Patent Application
20240191326
The present disclosure relates to aluminum die casting alloys, more particularly, to an aluminum alloy for high pressure die casting of ultra-large vehicle body structures.
High pressure die casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity having a predetermined shape. Modern vehicles, especially those of hybrid and electric vehicles, are moving toward simpler vehicle body designs by die casting ultra-large single-piece panels and components that may serve as load bearing structures of the vehicle body. These ultra-large single-piece castings are often referred to as mega-castings or giga-castings due to the huge size of the die casting machines used to make these castings. Ultra-large castings allow vehicle bodies to be lighter and less complex to manufacture by replacing the large number of stamped panels and components required to form the vehicle body with an ultra-large single-piece casting. As an example, an ultra-large single-piece casting can have a width of at least 0.8 meter (m), a length of at least 1 m, and a height of at least 0.25 m.
Aluminum-silicon (Al—Si) based alloys are typically used in die casting of vehicle body structures due to the alloys' lightweight, superior moldability, mass producibility, and high strength. In Al—Si casting alloys (e.g., alloys 319, 356, 390, 360, 380), strengthening is achieved through heat treatment after casting. Heat treatment generally includes at least one or a combination of three steps: (1) solution treatment at a relatively high temperature below the melting point of the alloy, often for times exceeding 8 hours or more to dissolve its alloying elements and to homogenize or modify the microstructure; (2) rapid cooling, or quenching into a cold or warm liquid medium after solution treatment, such as water, to retain the solute elements in a supersaturated solid solution; and (3) artificial aging, also referred to as T5, by holding the alloy for a period of time at an intermediate temperature suitable for achieving hardening or strengthening through precipitation. While heat treatment increases the strength of the castings, it does so at the expense of ductility.
Thus, while known Al—Si alloys for die casting ultra-large vehicle structures achieve their intended purpose, there is a continual need for development of aluminium alloys for predictable and desired mechanical properties while improving performance and environmentally sustainability.
According to several aspects, an aluminum alloy suitable for high pressure die casting of ultra-large vehicle body structures is disclosed. The aluminum alloy includes about 4 to about 12 weight percent (wt %) silicon (Si); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.4 wt % magnesium (Mg); about 0.2 wt % to about 0.6 wt % iron (Fe); greater than 0 wt % to about 1 wt % manganese (Mn); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.02 wt % strontium (Sr); and a remainder wt % of aluminum (Al).
In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy further includes one or more of: greater than 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % cerium (Ce); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.01 wt % boron (B); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.20 wt % copper (Cu); and greater than 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % zinc (Zn).
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy includes preferably about 6 to about 8 weight wt % Si; greater than 0 wt % to about 0.3 wt % Mg; about 0.2 wt % to about 0.5 wt % Fe; greater than 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % Mn; and greater than 0 wt % to about 0.015 wt % Sr.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy further includes preferably one or more of: greater than 0 wt % to about 0.3 wt % Ce; greater than 0 wt % to about 0.008 wt % B; greater than 0 wt % to about 0.15 wt % Cu; and greater than 0 wt % to about 0.2 wt % Zn.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the aluminum alloy is a secondary aluminum alloy.
According to several aspects, an ultra-large high pressure die casting is disclosed. The casting includes about 4 to about 12 weight percent (wt %) silicon (Si); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.20 wt % copper (Cu); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.4 wt % magnesium (Mg); about 0.2 wt % to about 0.6 wt % iron (Fe); greater than 0 wt % to about 1 wt % manganese (Mn); 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % zinc (Zn); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.02 wt % strontium (Sr); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % cerium (Ce); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.01 wt % boron (B); and a remainder wt % of aluminum (Al).
In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the ultra-large high pressure die casting includes an as-cast elongation of greater than 6%, an as-cast yield strength of greater than 130 Megapascals (MPa), and an as-cast ultimate tensile strength of greater than 260 Megapascals (MPa).
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the ultra-large high pressure die casting includes preferably about 6 to about 8 weight percent (wt %) silicon (Si); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.20 wt % copper (Cu); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.4 wt % magnesium (Mg); about 0.2 wt % to about 0.6 wt % iron (Fe); greater than 0 wt % to about 1 wt % manganese (Mn); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % zinc (Zn); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.02 wt % strontium (Sr); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % cerium (Ce); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.008 wt % boron (B); and a balance of Aluminum (Al)
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the ultra-large high pressure die casting is cast with a secondary aluminum casting alloy.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the ultra-large high pressure die casting includes a length greater than 2 meters, a width greater than 0.8 meter, and a height of greater than 0.25 meter.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the ultra-large high pressure die casting includes a maximum wt % of Mg as expressed by the equation: Mg(max)=0.5568Exp (−3.128·Fe wt %).
According to several aspects, a secondary aluminum alloy suitable for high pressure die casting of ultra-large structures is disclosed. The secondary aluminum alloy includes about 4 to about 12 weight percent (wt %) silicon (Si); about 0.2 wt % to about 0.6 wt % iron (Fe); greater than 0 wt % to about 1 wt % manganese (Mn); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.02 wt % strontium (Sr); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.20 wt % copper (Cu); greater than 0 wt % to about 0.5 wt % zinc (Zn); and a remainder wt % of aluminum (Al). The secondary aluminum alloy is manufactured from at least one recycled aluminum alloy.
In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the secondary aluminum alloy includes greater than 0 wt % to about 0.4 wt % magnesium (Mg).
