooled from hot working and naturally aged (e.g., at room temperature).
  • a T2 condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy cooled from hot working, cold worked and naturally aged.
  • a T3 condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy solution heat treated, cold worked, and naturally aged.
  • a T4 condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy solution heat treated and naturally aged.
  • a T5 condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy cooled from hot working and artificially aged (at elevated temperatures).
  • a T6 condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy solution heat treated and artificially aged.
  • a T7 condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy solution heat treated and artificially overaged.
  • a T8x condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy solution heat treated, cold worked, and artificially aged.
  • a T9 condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy solution heat treated, artificially aged, and cold worked.
  • a W condition or temper refers to an aluminum alloy after solution heat treatment.
  • cast metal product As used herein, terms such as “cast metal product,” “cast product,” “cast aluminum alloy product,” and the like are interchangeable and refer to a product produced by direct chill casting (including direct chill co-casting) or semi -continuous casting, continuous casting (including, for example, by use of a twin belt caster, a twin roll caster, a block caster, or any other continuous caster), electromagnetic casting, hot top casting, or any other casting method.
  • room temperature can include a temperature of from about 15 °C to about 30 °C, for example about 15 °C, about 16 °C, about 17 °C, about 18 °C, about 19 °C, about 20 °C, about 21 °C, about 22 °C, about 23 °C, about 24 °C, about 25 °C, about 26 °C, about 27 °C, about 28 °C, about 29 °C, or about 30 °C.
  • ambient conditions can include temperatures of about room temperature, relative humidity of from about 20% to about 100%, and barometric pressure of from about 975 millibar (mbar) to about 1050 mbar.
  • relative humidity can be about 20%, about 21%, about 22%, about 23%, about 24%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%, about 29%, about 30%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about 34%, about 35%, about 36%, about 37%, about 38%, about 39%, about 40%, about 41%, about 42%, about 43%, about 44%, about 45%, about 46%, about 47%, about 48%, about 49%, about 50%, about 51%, about 52%, about 53%, about 54%, about 55%, about 56%, about 57%, about 58%, about 59%, about 60%, about 61%, about 62%, about 63%, about 64%, about 65%, about 66%, about 67%, about 68%, about 69%, about 70%, about 71%, about 72%, about 73%, about 74%, about 75%, about 76%, about 77%, about 78%, about 79%, about 80%, about 81%, about 82%, about 83%
  • barometric pressure can be about 975 mbar, about 980 mbar, about 985 mbar, about 990 mbar, about 995 mbar, about 1000 mbar, about 1005 mbar, about 1010 mbar, about 1015 mbar, about 1020 mbar, about 1025 mbar, about 1030 mbar, about 1035 mbar, about 1040 mbar, about 1045 mbar, about 1050 mbar, or anywhere in between. [0060] All ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass any and all subranges subsumed therein.
  • a stated range of “1 to 10” should be considered to include any and all subranges between (and inclusive of) the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more, e.g. 1 to 6.1, and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less, e.g., 5.5 to 10.
  • the expression “up to” when referring to the compositional amount of an element means that element is optional and includes a zero percent composition of that particular element. Unless stated otherwise, all compositional percentages are in weight percent (wt.%).
  • aluminum alloy products and their components may be described in terms of their elemental composition in weight percent (wt.%). In each alloy, the remainder is aluminum, with a maximum wt.% of 0.15% or 0.25% for the sum of all impurities.
  • Incidental elements such as grain refiners and deoxidizers, or other additives may be present in the disclosed alloys and may add other characteristics on their own without departing from or significantly altering the alloy described herein or the characteristics of the alloy described herein.
  • Unavoidable impurities including materials or elements may be present in an alloy in minor amounts due to inherent properties of aluminum or leaching from contact with processing equipment. Some alloys, as described, may contain no more than about 0.15 wt.% or 0.25 wt.% of any element besides the alloying elements, incidental elements, and unavoidable impurities.
  • the aluminum alloy products described herein can be prepare using suitable methods.
  • aluminum alloys may be cast, homogenized, hot-rolled using breakdown mill following by tandem mill or using break-down mill only, cold-rolled, heat treated, formed, or the like to generate aluminum alloy products.
  • FIG. 1 provides an overview of an example method of making aluminum alloy products.
  • the method of FIG. 1 begins at 105, where an aluminum alloy 106 is cast to form a cast aluminum alloy product 107, such as an ingot or other cast product.
  • the cast aluminum alloy product 107 is homogenized to form a homogenized aluminum alloy product 111.
  • the homogenized aluminum alloy product 111 is subjected to one or more hot rolling passes and/or one or more cold rolling passes to form a rolled aluminum alloy product
  • the rolled aluminum alloy product 112 is subjected to additional processing steps, as described below, to form an aluminum alloy article.
  • the casting process can include a direct chill (DC) casting process, a fusion casting process, or a continuous casting (CC) process.
  • DC direct chill
  • CC continuous casting
  • FIG. 1 depicts a schematic illustration of a DC casting process at 105, but other casting processes can be used.
  • a continuous casting system can include a pair of moving opposed casting surfaces (e.g., moving opposed belts, rolls or blocks), a casting cavity between the pair of moving opposed casting surfaces, and a molten metal injector.
  • the molten metal injector can have an end opening from which molten metal can exit the molten metal injector and be injected into the casting cavity.
  • a cast aluminum alloy product such as a cast ingot, cast slab, or other cast product, can be processed by suitable techniques described herein.
  • the processing steps can be used to prepare rolled aluminum alloy products, such as aluminum alloy sheets.
  • Example optional processing steps include, but are not limited to, homogenization, hot rolling, cold rolling, annealing, solution heat treatment, and pre-aging.
  • the cast aluminum alloy product is homogenized to form a homogenized aluminum alloy product.
  • a cast product may be heated to a temperature ranging from about 400 °C to about 565 °C.
