Advanced cast aluminum alloys for automotive engine application with superior high-temperature properties

US10752980B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Ford Global Technologies, LLC · US

Inventors

• Mei Li · Canton, US
• Jacob Wesley Zindel · Ann Arbor, US
• Larry Alan Godlewski · Fenton, US
• Bita Ghaffari · Ann Arbor, US
• Yang Huo · Changchun, CN
• Carlos Engler-Pinto · Dearborn, US
• Wei-Jen Lai · Keelung, TW

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 28, 2017
• Grant date: Aug 25, 2020
• Expiry date: May 23, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C22C21/04
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A high fatigue strength aluminum alloy comprises in weight percent copper 3.0-3.5%, iron 0-1.3%, magnesium 0.24-0.35%, manganese 0-0.8%, silicon 6.5-12.0%, strontium 0-0.025%, titanium 0.05-0.2%, vanadium 0.20-0.35%, zinc 0-3.0%, zirconium 0.2-0.4%, a maximum of 0.5% other elements and balance aluminum plus impurities. The alloy defines a microstructure having an aluminum matrix with the Zr and the V in solid solution after solidification. The matrix has solid solution Zr of at least 0.16% after heat treatment and solid solution V of at least 0.20% after heat treatment, and both Cu and Mg are dissolved into the aluminum matrix during the heat treatment and subsequently precipitated during the heat treatment. A process for heat treating an Al—Si—Cu—Mg—Fe—Zn—Mn—Sr-TMs alloy comprises heat treating the alloy to produce a microstructure having a matrix with Zr and V in solid solution after solidification.