# US 10,501,829 B2 · Method for producing a structural sheet metal component, and a structural sheet metal component > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,501,829 B2 - Document ID: US10501829B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/455,762 - Filed: 2012-04-25 - Published: 2012-11-01 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-26 - Assignees: Benteler Automobiltechnik GmbH - Applicants: Friedrich Bohner; Jochen Dörr; Jochem Grewe - Inventors: Friedrich Bohner; Jochen Dörr; Jochem Grewe - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501829B2 ## CPC - C22C 21/18: with zinc - C21D 1/673: for die quenching - C22C 21/06: with magnesium as the next major constituent - C22C 21/10: with zinc as the next major constituent - C22F 1/047: of alloys with magnesium as the next major constituent - C22F 1/053: of alloys with zinc as the next major constituent - C22F 1/057: of alloys with copper as the next major constituent - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) - C21D: MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass C23F17/00; unidirectional solidification of eutectic materials or unidirectional demixing of eutectoid materials C30B) - C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00) ## Abstract A method for producing a structural sheet metal component formed from an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle includes providing an aluminum sheet blank in a state T4 or T5 or T6 or T7, heating the aluminum sheet blank to a heating temperature between 100° C. and 450° C., forming the aluminum sheet blank to a structural sheet metal component, and heat post-treatment of the formed structural sheet metal component. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for producing a structural sheet metal component made from an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of: providing an aluminum sheet blank in a state T4 or T5 or T6 or T7, prior to forming the aluminum sheet blank, heating the aluminum sheet blank in an unformed state thereof to a heating temperature between 350° C. and 450° C. and below solution heat treatment temperature of the aluminum sheet blank, forming the aluminum sheet blank to a structural sheet metal component at said heating temperature, and heat post-treatment of the formed structural sheet metal component, wherein in the heat post treatment the formed structural sheet blank is naturally aged at room temperature for less than 251 hours, followed by a heat post-treatment at 70° C. to 120° C. for 5 to 15 hours, said heat post-treatment excluding solution heat treatment of the formed structural part, wherein T4, T5, T6 and T7 refer to heat-treated states of an aluminum alloy according to DIN EN 515, with T4 referring to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and naturally aged; T5 to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is quenched from a hot-forming temperature and tempered; T6 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and tempered; and T7 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and over-aged. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated to the heating temperature in less than 60 minutes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated to the heating temperature in less than 30 minutes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated to the heating temperature in less than 10 minutes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is heated by at least one process selected from conduction, convection, resistance, induction, heat radiation and heat conduction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is formed following heating without active cooling. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is formed in a heated forming tool. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum sheet blank heated to the heating temperature is passively cooled at room temperature RT with ambient air or actively cooled, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled through contact with a medium. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled by quenching at a cooling speed of greater than 100° C./s. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled by quenching at a cooling speed of greater than 250° C./s. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled by quenching at a cooling speed of greater than 400° C./s. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the aluminum sheet blank is actively cooled with water. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein after forming, precipitation hardening is performed at room temperature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the heat post-treatment is performed in two steps, wherein after a first heat post-treatment step a second heat post-treatment is performed for between 12 and 24 hours at 100° C. to 200° C. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein sheet metal blank has a thickness between the 0.1 and 15 mm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein sheet metal blank has a thickness from 0.5 to 10 mm. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the aluminum alloy is a precipitation-hardenable aluminum alloy, comprising at least the following alloy elements, expressed in weight-percent: Zinc (Zn) [%]: 2 to 8% Magnesium (Mg) [%]: 0.3 to 5.5%, Chromium (Cr) [%]: 0.05 to 1%, Zirconium (Zr) [%]: 0.04 to 0.5% Copper (Cu) [%]: ≤4.5% Manganese (Mn) [%]: ≤1.0%, Iron (Fe) [%]: ≤0.8% Silicon (Si) [%]: ≤0.7% Titanium (Ti) [%]: ≤0.5% Zirconium + Titanium (Zr + Ti) [%]: 0.04 to 0.5% Aluminum (Al) [%]: remainder. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A method of claim 1, further comprising cooling the sheet blank after the forming. ### Claim 19 A method for producing a structural sheet metal component made from an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of: providing an aluminum sheet blank in a state T4 or T5 or T6 or T7, heating the aluminum sheet blank to a heating temperature between between 350° C. and 450° C., forming the aluminum sheet blank to a structural sheet metal component at said heating temperature, and heat post-treatment of the formed structural sheet metal component, wherein the heat post-treatment is performed in two steps, with a first step being performed for 5 to 15 hours between 70° C. and 120° C. and a following second step being performed for 12 to 24 hours at 100° C. to 200° C., wherein T4, T5, T6 and T7 refer to heat-treated states of an aluminum alloy according to DIN EN 515, with T4 referring to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and naturally aged; T5 to an aluminum sheet metal blank that is quenched from a hot-forming temperature and tempered; T6 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and tempered; and T7 to a sheet metal blank that is solution-annealed and over-aged. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A method of claim 19, further comprising cooling the sheet blank after the forming.