  • the cast product can be heated to a temperature of about 400 °C, about 410 °C, about 420 °C, about 430 °C, about 440 °C, about 450 °C, about 460 °C, about 470 °C, about 480 °C, about 490 °C, about 500 °C, about 510 °C, about 520 °C, about 530 °C, or about 540 °C up to 565 °C.
  • the product may then be allowed to soak (i.e., held at the indicated temperature) for a period of time to form a homogenized product.
  • the total time for the homogenization step can be up to 72 hours.
  • the product can be heated up to 500 °C to 565 °C, and soaked, for a total time of up to 18 hours for the homogenization step.
  • the product can be heated to below 490 °C and soaked, for a total time of greater than 18 hours for the homogenization step.
  • the homogenization step comprises multiple processes.
  • the homogenization step includes heating a cast product to a first temperature for a first period of time followed by heating to a second temperature for a second period of time.
  • a cast product can be heated to about 465 °C for about 3.5 hours and then heated to about 480 °C for about 6 hours.
  • the homogenization process and casting process are combined as casting with in-situ homogenization.
  • the homogenized aluminum alloy product is subjected to one or more roll bonding passes and/or one or more hot rolling passes to form a rolled aluminum alloy product, which may correspond to an aluminum alloy article, such as an aluminum alloy plate, an aluminum alloy shate, or an aluminum alloy sheet.
  • a roll bonding process can be carried out in different manners.
  • a roll bonding process can include both hot rolling and cold rolling.
  • a roll bonding process can be a one-step process or a multi- step process in which the material is gauged down during successive rolling steps. Separate rolling steps can optionally be separated by other processing steps, including, for example, annealing steps, cleaning steps, heating steps, cooling steps, and the like.
  • the homogenized product Prior to the start of hot rolling, the homogenized product can be allowed to cool to a temperature between 380 °C to 450 °C. For example, the homogenized product can be allowed to cool to a temperature of between 400 °C to 425 °C.
  • the homogenized product can then be hot rolled at a temperature between 250 °C to 450 °C to form a hot rolled plate, a hot rolled shate or a hot rolled sheet having a gauge between 2 mm and 200 mm (e.g., 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, 50 mm, 55 mm, 60 mm, 65 mm, 70 mm, 75 mm, 80 mm, 85 mm, 90 mm, 95 mm, 100 mm, 110 mm, 120 mm, 130 mm, 140 mm, 150 mm, 160 mm, 170 mm, 180 mm, 190 mm, 200 mm, or anywhere in between).
  • the cast product can be a continuously cast product that can be allowed to cool to a temperature between 300 °C to 535 °C.
  • the continuously cast product can be allowed to cool to a temperature of between 325 °C to 510 °C, from 350 °C to 485 °C, from 375 °C to 460 °C, or from 400 °C to 435 °C.
  • the continuously cast products can then be hot rolled at a temperature between 300 °C to 450 °C, for example, to form a hot rolled plate, a hot rolled shate or a hot rolled sheet having a gauge between 3 mm and 25 mm (e.g., 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, or anywhere in between).
  • temperatures and other operating parameters can be controlled so that the temperature of the hot rolled intermediate product upon exit from the hot rolling mill is no more than 470 °C, no more than 450 °C, no more than 440 °C, or no more than 430 °C.
  • Cast, homogenized, or hot-rolled products can optionally be subjected to a break down process or a break down and tandem process.
  • a cold rolling process may be used after a hot rolling process , a break down process, and or a break down and tandem process .
  • the cold rolling process can use cold rolling mills to cold roll the aluminum product into thinner products, such as a cold rolled sheet.
  • the cold rolled product can have a gauge between about 0.1 to 7 mm, e.g., between about 0.7 to 6.5 mm.
  • the cold rolled product can have a gauge of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm, 5.0 mm, 5.5 mm, 6.0 mm, 6.5 mm, 7.0 mm.
  • the cold rolling can be performed to result in a final gauge thickness that represents a gauge reduction of up to 95% (e.g., up to 10%, up to 20%, up to 30%, up to 40%, up to 50%, up to 55%, up to 60%, up to 70%, up to 75%, up to 80%, or up to 85%, or up to 90%, up to 95%, or up to 99% reduction) as compared to a gauge prior to the start of cold rolling.
  • up to 95% e.g., up to 10%, up to 20%, up to 30%, up to 40%, up to 50%, up to 55%, up to 60%, up to 70%, up to 75%, up to 80%, or up to 85%, or up to 90%, up to 95%, or up to 99% reduction
  • an intermediate annealing process can be optionally used.
  • a product after a hot rolling process, a breakdown process, and/or a breakdown/tandem process is subjected to an intermediate annealing process.
  • the intermediate annealing process can be any suitable treatment which results in at least partial recrystallization to generate a recrystallized aluminum product.
  • the intermediate annealing process can comprise subjecting an unrecrystallized aluminum product (e.g., a hot-rolled product or a cold-rolled product) to a heat treatment at a predefined temperature of less than or equal to 495 °C for a length of time less than or equal to 25 minutes to generate a recrystallized aluminum product.
  • the cast, homogenized, hot rolled, or cold rolled product can be heated to a temperature of up to 495 °C for a length of time up to 25 minutes as part of an intermediate annealing process.
  • the temperature may be from about 300 °C to about 495 °C, such as from 300 °C to 305 °C, from 305 °C to 310 °C, from 310 °C to 315 °C, from 315 °C to 320 °C, from 320 °C to 325 °C, from 325 °C to 330 °C, from 330 °C to 335 °C, from 335 °C to 340 °C, from 340 °C to 345 °C, from 345 °C to 350 °C, from 350 °C to 355 °C, from 355 °C to 360 °C, from 360 °C to 365 °C, from 365 °C to 370 °C
  • the temperature may be from 320 °C to 495 °C, from 340 °C to 485 °C, from 350 °C to 475 °C, or from 370 °C to 475 °C. Any suitable temperature ramp rates may be used to heat up to and or cool down from the specified temperature.
