Patents Assigned to Constellium France
  • Patent number: 8420226
    Abstract: A structural member comprising at least two aluminum alloy parts displaying different property balances, said at least two parts being welded and wherein one of said parts either is (i) selected from an aluminum alloy different from the other of said at least two parts and/or (ii) is selected from an initial temper different from the other of said at least two parts, and wherein at least one of said at least two parts has been pre-aged prior to being welded, and, wherein said structural member has undergone a post-welding thermal treatment conferring a final temper to each of said at least two parts. The parts are advantageously welded by friction stir welding. Another subject of the invention is a method for manufacturing a structural member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Constellium France
    Inventors: Jean-Christophe Ehrstrom, Henri Gérard
  • Patent number: 8413876
    Abstract: The invention relates to a strip or sheet of aluminium alloy, comprising at least 80% by weight of aluminium and 0.01 to 0.5% yttrium and/or 0.05 to 0.5% bismuth, coated on at least one face with a brazing alloy. Said sheets and strips are used for the production of pieces by non-flux brazing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignees: Constellium France, Constellium Rolled Products, Ravenswood, LLC
    Inventors: Sandrine Dulac, Sylvain Henry
  • Patent number: 8393129
    Abstract: The invention relates to a metal composite panel intended for construction, including at least two substantially parallel sheets (21) and (22) with at least three profiles (3) substantially parallel to each other arranged between and fastened to the sheets. The three profiles serve as separators, making it possible to separate the sheets and are arranged so that the average distance between two adjacent profiles is not necessarily uniform but suited to the local conditions of use of said panel. In order to obtain a panel having an optimal compromise between weight and performance, light alloys and, in particular, aluminum are advantageous. The composite panels are particularly useful as a floor of a rolling vehicle, as the floor, deck or ramp of a floating vehicle or as the floor of a flying vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Constellium France
    Inventors: Sylvie Arsene, Jérôme Guillemenet, Céline Andrieu, Myriam Bouet-Griffon
  • Patent number: 8366839
    Abstract: The present invention relates to extruded, rolled and/or forged products. Also provided are methods of making such products based on aluminum alloy wherein a liquid metal bath is prepared comprising 2.0 to 3.5% by weight of Cu, 1.4 to 1.8% by weight of Li, 0.1 to 0.5% by weight of Ag, 0.1 to 1.0% by weight of Mg, 0.05 to 0.18% by weight of Zr, 0.2 to 0.6% by weight of Mn and at least one element selected from Cr, Sc, Hf and Ti, the quantity of said element, if it is selected, being 0.05 to 0.3% by weight for Cr and for Sc, 0.05 to 0.5% by weight for Hf and 0.01 to 0.15% by weight for Ti, the remainder being aluminum and inevitable impurities. The products and methods of the present invention offer a particularly advantageous compromise between static mechanical strength and damage tolerance and are particularly useful in the field of aeronautical design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Constellium France
    Inventors: Fabrice Heymes, Frank Eberl, Gaëlle Pouget
  • Publication number: 20130009422
    Abstract: Auto body roof comprising at least one steel part and a skin part made of aluminum alloy that is attached to the steel part before painting. The aluminum part comprises a sheet of the following composition: Si: 0.7-1.3, Fe<0.5, Cu: 0.5-1.1, Mn: 0.4-1.0, Mg: 0.6-1.2, Zn<0.7, Cr 0.25, Zr+Ti 0.20, other elements <0.05 each and <0.15 total, and the remainder aluminum. The aluminum part, after solution treatment, quenching and age-hardening for three weeks at room temperature, possesses a yield strength R0.2 of less than 170 MPa, and preferably 160 MPa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: CONSTELLIUM FRANCE
    Inventors: Myriam Bouet-Griffon, Gilles Guiglionda, Ravi Shahani, Pierre Gavoille, Salim Dermarkar, Guy Michel Raynaud
  • Publication number: 20120325381
