This invention pertains to the forming of articles of complex shapes (including sections with varying thicknesses) in light metal alloy starting materials. More specifically, this invention pertains to the use of a combination of extrusion forming and elevated temperature forming against a die surface to make useful structural parts that are difficult to form (or cannot be made) by a single forming operation.
There is a desire to reduce weight in many manufactured articles. The need is acute in the manufacture of automotive vehicles but is not limited to such applications. The ability to integrate multiple thicknesses into a single part is useful for minimizing overall part mass without sacrificing strength or stiffness in selected regions. Also thin gage parts, such as sheet metal, frequently afford limited thread engagement, and thus limited holding power, for threaded fasteners. Thus the ability to selectively introduce thicker regions into a part enables the use of threaded fasteners without compromising retention, thereby facilitating part removal for replacement or service.
Aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys are available for automotive body applications and the like but these light weight materials are not usually as formable as many ferrous alloys. Metal sheets of suitable alloys of aluminum and magnesium have been formed into body panels and the like by stamping, warm stamping, fluid forming and hot blow forming. But the starting materials for such forming processes are usually sheets of uniform thickness which limit the shapes of articles that can be formed. Often it is desired to make other more complicated shapes of the same alloys such as reinforcement parts, attachment parts, stiffening parts and the like that have sections of varying thickness.
There remains a need for forming practices that can complement stamping, warm stamping or hot blow forming or the like and be applied to a primary shape light metal alloy workpiece like, for example, a billet, bar, strip, or sheet, and form the workpiece into an article having sections of varying thicknesses and, often, at varying and sharp angles.
This invention is devised for the forming of suitable light metal alloys, particularly aluminum and magnesium alloys, into unitary formed articles having sections of different thicknesses and sections that need not be co-planar.
Embodiments of this invention include one or more extrusion steps by which a starting billet is formed into a precursor workpiece shape with connected sections of desired thicknesses, which may be of different dimensions. As stated, the connected sections may be formed at predetermined angles with respect to each other. The extruded precursor piece is formed as an open shape with at least two edges that are spaced apart from the extrusion axis. In other words, the extruded body is not in the shape of a tube.
The extrusion step or steps may be performed at a suitable elevated temperature as required by the respective aluminum or magnesium alloy composition. Typical billet temperatures for extrusion of aluminum alloys range from about 425 to 500° C.; for extrusion of magnesium alloys billet temperatures of between 300 and 450° C. are preferred. The extruded shape may then be heat treated if necessary so that it may be further shaped by hot stamping, hot blow forming, or the like.
The temperature of the extrudate will be greater than the temperature of billet from which it formed due to the deformation work required in extrusion and will typically be comparable to that employed in hot forming. Thus, appropriate coupling and sequencing of the extrusion and hot forming operations will at least minimize and may eliminate the need for a separate heating step prior to hot forming.
In many embodiments of the invention a long extruded precursor shape may be sheared or cut at desired distances along the axis of extrusion to form blanks suitable for subsequent forming.
The extruded precursor shape is then heated to a suitable elevated temperature, if necessary, and further formed by urging it against a heated forming tool or heated die surface. A surface of the extruded article is forced into suitable contact with the heated tool so that the engaging surface of the article acquires the shape of the tool. For example, the extruded shape may be pressed by a complementary tool or die into sliding, metal forming engagement against the forming surface as in a hot stamping practice. Aluminum and magnesium alloy workpieces can be subjected to hot stamping in a temperature range of about 200° C. to about 350° C. In another embodiment, the extruded workpiece is heated to a highly formable state and fluid pressure is applied to one side of the workpiece to force the other side into conforming shape with a heated die or tool. Hot blow forming of aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy workpieces is often performed at workpiece and tool temperatures in the range of about 400° C. to about 500° C.
It is contemplated that much of the shaping of the article will be accomplished by a combination of the extrusion steps and hot forming steps or, where applicable, conventional forming steps. However, it is recognized that a suitable starting shape for the extrusion step is required. And it is further recognized that some finishing steps, such as trimming, hole forming, and the like, may be required on the hot formed shape.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of illustrative embodiments of practices of the invention. Reference will be made to drawing figures that are described in the following section of this specification.
Magnesium and aluminum alloys may be readily extruded. The extrusion process, which involves forcing materials through a shaping die, is a well-developed, low-cost process which is inherently capable of producing forms of varying thickness. Further, unlike the flat sheet of uniform thickness which is the starting material for most sheet forming processes, extrusion is capable of forming much more complex geometries along the length of the extrudate.
By way of example only, the form shown in
These characteristics: the suitability of the light metal alloys of aluminum and magnesium for extrusion; the ability of the extrusion process to produce shapes of varying thickness; and the ability of the extrusion process to produce other than planar geometric forms are used in this invention to beneficially complement current sheet forming processes for these light metals.
The invention applies sheet forming processes to forms of complex starting geometries developed by extrusion to enable the manufacture of complex structural forms and attachments. These structural forms and attachments may thus be made of alloys identical to or compatible with the alloys employed in stampings formed from current sheet compositions.
It is well known that the formability of magnesium and aluminum may be enhanced by conducting forming at elevated temperature and thereby enabling the formation of more complex shapes. In practice of this invention similar elevated temperature forming practices may be followed, but are not required if forming at lower temperatures such as room temperature, generally about 25° C., is adequate for achieving the desired form.