  • the product is heated to the temperature for a length of time from about 0.1 seconds to about 25 minutes, such as from 0.1 seconds to 0.5 seconds, from 0.5 seconds to 1 second, from 1 second to 2 seconds, from 2 seconds to 3 seconds, from 3 seconds to 4 seconds, from 4 seconds to 5 seconds, from 5 seconds to 10 seconds, from 10 seconds to 15 second, from 15 seconds to 30 seconds, from 30 seconds to 45 seconds, from 45 seconds to 60 seconds, from 60 seconds to 75 seconds, from 75 seconds to 90 seconds, from 90 seconds to 105 seconds, from 105 seconds to 2 minutes, from 2 minutes to 3 minutes, from 3 minutes to 4 minutes, from 4 minutes to 5 minutes, from 5 minutes to 10 minutes, from 10 minutes to 15 minutes, from 15 minutes to 20 minutes, or from 20 minutes to 25 minutes.
  • 0.1 seconds to 0.5 seconds from 0.5 seconds to 1 second, from 1 second to 2 seconds, from 2 seconds to 3 seconds, from 3 seconds to 4 seconds, from 4 seconds to 5 seconds, from 5 seconds to 10 seconds, from 10 seconds to 15 seconds, from 15 minutes to 20 minutes, or from 20
  • this may indicate that the temperature is held at or about a specified temperature or within 5 °C or within 10 °C of the specified temperature for the length of time.
  • the temperature or temperature range may be paired with a specific length of time or time range.
  • the temperature may be from 340 °C to 485 °C while the length of time is less than or equal to 10 minutes, the temperature may be from 350 °C to 475 °C while the length of time is less than 1 minute, or the temperature may be from 370 °C to 475 °C while the length of time is from 2 seconds to 35 seconds. Any variation or combination of the above- mentioned temperatures and lengths of time may be used, and certain alloys or end product configurations may benefit from a particular temperature and length of time combination or range of particular temperatures and lengths of time.
  • the intermediate annealing process can include passing a cast, homogenized, or rolled product through a furnace at a speed from about 10 m/min to about 150 m/min, such as from 10 m/min to 15 m/min, from 15 m/min to 20 m/min, from 20 m/min to 25 m/min, from 25 m/min to 30 m/min, from 30 m/min to 40 m/min, from 40 m/min to 45 m/min, from 45 m/min to 50 m/min, from 50 m/min to 60 m/min, from 60 m/min to 70 m/min, from 70 m/min to 80 m/min, from 80 m/min to 90 m/min, from 90 m/min to 100 m/min, from 100 m/min to 110 m/min, from 110 m/min to 120 m/min, from 120 m/min to 130 m/min, from 130 m/min to 140
  • the intermediate annealing process can include heating the cast, homogenized, or rolled product by passing the product through a gas-fired furnace.
  • the intermediate annealing process can include or use a magnetic heating unit with a heating rate of from 10 °C/s to 150 °C/s.
  • the intermediate annealing process can include or use a quenching process (e.g., a water quench or an air quench) with a cooling rate of from 5 °C/s to 150 °C/s, or more, to return the product to ambient or room temperature.
  • Cold rolling the product after the intermediate annealing process may result in an unrecrystallized aluminum product with deformed grains.
  • Cold rolling can be performed to create a final gauge thickness that represents a gauge reduction from 25% to 99% (e.g., from 25% to 30%, from 30% to 35%, from 35% to 40%, from 40% to 45%, from 45% to 50%, from 50% to 55%, from 55% to 60%, from 60% to 65%, from 65% to 70%, from 70% to 75%, from 75% to 80%, from 80% to 85%, from 85% to 90%, from 90% to 95%, or from 95% to 99% reduction) as compared to the gauge prior to cold rolling.
  • a cold rolling process may achieve a cold reduction from 55% to 75%, from 25% to 90%, from 45% to 95%, or from 60% to 99%.
  • the product can optionally undergo one or more solution heat treatment steps.
  • the solution heat treatment steps can be any suitable treatment for the metal product which results in solutionizing of the soluble particles.
  • the product can be heated to a peak metal temperature (PMT) of up to 590 °C (e.g., from 400 °C to 590 °C) and soaked for a period of time at the PMT to form a hot product.
  • PMT peak metal temperature
  • the product can be soaked at 480 °C for a soak time of up to 30 minutes (e.g., 0 seconds, 60 seconds, 75 seconds, 90 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, or 30 minutes).
  • the hot product is rapidly cooled at rates greater than 90 °C/s to a temperature between 500 °C and room temperature to form a heat-treated product.
  • the heat-treated product can optionally undergo a pre-aging treatment by reheating before coiling.
  • the pre-aging treatment can be performed at a temperature of from about 50 °C to about 125 °C for a period of time of up to 6 hours.
  • the pre-aging treatment can be performed at a temperature of about 50 °C, about 55 °C. about 60 °C, about 65 °C, about 70 °C, about 75 °C, about 80 °C, about 85 °C, about 90 °C, about 95 °C, about 100 °C, about 105 °C, about 110 °C, about 115 °C, about 120 °C, or about 125 °C.
  • the pre-aging treatment can be performed for about 30 minutes, about 1 hour, about 2 hours, about 3 hours, about 4 hours, about 5 hours, or about 6 hours.
  • the pre-aging treatment can be carried out by passing the heat-treated product through a heating device, such as a device that emits radiant heat, convective heat, induction heat, infrared heat, or the like.
  • FIG. 2 provides a plot showing example temperatures of a cast metal product during various stages of a manufacturing process in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
  • the molten metal may be cooled and/or solidified by a process involving quenching or cooling the metal by exposing the metal to water or an aqueous solution, such as in a direct chill casting process or in a continuous casting process that includes quenching immediately after casting.