    Abstract: The invention relates to a manufacturing process for an aluminum block of at least 250 mm thick designed for the manufacture of elements for vacuum chambers in which the following operations are carried out successively: an alloy block is cast by semi-continuous casting, the composition of this block in weight % being: Si 0.5-1.5; Mg: 0.5-1.5; Fe<0.3; Cu<0.2; Mn<0.8; Cr<0.10; Ti<0.15, other elements <0.05 each and <0.15 in total, the rest aluminum; solution heat treatment is performed at a temperature ranging between 450 and 560° C. directly on the cast block and optionally homogenized; the block that has undergone solution heat treatment is quenched at a cooling speed between the solution heat treatment temperature and 200° C. of at least 200° C./h; the block quenched and optionally stress-relieved is artificially aged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicants: CONSTELLIUM VALAIS SA, CONSTELLIUM FRANCE
    Inventors: Cédric Gasqueres, Joost Van Kappel
  • Patent number: 8323426
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a substantially unrecrystallized rolled aluminum alloy product, obtained from a plate with a thickness of at least 30 mm, comprising 2.2 to 3.9 wt. % Cu, 0.7 to 2.1 wt. % Li, 0.2 to 0.8 wt. % Mg, 0.2 to 0.5 wt. % Mn, 0.04 to 0.18 wt. % Zr, less than 0.05 wt. % Zn, and optionally 0.1 to 0.5 wt. % Ag, remainder aluminum and unavoidable impurities having a low propensity to crack branching during L-S a fatigue test. A product of the invention has a crack deviation angle ? of at least 20° under a maximum equivalent stress intensity factor Keff max of 10 MPa ?m for a S-L cracked test sample under a mixed mode I and mode II loading wherein the angle ? between a plane perpendicular to the initial crack direction and the load direction is 75°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Constellium France
    Inventors: Armelle Danielou, Jean Christophe Ehrstrom
  • Publication number: 20120291925
    Abstract: Wrought product made of aluminum alloy composed as follows, as a percentage by weight Mg: 4.0-5.0; Li: 1.0-1.6; Zr: 0.05-0.15; Ti: 0.01-0.15; Fe: 0.02-0.2; Si: 0.02-0.2; Mn: ?0.5; Cr?0.5; Ag: ?0.5; Cu?0.5; Zn?0.5; Sc?0.01; other elements <0.05; the rest aluminum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: CONSTELLIUM FRANCE
    Inventors: Bernard Bes, Frank Eberl
  • Patent number: 8302657
    Abstract: A casting process for an aluminum alloy containing at least about 0.1% of Mg and/or at least about 0.1% of Li in which a liquid surface of the alloy is put into contact with a dried gas including at least about 2% of oxygen by volume and with a water partial pressure lower than about 150 Pa throughout most of the solidification process is described. The process makes it possible to cast most oxidable aluminum alloys, in particular aluminum alloys containing magnesium and/or lithium, without using additives such as beryllium and/or calcium and without using expensive devices and/or gases, to obtain cast ingots generally free from surface defects and pollution, in complete safety.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Constellium France
    Inventors: Guillaume Bes, Robert Rey-Flandrin, Olivier Ribaud, Stephane Vernede
  • Publication number: 20120261036
    Abstract: The disclosure provides for wrought products made of Al—Cu—Mg aluminum alloy composed as follows, as a percentage by weight, Cucorr: 2.6-3.7; Mgcorr: 1.5-2.6, Mn: 0.2-0.5; Zr: ?0.16; Ti: 0.01-0.15; Cr?0.25; Si?0.2; Fe?0.2; other elements <0.05 the rest aluminum; with Cucorr>?0.9 (Mgcorr)+4.3 and Cucorr<?0.9 (Mgcorr)+5.0; where Cucorr?Cu?0.74 (Mn?0.2)?2.28 Fe and Mgcorr?Mg 1.73 (Si?0.05) for Si?0.05 and Mgcorr?Mg for Si<0.05 and their manufacturing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: CONSTELLIUM FRANCE
    Inventors: Gaelle POUGET, Christophe SIGLI
  • Patent number: 8277580
    Abstract: A rolled or forged Al—Zn—Cu—Mg aluminum-based alloy wrought product having a thickness from 2 to 10 inches. The product has been treated by solution heat-treatment, quenching and aging, and the product comprises (in weight-%): Zn 6.2-7.2, Mg 1.5-2.4, Cu 1.7-2.1. Fe 0-0.13, Si 0-0.10, Ti 0-0.06, Zr 0.06-0.13, Cr 0-0.04, Mn 0-0.04, Mn 0-0.04, impurities and other incidental elements ?0.05 each. Alloys per se and aircraft and aerospace uses, as well as methods of making products are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignees: Constellium France, Constellium Rolled Products Ravenswood, LLC
    Inventors: Vic Dangerfield, Kenneth Paul Smith, Timothy Warner, David Dumont
  • Publication number: 20120237395