In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the secondary aluminum alloy includes a weight percentage of Mg as expressed in the equation: Mg(max)=0.5568Exp (−3.128*Fe wt %).
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several drawings. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular features. The specific structural and functional details disclosed are not intended to be interpreted as limiting, but as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art as to how to practice the disclosed concepts.
As used herein, “castings” refer generally to aluminum alloy high pressure die castings formed through solidification of aluminum alloy compositions.
As used herein, “as-cast” refers generally to solidified aluminum alloy castings ejected from the die-mold without further heat treatment.
As used herein, “mechanical property” refers generally to at least one and/or any combination of, strength, hardness, toughness, elasticity, plasticity, brittleness, and ductility and malleability that measures how a metal, such as aluminum and alloys thereof, behaves under a load.
A molten aluminum-silicon based alloy 107, is introduced into the shot sleeve system 112 and injected by the plunger mechanism 108 into the mold cavity 106. The plunger mechanism 108 is configured to provide a regulated flow of molten metal through the shot sleeve system 112 to fill the mold cavity 106 within a prescribed time and pressure. As an example, the molten metal is injected at a pressure somewhere between 1,500 and 25,000 pounds per square inch (PSI). The die casting mold then maintains this pressure until the metal has solidified. The mold 102 is typically formed of two pieces 102a, 102b, in which one is a stationary piece 102a and the other piece 102b is a removable piece to facilitate the removal of the solidified ultra-large casting of the vehicle body structure.
A new aluminum alloy suitable for HPDC processes for casting ultra-large vehicle body structures is disclosed below. The new aluminum alloy, also referred to as the new Al—Si alloy, has desirable properties such as low hot tearing, low shrinkage porosity, and high fluidity conducive for high-pressure die casting; relatively high weight percentage of allowable iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) contents, thus allowing the use of secondary alloys in the formulation of the new aluminum alloy; and a high potential for dispersion hardening without heat treatment to achieve as-cast mechanical properties of yield strength (YS) greater than 130 Megapascals (MPa), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) greater than 220 MPa, and break elongation, also referred to as elongation, of greater than 6%.
The alloy comprises about 4.00 to about 12.00 weight percent silicon (Si); about 0.20 weight maximum (Max) percent copper (Cu), about 0.40 weight percent Max magnesium (Mg); about 0.20 to about 0.60 weight percent iron (Fe); about 1.00 weight Max percent manganese (Mn); about 0.50 weight percent Max zinc (Zn); about 0.02 weight percent Max strontium (Sr); about 0.50 weight percent Max cerium (Ce); about 0.01 weight percent Max boron (B), and a remaining weight percent aluminum (Al).
Preferably, the new Al—Si alloy comprises about 6.00 to about 8.00 weight percent silicon (Si); greater than 0 to about 0.15 weight percent copper (Cu), greater than 0 to about 0.3 weight percent magnesium (Mg); about 0.20 to about 0.50 weight percent iron (Fe); greater than 0 to about 0.50 weight percent manganese (Mn); greater than 0 to about 0.20 weight percent zinc (Zn); greater than 0 to about 0.015 weight percent strontium (Sr); greater than 0 to about 0.3 weight percent cerium (Ce); greater than 0 to about 0.008 weight percent boron (B), and a remaining weight percent of aluminum (Al).
Shown in
Sludge factor=(1×wt % Fe)+(2×wt % Mn)+(3×wt % Cr)
The range of 0.8<SF<2.0 is effective for avoiding die soldering issue in high pressure die casting process while providing the desired ductility for high pressure die casting of ultra-large vehicle structures.
Iron (Fe) is an impurity commonly found in recycled aluminum alloys, also known as secondary aluminium alloys, and is not normally desirable in Al—Si casting alloys. Even small amounts of iron (Fe) impurities in Al—Si casting alloys may unfavorably affect the desired mechanical properties of the ultra-large castings by forming brittle intermetallic compounds during the solidification phase of the casting process. Intermetallic compounds having Al—Si—Fe needle shape phase significantly adversely affect the ductility of the solidified casting.
The unique composition of the new aluminum alloy allows for a higher weight percentage of iron (Fe), thus enabling the use of secondary aluminium alloys in the formation of the new aluminum alloy. The new aluminum alloy includes a weight percent range of manganese (Mn) sufficient to neutralize the iron (Fe) phase to minimize or avoid the formation of the Al—Si—Fe needle shape phase and to reduce overall Fe-rich intermetallic phases. Castings manufactured of the HPDC process have minimal to no brittle B—Fe phase for high ductility and low density.
The new aluminum alloy includes a weight percent range of strontium (Sr) effective for modifying silicon (Si) morphology from plate shape to fiber shape to increase ductility. Furthermore, the weight percent range of strontium (Sr) is effective to change alloy surface tension to reduce die sticking, also known as soldering, issues.
Because of the presence of Fe, however, Mg can tie up with Fe to from Fe-rich intermetallic phases, which could adversely affect ductility, particularly when the Mg content is added beyond a maximum effective level for the given Fe content in the alloy. As a result, alloy strength increases linearly with Mg addition until Mg content is close to the maximum effective Mg content.
Mg(max)=0.5568Exp(−3.128*Fe wt %)
Numerical data have been presented herein in a range format. The term “about” includes +/−0.05% by weight of the stated value. It is to be understood that this range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. While examples have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this disclosure relates will recognize various alternative designs and examples for practicing the disclosed method within the scope of the appended claims.
The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the general sense of the present disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