  • the metal product may be subjected to a homogenization process 210, where the metal is heated to a temperature less than the melting or solidus temperature of the metal.
  • the metal product is heated to a temperature at which the base metal and any alloying elements form a solid solution.
  • the metal product may be exposed to one or more processes that may, for example, form desirable microcrystalline structures within the metal product while elongating the metal product.
  • processes may correspond to hot rolling 215 and/or cold rolling 220, for example, such as to form shates, plates, or sheets from a metal ingot or other cast article or metal product.
  • exposing a metal product at an elevated temperature to a solution such as water, an aqueous solution, or a gas, gas mixture, or gas-phase solution, in a quenching or cooling process may be used to reduce the temperature of the metal product to a temperature desirable or useful for a subsequent process.
  • exposing the metal product to water or an aqueous solution may be useful for cooling the metal product between hot rolling process 215 and subsequent processing. Tandem and/or breakdown processing is not shown in FIG. 2 but can be performed at any suitable temperature for such processes.
  • the metal product may be subjected to an intermediate annealing heat treatment process 225, where the metal product is heated to and held at a predefined temperature for a length of time less than or equal to an hour to generate at least partial recrystallization of the metal product.
  • the metal product may be optionally subjected to an additional cold rolling process 230 after the intermediate annealing heat treatment process 225.
  • Various different peak temperatures may be used for the intermediate annealing heat treatment process 225, as shown in FIG. 2, which may be dependent on the particular alloy of the metal product and/or the particular mechanical or physical properties desired for the final product, for example.
  • the metal product may then be subjected to a solution heat treatment process 235, where the temperature of the metal product is increased to a temperature above a threshold temperature, such as a temperature at which precipitated components in the metal product dissolve into a solid solution or a temperature at which recrystallization processes occur, and held at or above the threshold temperature for a period of time.
  • a threshold temperature such as a temperature at which precipitated components in the metal product dissolve into a solid solution or a temperature at which recrystallization processes occur, and held at or above the threshold temperature for a period of time.
  • a quenching process 240 where dissolved components are fixed into place by rapidly reducing the temperature of the metal by a quenching process.
  • a quenching process 240 may involve exposing the metal product to a solution, such as a quench solution including water, an aqueous solution, or a gas or gas mixture.
  • the processes overviewed in FIG. 2 may be performed discretely or as part of one or more continuous processing lines where metal product may be transported as a coil, a film, or a web of material between processing stages.
  • the metal product may be transported between stages by rolling the metal product, which may be under tension, over or between one or more rollers, or by transporting the metal product on one or more conveyors, for example.
  • other stages not explicitly identified may be included before, between, and/or after any stage identified in FIG. 2.
  • Other example stages include, but are not limited to, a tandem and/or breakdown stage, a washing stage, a chemical treatment stage, or a finishing stage.
  • a finishing stage may correspond to a surface anodizing stage, a powder coating stage, a painting stage, a printing stage, or the like.
  • the aluminum alloy products described herein can be used in automotive applications and other transportation applications, including aircraft and railway applications.
  • the disclosed aluminum alloy products can be used to prepare automotive structural parts, such as bumpers, side beams, roof beams, cross beams, pillar reinforcements (e.g., A-pillars, B-pillars, and C -pillars), inner panels, outer panels, side panels, inner hoods, outer hoods, or trunk lid panels.
  • pillar reinforcements e.g., A-pillars, B-pillars, and C -pillars
  • inner panels outer panels
  • side panels inner hoods
  • outer hoods outer hoods
  • trunk lid panels trunk lid panels.
  • the aluminum alloy products and methods described herein can also be used in aircraft or railway vehicle applications, to prepare, for example, external and internal panels.
  • the aluminum alloy products and methods described herein can also be used in electronics applications.
  • the aluminum alloy products and methods described herein can be used to prepare housings for electronic devices, including mobile phones and tablet computers.
  • the aluminum alloy products can be used to prepare housings for the outer casing of mobile phones (e.g., smart phones), tablet bottom chassis, and other portable electronics.
  • metals and metal alloys including aluminum, aluminum alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, magnesium composites, and steel, among others, and the resultant treated metals and metal alloys.
  • the metals for use in the methods described herein include aluminum alloys, for example, Ixxx series aluminum alloys, 2xxx series aluminum alloys, 3xxx series aluminum alloys, 4xxx series aluminum alloys, 5xxx series aluminum alloys, 6xxx series aluminum alloys, 7xxx series aluminum alloys, or 8xxx series aluminum alloys.
  • material comprising Ixxx series aluminum alloys, 2xxx series aluminum alloys, 3xxx series aluminum alloys, 4xxx series aluminum alloys, 5xxx series aluminum alloys, 6xxx series aluminum alloys, 7xxx series aluminum alloys, or 8xxx series aluminum alloys are useful as recycled source content material for the aluminum alloys and metal products described herein.
  • the materials for use in the methods described herein include non-ferrous materials, including aluminum, aluminum alloys, magnesium, magnesium-based materials, magnesium alloys, magnesium composites, titanium, titanium- based materials, titanium alloys, copper, copper-based materials, composites, sheets used in composites, or any other suitable metal, non-metal or combination of materials.
  • Monolithic as well as non-monolithic such as roll-bonded materials, cladded alloys, clad layers, composite materials, such as but not limited to carbon fiber-containing materials, or various other materials are also useful with the methods described herein.
  • aluminum alloys containing iron are useful with the methods described herein.
  • exemplary Ixxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein can include AA1100, AA1100A, AA1200, AA1200A, AA1300, AA1110, AA1120, AA1230, AA1230A, AA1235, AA1435, AA1145, AA1345, AA1445, AA1150, AA1350, AA1350A, AA1450, AA1370, AA1275, AA1185, AA1285, AA1385, AA1188, AA1190, AA1290, AA1193, AA1198, or AA1199.
