Structural automotive part made from an Al—Zn—Mg—Cu alloy product and method of its manufacture

US8613820B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• ALERIS ALUMINUM DUFFEL BVBA · BE
• ALERIS ALUMINUM KOBLENZ GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Axel Alexander Maria Smeyers · Heist-op-den-Berg, BE
• Bruno Schepers · Brasschaat, BE
• Sabine Maria Spangel · Koblenz, DE
• Alastair Wise · Santpoort-Noord, NL
• Ingo Günther Kröpfl · Polch, DE
• Sunil Khosla · Beverwijk, NL

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 1, 2010
• Grant date: Dec 24, 2013
• Expiry date: Jun 1, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C22F1/053
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a formed aluminum alloy body-in-white (“BIW”) part of a motor vehicle, the BIW part having a yield strength of more than 500 MPa after being subjected to a paint-bake cycle. The method includes (a) providing a rolled aluminum sheet product of an AlZnMgCu alloy and having a gauge in a range of 0.5 to 4 mm and subjected to a solution heat treatment (SHT) and quenched following SHT, and wherein the SHT and quenched aluminum sheet product has a substantially recrystallized microstructure, (b) forming the aluminum alloy sheet to obtain a formed BIW part, (c) assembling the formed BIW part with one or more other metal parts to form an assembly forming a motor vehicle component, (d) subjecting the motor vehicle component to a paint bake cycle, wherein the aluminum alloy sheet in the formed BIW part has a yield strength of more than 500 MPa.