Superplastic aluminum products and alloys

A superplastically formed article of manufacture comprising a superplastically formed metal comprising aluminum and one or more phases that comprise an Ll.sub.2 crystallographic structure having a lattice parameter misfit with aluminum's lattice parameter of not more than 10% at superplastic forming temperature and contains one or more elements of the group of scandium, yttrium, gadolinium, holmium, dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium, and terbium, said elements being present up to 10% each, up to 20% total, if scandium is present one or more of the other elements from said group also being present.

A superplastically formed article of manufacture comprising a superplastically formed alloy containing (a) aluminum, (b) 0.1 to 1% scandium;

• (c) one or more of 0.01 to 3% Gd, 0.01 to 2.5% Y and 0.01 to 3.5% Ho;
• and (d) one or more from the group of 0.1 to 20% Mg, 0.1 to 5% Si, 0.1 to 10% Ag, 0.1 to 10% Cu, 0.1 to 5% Ge, 0.1 to 7% Li, 0.1 to 49% Zn and up to 0.3% Zr.

A superplastically formed article of manufacture comprising a superplastically formed alloy containing aluminum and up to 10% each of one or more of the elements from the group of scandium, yttrium, gadolinium, holmium, dysposium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium, and terbium, if Sc is present one or more of the other elements from said group also being present, the grand total of said elements not exceeding 20% and additionally containing one or more of the following elements:

• 0.1 to 20% Mg, 0.1 to 5% Si, 0.1 to 10% Ag, 0.1 to 10% Cu, 0.1 to 5% Ge, 0.1 to 7% Li, 0.1 to 49% Zn and up to 0.3% Zr.

In a method of superplastic forming comprising superplastically forming aluminous metal stock at superplastic forming temperature, the improvement comprising providing said aluminous stock comprising aluminum and including some amount of up to 10% each of one or more of the elements from the group of yttrium, gadolinium, holmium, dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium, and terbium, the grand total of said elements not exceeding 20%.

In a method of superplastic forming comprising superplastically forming aluminum alloy stock at superplastic forming temperature, the improvement comprising providing said aluminum alloy stock comprising more than 50% aluminum and including 0.01 to 10% each of one or more of the elements from the group of scandium, yttrium, gadolinium, holmium, dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium, and terbium, the grand total of said elements not exceeding 20%, if scandium is present one or more of the other elements from said group also being present.

In a method of superplastic forming comprising superplastically forming aluminous stock at superplastic forming temperature, the improvement comprising providing said aluminous stock comprising aluminum and at least one phase that comprises an Ll.sub.2 crystallographic structure having a lattice parameter misfit with aluminum's lattice parameter of not more than 10% at superplastic forming temperature and contains one or more elements of the group of scandium, yttrium, gadolinium, holmium, dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium, and terbium, said elements being present up to 10% each, up to 20% total, if scandium is present one or more of the other elements from said group also being present.

In a method of superplastic forming comprising superplastically forming aluminous metal stock at superplastic forming temperature, the improvement comprising providing said aluminous stock comprising aluminum and including (a) 0.1 to 5% each of one or more of the elements from the group of scandium, yttrium, gadolinium, holmium, dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium, and terbium, the grand total of said elements not exceeding 20%, if scandium is present one or more of the other elements from said group also being present and (b) one or more from the second group of 0.1 to 20% Mg, 0.1 to 5% Si, 0.1 to 10% Ag, 0.1 to 10% Cu, 0.1 to 5% Ge, 0.1 to 7% Li, 0.1 to 49% Zn and up to 0.3% Zr.

In a method of superplastic forming comprising superplastically forming aluminum alloy stock at superplastic forming temperature, the improvement comprising providing said aluminum alloy stock comprising more than 50% aluminum and including (a) 0.1 to 5% each of one or more of the elements from the first group of scandium, yttrium, gadolinium, holmium, dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium, and terbium, the grand total of said elements not exceeding 20% if scandium is present one or more of the other elements from first said group also being present, and (b) one or more from the second group of 0.1 to 20% Mg, 0.1 to 5% Si, 0.1 to 10% Ag, 0.1 to 10% Cu, 0.1 to 5% Ge, 0.1 to 7% Li, 0.1 to 49% Zn and up to 0.3% Zr.