  • Non-limiting exemplary 2xxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein can include AA2001, AA2002, AA2004, AA2005, AA2006, AA2007, AA2007A, AA2007B, AA2008, AA2009, AA2010, AA2011, AA2011A, AA2111, AA2111A, AA2111B, AA2012, AA2013, AA2014, AA2014A, AA2214, AA2015, AA2016, AA2017, AA2017A, AA2117, AA2018, AA2218, AA2618, AA2618A, AA2219, AA2319, AA2419, AA2519, AA2021, AA2022, AA2023, AA2024, AA2024A, AA2124, AA2224, AA2224A, AA2324, AA2424, AA2524, AA2624, AA2724, AA2824, AA2025,
  • Non-limiting exemplary 3xxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein can include AA3002, AA3102, AA3003, AA3103, AA3103A, AA3103B, AA3203, AA3403, AA3004, AA3004A, AA3104, AA3204, AA3304, AA3005, AA3005A, AA3105, AA3105A, AA3105B, AA3007, AA3107, AA3207, AA3207A, AA3307, AA3009, AA3010, AA3110, AA3011, AA3012, AA3012A, AA3013, AA3014, AA3015, AA3016, AA3017, AA3019, AA3020, AA3021, AA3025, AA3026, AA3030, AA3130, or AA3065.
  • Non-limiting exemplary 4xxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein can include AA4004, AA4104, AA4006, AA4007, AA4008, AA4009, AA4010, AA4013, AA4014, AA4015, AA4015A, AA4115, AA4016, AA4017, AA4018, AA4019, AA4020, AA4021, AA4026, AA4032, AA4043, AA4043A, AA4143, AA4343, AA4643, AA4943, AA4044, AA4045, AA4145, AA4145A, AA4046, AA4047, AA4047A, or AA4147.
  • Non-limiting exemplary 5xxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein product can include AA5182, AA5183, AA5005, AA5005A, AA5205, AA5305, AA5505, AA5605, AA5006, AA5106, AA5010, AA5110, AA5110A, AA5210, AA5310, AA5016, AA5017, AA5018, AA5018A, AA5019, AA5019A, AA5119, AA5119A, AA5021, AA5022, AA5023, AA5024, AA5026, AA5027, AA5028, AA5040, AA5140, AA5041, AA5042, AA5043, AA5049, AA5149, AA5249, AA5349, AA5449, AA5449A, AA5050, AA5050A, AA5050C, AA5150,
  • Non-limiting exemplary 6xxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein can include AA6101, AA6101A, AA6101B, AA6201, AA6201A, AA6401, AA6501, AA6002, AA6003, AA6103, AA6005, AA6005A, AA6005B, AA6005C, AA6105, AA6205, AA6305, AA6006, AA6106, AA6206, AA6306, AA6008, AA6009, AA6010, AA6110, AA6110A, AA6011, AA6111, AA6012, AA6012A, AA6013, AA6113, AA6014, AA6015, AA6016, AA6016A, AA6116, AA6018, AA6019, AA6020, AA6021, AA6022, AA6023, AA6024, AA6025, AA6026, AA6027,
  • Non-limiting exemplary 7xxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein can include AA7011, AA7019, AA7020, AA7021, AA7039, AA7072, AA7075, AA7085, AA7108, AA7108A, AA7015, AA7017, AA7018, AA7019A, AA7024, AA7025, AA7028, AA7030, AA7031, AA7033, AA7035, AA7035A, AA7046, AA7046A, AA7003, AA7004, AA7005, AA7009, AA7010, AA7011, AA7012, AA7014, AA7016, AA7116, AA7122, AA7023, AA7026, AA7029, AA7129, AA7229, AA7032, AA7033, AA7034, AA7036, AA7136, AA7034,
  • Non-limiting exemplary 8xxx series aluminum alloys for use in the methods described herein can include AA8005, AA8006, AA8007, AA8008, AA8010, AA8011, AA8011A, AA8111, AA8211, AA8112, AA8014, AA8015, AA8016, AA8017, AA8018, AA8019, AA8021, AA8021A, AA8021B, AA8022, AA8023, AA8024, AA8025, AA8026, AA8030, AA8130, AA8040, AA8050, AA8150, AA8076, AA8076A, AA8176, AA8077, AA8177, AA8079, AA8090, AA8091, or AA8093.
  • Samples of an aluminum alloy sheet metal were prepared by casting, homogenizing, hot rolling, cold rolling, solutionizing, and aging an aluminum alloy. Conventional DC casting techniques were used to prepare ingots comprising AA6016.
  • the aluminum alloy contained about 55% recycled aluminum content.
  • the aluminum alloy contained about 0.23-0.30 wt.% Fe, 0.15-0.20 wt.% Mn and 0.009-0.025 wt.% Cr, such that the ratio of Mn+Cr to Fe was about 0.67-0.73.
  • the ingots were homogenized at about 540 °C for about 14 hours.
  • the homogenized products were subjected to hot rolling, followed by cold rolling, followed by solutionizing, according to conventional hot rolling, cold rolling, and solution heat treatment techniques.
  • An exit temperature after hot rolling was 405 °C.
  • the thickness reduction achieved by hot rolling was about 98% and the thickness reduction achieved by cold rolling prior to inter-annealing at 355 °C was 63%. Additional cold rolling was then used to generate a final gauge of 1.02 mm for the cold rolled product.
  • the cold rolled product was subjected to a short ( ⁇ 1 minute) solutionizing treatment at a peak metal temperature between 560 °C and 570 °C.
  • Samples of an aluminum alloy sheet metal were prepared by casting, homogenizing, hot rolling, cold rolling, and interannealing recrystallization an aluminum alloy. Conventional DC casting techniques were used to prepare ingots comprising AA6016.