The invention may best be understood by consideration of the following examples. It will be appreciated that the output of extrusion processes is a part which is of limited extent in the two dimensions defining the cross-section of the extrusion but is extensive in the third, length dimension. Further it is known that asymmetrical extrusions or of non-uniform cross-section frequently exhibit twist or bend along their length. It is however common practice to straighten or untwist the extruded part by controlled application of plastic deformation in a post-extrusion stretching or twisting process. It is also well known to cut the extrudate into a number of smaller, commonly-dimensioned parts so that a single extruded length, when sectioned, will yield multiple parts. In the practice of the following examples these preliminary operations will not be further discussed. The focus will be on the subsequent processing of these commonly-dimensioned parts which, by analogy with conventional sheet forming terminology will be described as extruded blanks in future descriptions.
In this example an aluminum or magnesium alloy bracket or reinforcement member is made for use, for example, in attaching a polymeric fender to a space frame body structure. Four or more such parts might be used in the making of a vehicle body.
To assure good gas sealing, the periphery of upper and lower dies 21 and 22 substantially reproduce the upper and lower surfaces 50, 60 of extruded blank 10, see
Upon exposure to appropriate gas pressure the extruded blank 10 will adopt, with fidelity dependent on the magnitude of the applied pressure, the general form of lower die 22 and the formed part 10′, shown in
Further processing, trimming of metal excess to the part and fabrication of holes 42, 44 and 46 for example, by punching or machining results in the finished part, a bracket 10″, shown in
It will be appreciated that the selected die geometry was complementary to the desired part geometry and supported thicker section 12 and enabling development of additional shaped features in thinner section 11. However, by appropriate choice of thicknesses, the strength mismatch between the thick and thin sections may be made sufficient as to render the thick section substantially un-deformable under conditions leading to the deformation of the thinner section. In this situation die support for the thicker section will be unnecessary and simpler dies may be employed. This may be particularly desirable for closed section, or tubular, forming where thickness variations in tube wall thickness could be introduced to suitably channel the deformation when the tubes are subject to internal pressurization at elevated temperature.
The process has been depicted as it would be practiced in forming only a single part in each forming operation. However, particularly for small parts, it may be more efficient to employ a longer extruded blank and place it in a die with multiple cavities so that multiple parts may be formed in a single forming operation. After forming they would be separated to create the desired part 10″.
The forming process for this part has been described as fabrication of an extruded blank and warm or blow forming. However those skilled in the art will appreciate that if the pocket-like features are relatively shallow and easily formed it may be possible to form them using press forming, conventional forming technology employing matched die sets in a mechanical or hydraulic press. Press forming may be carried out at elevated temperature or at room temperature, generally about 25° C. In this case the need to have the direction of the metal flow aligned with the action of the press will necessitate positioning the extruded blank in a different orientation in the press than is shown in
In this example another aluminum or magnesium alloy bracket or reinforcement member is made for use, for example, in making a vehicle body structure. Several such parts might be used in the making of a vehicle body.
In Example 1, the extruded blank was used directly and the required trimming was performed subsequent to the forming operation. The extruded blank however may require additional trimming prior to forming to render its shape suitable for the specific forming operation contemplated. In this example, shown in
In
In
In this case however, the hole making operation may precede the forming operation and may even be conducted on the original extruded blank shown in
In this example a pan structure of light weight aluminum or magnesium alloy is made with integral reinforcing or spacing ribs being formed in the base of the pan. The pan may be used as an enclosure for a computer or other electronic device.
In this example, the extruded blank 210 shown in
In the configuration shown in
A similar result may be achieved by welding, for example using a laser, additional sections to extend the length of the blank 210 shown in
a) face mill to create in the extrudate a uniformly spaced array of stiffening rib-free regions of width (2× “Y”) and of thickness generally equal to that of region 211 a distance “X” apart; and
b) repeatedly shear the milled extrudate in the middle of the milled section. A cutting process, for example sawing or milling rather than a shearing process may be employed provided allowance is made for kerf losses
Extruded blank 210′ exhibits representatively-positioned locator features 218, here shown as parallel-sided slots terminated in a semi-circular arc, intended to engage with mating locators in the die to enable accurate placement of the blank in the die. Alternate locator geometries are however well known. For example tapered slots terminated in a semi-circular arc are frequently employed. This configuration provides some self-guiding characteristics to the locators if the locating pins in the die, rather than being fixed, shuttle between a blank load/unload position and a stamping position.
Upon exposure to appropriate gas pressure, typically up to 500 psi at a temperature of between 400 and 500° C. the extruded blank 210′ will adopt the general form of lower die forming surface 224 to create the formed part. For the example shown in
While the example shown undergoes only limited deformation in its interior portion, alternate deformation patterns, and in consequence alternate final part geometries, may readily be promoted by adjustment of die surface 224 and by selective removal of ribs 212′ and 213′ or portions thereof.
Trimming off peripheral flanges 222 and 215 results in finished part 210″, shown in
It will be appreciated that insertion of mechanical fasteners will require at least fabrication of holes in the stiffening ribs. Such holes, typically blind holes if appearance is an issue, may be made by drilling.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments and examples, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.