US 11,447,851 B2Granted

6xxx aluminum alloys and methods of making the same

AssigneeArconic Technologies LLC

InventorsJames Daniel Bryant, Colleen E. Weller, Dirk C. Mooy, Zachariah D. Meissen

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Abstract

New 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet products and methods of making the same are disclosed. The new methods may include preparing a 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product for solution heat treatment, solution heat treating and then quenching the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product, and then exposing the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product to a treatment temperature of from 30° C. to 60° C. for 0.2 to 300 seconds. After the exposing step, the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product may be coiled and then placed in an ambient environment. Due to the post-quench heating and subsequent exposure to ambient, a preselected amount of Newtonian cooling may be induced, thereby creating a unique and consistent microstructure within the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet products.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

(a) preparing a 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product for solution heat treatment;
(b) after the preparing step, solution heat treating and then quenching the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product, wherein, after the quenching, the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product is at ambient temperature;
(c) determining a temperature of a storage location for the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product;
(d) based on the temperature of the storage location, selecting a post-quench treatment temperature, wherein the post-quench treatment temperature is in the range of from 30° C. to 60° C.;
(e) after the solution heat treating and quenching step, exposing the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product to the selected post-quench treatment temperature of from 30° C. to 60° C. for 0.2 to 300 seconds, wherein the exposing step comprises heating the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product to the selected post-quench treatment temperature;
(f) after the exposing step, coiling the 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product into a coiled 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product;
(g) after the coiling step, moving the coiled 6xxx aluminum alloy sheet product to the storage location.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/165,595Filed 26 May 2016 · us provisional application
Priority: 29 May 2015
Published: US 2016/0348225 A11 Dec 2016
Granted: 20 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

C22F 1/057
Of aluminium or alloys based thereon: of alloys with copper as the next major constituent
C22C 21/02
Alloys based on aluminium: with silicon as the next major constituent
C22C 21/08
With magnesium as the next major constituent: with silicon
C22C 21/10
Alloys based on aluminium: with zinc as the next major constituent