  • the aluminum alloy contained about 55% recycled aluminum content.
  • the aluminum alloy contained about 0.23-0.30 wt.% Fe, 0.15-0.20 wt.% Mn and 0.009-0.025 wt.% Cr, such that the ratio of Mn+Cr to Fe was about 0.67-0.73.
  • the ingots were homogenized at about 540 °C for about 13-14 hours.
  • the homogenized products were subjected to hot rolling, followed by cold rolling to a gauge of about 3.5 mm, followed by an interannealing recrystallization, followed by cold rolling to a final gauge of about 1.0 mm.
  • Conventional hot rolling and cold rolling techniques were used.
  • An exit temperature after hot rolling was about 350 °C, which generated fine precipitates in the samples.
  • Several different interannealing recrystallization techniques were applied to samples of the product after hot rolling and cold rolling.
  • the first and second interannealing recrystallization techniques included heating the samples to 350 °C for 5 seconds, followed by air quenching.
  • the third interannealing recrystallization technique included heating the samples to 365 °C for 5 seconds using a magnetic induction heating system, followed by water quenching.
  • the fourth interannealing recrystallization technique included heating the samples to 415 °C for 5 seconds using a magnetic induction heating system, followed by water quenching.
  • Full recrystallization of the samples were observed for all the tested interannealing recrystallization techniques. The grain growth observed in the first and second interannealing recrystallization techniques was different from that in the third and fourth interannealing recrystallization techniques, but no significant particle coarsening was observed in any of the interannealing recrystallization techniques.
  • FIG. 3 shows grain size characteristics of the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 4 shows texture characteristics of the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 5 shows yield strength of the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 6 shows ultimate tensile strength of the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 7 shows uniform elongation of the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 8 shows total elongation of the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 9 strain-hardening exponent for 5% strain for the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • FIG. 10 shows strain-hardening exponent for 10-20% strain for the various aluminum alloy samples.
  • Samples of aluminum alloy sheet metal were prepared by casting, homogenizing, hot rolling, cold rolling, and interannealing recrystallization an aluminum alloy.
  • the alloy content of the different aluminum alloy samples was controlled to achieve desired compositions.
  • the aluminum alloy in some samples included a large amount of recycled content (e.g., greater than 50% or up to 80% (identified as recycled alloy samples, RA) and included about 0.15-0.20 wt.% Fe, 0.15-0.20 wt.% Mn and 0.009-0.025 wt.% Cr, such that the ratio of Mn+Cr to Fe was about 1-1.25.
  • the aluminum alloy from other samples contained different alloying elements as a comparative (identified as comparative alloy samples, CA).
  • the comparative aluminum alloy included about 0.15-0.20 wt.% Fe, 0.05- 0.10 wt.% Mn and 0.009-0.025 wt.% Cr, such that the ratio of Mn+Cr to Fe was about 0.4-
  • the ingots were homogenized at about 540 °C for about 10-14 hours.
  • the homogenized products were subjected to hot rolling, followed by cold rolling to a gauge of about 3.5 mm. Some samples were subjected to an interannealing recrystallization treatment. All samples were subjected to cold rolling to a final gauge of about 1.0 mm. Conventional hot rolling and cold rolling techniques were used. An exit temperature after hot rolling was about 350 °C for the alloy which was subjected to an interannealing in order to generate fine precipitates in the samples. When no interannealing was applied, the exit temperature after hot rolling was about 400 °C.
  • the samples were subjected to a solutionizing heat treatment and natural aging process following the final cold rolling to a T4 temper condition and properties were evaluated (e.g., grain characteristics, mechanical properties, crystal texture, surface character, etc.).
  • the interannealing recrystallization techniques included heating the samples to 400 °C for 5 seconds, followed by air quenching.
  • FIG. 11 shows Lankford ratio / Lankford coefficient (R-value) at about 10% strain, as measured along longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal directions for samples subjected to a cold rolling process without interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • R-value Lankford ratio / Lankford coefficient
  • FIG. 12 shows R-values at about 10% strain, as measured along longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal directions for samples subjected to a cold rolling process including an interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • the R- value in the diagonal direction for the RA sample was above 0.45, indicating a significant increase relative to the CA sample.
  • FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 shows bending performance for the RA and CA samples subjected to a cold rolling process without interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • the RA samples exhibited similar bending performance to the CA samples.
  • FIG. 15 show yield strength for the RA and CA samples subjected to a cold rolling process without interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • the RA samples exhibited higher yield strengths than the CA samples.
  • FIG. 16 shows total elongation for the RA and CA samples subjected to a cold rolling process without interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • the RA samples exhibited similar performance to the CA samples, with slightly lower total elongation along the diagonal direction.
  • FIG. 17 shows uniform elongation for the RA and CA samples subjected to a cold rolling process without interannealing recrystallization treatment.
  • the RA samples exhibited similar performance to the CA samples, with slightly lower uniform elongation along the diagonal direction.
  • FIG. 18 provides strain-hardening exponent for 5% strain for the RA and CA samples subjected to a cold rolling process without interannealing recrystallization treatment, showing the samples exhibiting nearly identical behavior for this characteristic.
  • FIG. 19 provides a micrograph image of a CA sample and FIG. 20 provides a micrograph image of a RA sample. These images show the final microstructure of the T4 temper condition, showing similar microstructure characteristics of undissolved precipitates, microvoids, and intermetallic particles, which are summarized in FIG. 21.
  • the RA sample exhibits a slightly finer grain structure than the CA sample, as summarized in FIG. 22.
  • FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 provide details of recrystallization texture, with the RA samples exhibiting reduced overall texture (FIG. 24), and strong reduction in Cube and RC textures (FIG. 23).
