Surface-hardened aluminum-rare earth alloys and methods of making the same

US10584403B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• UT-BATTELLE, LLC · US
• University of Tennessee Research Foundation · US
• IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC. · US
• Eck Industries, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Orlando Rios · Knoxville, US
• Sudarsanam Suresh Babu · Knoxville, US
• Ryan R. Dehoff · Knoxville, US
• Ryan T. Ott · Ames, US
• Alex J. Plotkowski · Oak Ridge, US
• Zachary C. Sims · Knoxville, US
• Niyanth Sridharan · Oak Ridge, US
• David Weiss · Manitowoc, US
• Hunter B. Henderson · Knoxville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 14, 2017
• Grant date: Mar 10, 2020
• Expiry date: Jun 5, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P10/25
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Embodiments of surface-hardened aluminum-rare earth alloys and methods of making the alloys are disclosed. In some embodiments, the alloy comprises aluminum and 4 wt % to 60 wt % of a rare earth component X having a maximum solid solubility of ≤0.5 wt % in aluminum. The surface-hardened alloy component has an alloy bulk portion and a hardened alloy surface portion. At least a portion of the hardened alloy surface portion has a Vickers hardness that is at least 30% greater than a Vickers hardness of the alloy bulk portion.