    Abstract: The invention relates to a manufacturing method for making an unwrought semi-finished product having at mid thickness a density of micropores of size greater than 90 ?m less than 50% and preferably less than 20% of the density of micropores of size greater than 90 ?m obtained by a method according to prior art. The method according to the invention comprises in particular an ultrasound treatment step for the molten metal bath in a furnace and/or a vessel using an immersed device comprising at least one ultrasound transmitter. The semi-finished products obtained according to the method of the invention are particularly advantageous for manufacturing by rolling sheets designed for the aircraft industry to produce spars, ribs, upper and lower wing skins and for manufacturing by extrusion sections designed for the aircraft industry to produce stiffeners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicants: Constellium France, ALCAN REHNALU
    Inventor: Philippe JARRY
  • Patent number: 8210421
    Abstract: A process for the manufacture of plated strips comprising at least two layers of different metals or alloys. The process allows subsequent separation of different cropped layers resulting from shearing the plated strips. The process comprises preparing plates corresponding to each of the plating layers, superimposing and assembly of these plates to form a composite plate, hot and possibly cold rolling of this composite plate to obtain a plated strip, and shearing of cropping areas during or after rolling. In one embodiment, prior to superimposing the different plates, an anti-sticking agent is applied to the cropping areas of at least one of the surfaces of the plates which will be in contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Constellium France
    Inventors: Sandrine Dulac, Christian Barthelemy, Sylvain Henry, Armand Gabriel
  • Publication number: 20120152415
    Abstract: The invention relates to a manufacturing process for flat-rolled products made of an alloy containing aluminum, including the steps of production, casting, homogenization, rolling at temperature greater than 400° C., solution heat treating, quenching, stretching between 2 and 3.5% and aging. The invention also relates to flat-rolled products obtained by this process, which offer a favorable compromise of properties between mechanical resistance under compression and stretching and fracture toughness. The products according to the invention are useful in particular for the manufacture of upper wing skins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: CONSTELLIUM FRANCE
    Inventors: Armelle DANIELOU, Gaelle POUGET, Christophe SIGLI, Timothy WARNER
  • Patent number: 8202347
    Abstract: A manufacturing process for a remelt block containing aluminum designed for making aluminum alloy for the aircraft industry in which scrap containing mainly aluminum alloys used in the aircraft industry is supplied during a supply stage, the scrap is melted in a smelting furnace in order to obtain an initial molten metal bath during a smelting stage, the initial molten metal bath is subjected to purification by fractional crystallization in order to obtain a solidified mass and a bath of residual liquid during a segregation stage, and the solidified mass is recovered in order to obtain a remelt block during a recovery stage. The invention is particularly useful for the recycling of aluminum alloys used in the aircraft industry as it makes it possible to purify scrap of series 2XXX or series 7XXX alloys for iron and silicon, without eliminating additive elements such as zinc, copper and magnesium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Constellium France
    Inventors: Jean-Francois Verdier, Jean-Remi Butruille, Michel Leroy, Didier Valax
  • Patent number: 7993474
    Abstract: The invention relates to a work-hardened product, particularly a rolled, extruded or forged product, made of an alloy with the following composition (% by weight): Cu 3.8-4.3; Mg 1.25-1.45; Mn 0.2-0.5; Zn 0.4-1.3; Fe<0.15; Si<0.15; Zr?0.05; Ag<0.01, other elements <0.05 each and <0.15 total, remainder Al, treated by dissolution, quenching and cold strain-hardening, with a permanent deformation of between 0.5% and 15%, and preferably between 1.5% and 3.5%. Cold strain-hardening can be achieved by controlled tension and/or cold transformation, for example rolling, die forging or drawing. This cladded metal plate type product is a suitable element to be used as aircraft fuselage skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Alcan Rhenalu/Constellium France
    Inventors: Timothy Warner, Ronan Dif, Bernard Bes, Herve Ribes