  • any reference to a series of aspects e.g., “Aspects 1-4” or nonenumerated group of aspects (e.g., “any previous or subsequent aspect”) is to be understood as a reference to each of those aspects disjunctively (e.g., “Aspects 1-4” is to be understood as “Aspects 1, 2, 3, or 4 ”).
  • Aspect 1 is an aluminum alloy, comprising Al and about 1 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, up to about 0.35 wt.% Fe, up to about 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.2 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, up to about 0.10 wt.% Cr, up to about 0.10 wt.% Ni, up to about 0.20 wt.% Zn, up to about 0.15 wt.% Ti, and up to about 0.10 wt.% V, wherein a ratio of a total amount of Mn and Cr to an amount of Fe is greater than 1, and wherein at least a portion of the aluminum alloy comprises recycled aluminum alloy content.
  • Aspect 2 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the ratio of the total amount of Mn and Cr to the amount of Fe is less than 2.
  • Aspect 3 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein a ratio of the amount of Mn to the amount of Fe is greater than 1 or less than 2.
  • Aspect 4 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, comprising up to 100% recycled aluminum alloy content or comprising more than 20% recycled aluminum alloy content.
  • Aspect 5 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, comprising a 6xxx series aluminum alloy.
  • Aspect 6 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, comprising: about 1.2 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.35 wt.% Fe, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.25 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, about 0.005 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Cr, about 0.03 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Ni, about 0.02 wt.% to 0.20 wt.% Zn, about 0.01 wt.% to 0.15 wt.% Ti, about 0.01 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% V, and a remainder aluminum and unavoidable impurities.
  • Aspect 7 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, comprising: about 1.35 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, about 0.20 wt.% to 0.35 wt.% Fe, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.20 wt.% Mn, about 0.25 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, about 0.009 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Cr, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Ni, about 0.02 wt.% to 0.15 wt.% Zn, about 0.01 wt.% to 0.15 wt.% Ti, about 0.02 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% V, and a remainder aluminum and unavoidable impurities.
  • Aspect 8 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, comprising: about 1.35 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, about 0.15 wt.% to 0.35 wt.% Fe, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.15 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.25 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, about 0.005 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Cr, up to about 0.10 wt.% Ni, up to about 0.20 wt.% Zn, up to about 0.15 wt.% Ti, up to about 0.10 wt.% V, and a remainder aluminum and unavoidable impurities.
  • Aspect 9 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, comprising up to 0.05 wt.% each of any individual impurity and up to 0.25 wt.% of all impurities.
  • Aspect 10 is the aluminum alloy of any previous or subsequent aspect, comprising more alpha phase Fe-containing intermetallic particles than beta phase Fe-containing intermetallic particles.
  • Aspect 11 is a metal product comprising an aluminum alloy, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises Al and about 1 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, up to about 0.35 wt.% Fe, up to about 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.2 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, up to about 0.10 wt.% Cr, up to about 0.10 wt.% Ni, up to about 0.20 wt.% Zn, up to about 0.15 wt.% Ti, and up to about 0.10 wt.% V, wherein a ratio of a total amount of Mn and Cr to an amount of Fe is greater than 1, and wherein at least a portion of the aluminum alloy comprises recycled aluminum alloy content.
  • the aluminum alloy comprises Al and about 1 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, up to about 0.35 wt.% Fe, up to about 0.25 wt.% Cu, about
  • Aspect 12 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy is the aluminum alloy of any previous aspect.
  • Aspect 13 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product is a rolled metal product.
  • Aspect 14 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product is dual-recrystallized metal product.
  • Aspect 15 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits isotropic strain characteristics.
  • Aspect 16 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a Lankford ratio at about 10% strain along longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal directions of about 0.45 or greater.
  • Aspect 17 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits an fl 5% bending factor along a transverse direction of from about 0.3 to 1.0.
  • Aspect 18 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits an inner-bending angle after pre-straining of 10% of about 10° to 60°.
  • Aspect 19 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a surface arithmetical mean height (Sa) of at most 0.60 pm after prestraining of about 10% in the transverse direction.
  • Aspect 20 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a yield strength of from 90 MPa to 130 MPa when in a T4 temper or from 200 MPa to 235 MPa when in a T6 temper.
  • Aspect 21 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits an ultimate tensile strength of from 195 MPa to 270 MPa when in a T4 temper or from 240 MPa to 300 MPa when in a T6 temper.
  • Aspect 22 is the metal product of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a uniform elongation of from 20% to 30% when in a T4 temper or from 10% to 20% when in a T6 temper.
  • Aspect 23 is a method of producing a metal product, the method comprising: casting an aluminum alloy to generate a cast product, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises Al and about 1 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, up to about 0.35 wt.% Fe, up to about 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.2 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, up to about 0.10 wt.% Cr, up to about 0.10 wt.% Ni, up to about 0.20 wt.% Zn, up to about 0.15 wt.% Ti, and up to about 0.10 wt.% V, wherein a ratio of a total amount of Mn and Cr to an amount of Fe is greater than 1, and wherein at least a portion of the aluminum alloy comprises recycled aluminum alloy content; homogenizing the cast product to generate a homogenized product; hot rolling the homogenized product to generate a rolled product; and
  • Aspect 24 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, further comprising: subsequent to the hot rolling, subjecting the rolled product to a recrystallization process to generate a recrystallized product, wherein the final cold rolling process comprises cold rolling the recrystallized product to produce the metal product.
  • Aspect 25 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the recrystallization process occurs between the hot rolling and the final cold rolling process.
  • Aspect 26 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, further comprising: subjecting the rolled product to a preliminary cold rolling process subsequent to the hot rolling and prior to the recrystallization process, wherein the recrystallization process occurs between the preliminary cold rolling process and the final cold rolling process.
  • Aspect 27 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the recrystallization process comprises: annealing the rolled product at peak metal temperature of from 325 °C to 425 °C for up to 1 minute to generate a recrystallized product; and quenching the recrystallized product.
  • Aspect 28 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein an exit temperature of the hot rolling is no more than 400 °C.
  • Aspect 29 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the hot rolling achieves a thickness reduction between the homogenized product and the rolled product of 90% or more.
  • Aspect 30 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, further comprising: subjecting the metal product to a solutionizing process to generate a solutionized metal product.
  • Aspect 31 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, further comprising: subjecting the metal product to an aging or artificial aging process to generate an aged metal product.
  • Aspect 32 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises up to 100% recycled aluminum alloy content or more than 20% recycled aluminum alloy content.
  • Aspect 33 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises a 6xxx series aluminum alloy.
  • Aspect 34 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises: about 1.2 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.35 wt.% Fe, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.25 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, about 0.005 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Cr, about 0.03 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Ni, about 0.02 wt.% to 0.20 wt.% Zn, about 0.01 wt.% to 0.15 wt.% Ti, about 0.01 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% V, and a remainder aluminum and unavoidable impurities.
  • Aspect 35 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises: about 1.35 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, about 0.20 wt.% to 0.35 wt.% Fe, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.20 wt.% Mn, about 0.25 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, about 0.009 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Cr, about 0.05 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Ni, about 0.02 wt.% to 0.15 wt.% Zn, about 0.01 wt.% to 0.15 wt.% Ti, about 0.02 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% V, and a remainder aluminum and unavoidable impurities.
  • Aspect 36 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises: about 1.35 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% Si, about 0.15 wt.% to 0.35 wt.% Fe, about 0.10 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Cu, about 0.15 wt.% to 0.25 wt.% Mn, about 0.25 wt.% to 0.60 wt.% Mg, about 0.005 wt.% to 0.10 wt.% Cr, up to about 0.10 wt.% Ni, up to about 0.20 wt.% Zn, up to about 0.15 wt.% Ti, up to about 0.10 wt.% V, and a remainder aluminum and unavoidable impurities.
  • Aspect 37 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy comprises up to 0.05 wt.% each of any individual impurity and up to 0.25 wt.% of all impurities.
  • Aspect 38 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits isotropic strain characteristics.
  • Aspect 39 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a Lankford ratio at about 10% strain along longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal directions of about 0.45 or greater.
  • Aspect 40 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits an fl 5% bending factor along a transverse direction of from about 0.3 to 1.0.
  • Aspect 41 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits an inner-bending angle after pre-straining of 10% of about 10° to 60°.
  • Aspect 42 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a surface arithmetical mean height (Sa) of at most 0.60 pm after prestraining of about 10% in the transverse direction.
  • Aspect 43 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a yield strength of from 90 MPa to 130 MPa when in a T4 temper or from 200 MPa to 235 MPa when in a T6 temper.
  • Aspect 44 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits an ultimate tensile strength of from 195 MPa to 270 MPa when in a T4 temper or from 240 MPa to 300 MPa when in a T6 temper.
  • Aspect 45 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the metal product exhibits a uniform elongation of from 20% to 30% when in a T4 temper or from 10% to 20% when in a T6 temper.
  • Aspect 46 is the method of any previous or subsequent aspect, wherein the aluminum alloy is the aluminum alloy of any previous aspect.
  • Aspect 47 is the method of any previous aspect, wherein the metal product is the metal product of any previous aspect.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne des alliages d'aluminium, des produits métalliques fabriqués à l'aide des alliages d'aluminium, et des procédés de traitement des alliages d'aluminium. Les alliages divulgués peuvent être préparés à l'aide de grandes quantités d'alliage d'aluminium recyclé, par exemple jusqu'à 100 % de contenu recyclé. Les alliages d'aluminium divulgués comprennent des quantités de fer, de manganèse, de chrome et/ou de silicium supérieures aux alliages d'aluminium comparables généralement fabriqués par alliage d'aluminium de première qualité. En outre, les alliages divulgués comprennent des rapports d'une quantité totale de manganèse et de chrome au fer supérieur ou égal à environ 0,60, supérieur ou égal à environ 0,8 ou supérieur ou égal à environ 1, qui peuvent contribuer, au moins partiellement, à des caractéristiques et des propriétés de flexion, de formation et de surface souhaitables de produits métalliques fabriqués à l'aide des alliages d'aluminium. Les alliages divulgués peuvent être utilisés pour préparer des panneaux d'automobiles et de structures de sorte que ces produits sont générés à l'aide de grandes quantités d'alliage d'aluminium recyclé.
PCT/US2024/018661 2023-03-07 2024-03-06 Alliages à teneur élevée en aluminium recyclé et procédés de fabrication et d'utilisation Pending WO2024186893A1 (fr)

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Citations (3)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20160002761A1 (en) * 2013-03-07 2016-01-07 Aleris Aluminum Duffel Bvba Method of manufacturing an al-mg-si alloy rolled sheet product with excellent formability
WO2021211696A1 (fr) * 2020-04-15 2021-10-21 Novelis Inc. Alliages d'aluminium produits à partir de déchets d'alliage d'aluminium recyclés
WO2024054968A1 (fr) * 2022-09-09 2024-03-14 Novelis Inc. Alliages à teneur élevée en aluminium recyclé et procédés de fabrication et d'utilisation

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US20160002761A1 (en) * 2013-03-07 2016-01-07 Aleris Aluminum Duffel Bvba Method of manufacturing an al-mg-si alloy rolled sheet product with excellent formability
WO2021211696A1 (fr) * 2020-04-15 2021-10-21 Novelis Inc. Alliages d'aluminium produits à partir de déchets d'alliage d'aluminium recyclés
WO2024054968A1 (fr) * 2022-09-09 2024-03-14 Novelis Inc. Alliages à teneur élevée en aluminium recyclé et procédés de fabrication et d'utilisation

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