Patents Examined by Janell C Morillo
  • Patent number: 11649530
    Abstract: An Al—Si—Mg aluminum alloy is provided. The Al—Si—Mg aluminum alloy includes: 5 mass % or larger and 10 mass % or smaller of Si; 0.2 mass % or larger and 1.0 mass% or smaller of Mg, 0.03 mass % or larger and 0.5 mass % or smaller of Sb; 0.0004 mass % or larger and 0.0026 mass % or smaller of Be; and a remainder having an alloy composition including Al and unavoidable impurities. In L*a*b* color system, a value of L* that indicates lightness of a surface thereof is 55 or larger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: NIKKEI MC ALUMINIUM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fukaya, Hiroshi Horikawa, Yutaro Kitaki, Makoto Otsuka, Tsutomu Masuda, Naoaki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11643709
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an aluminum matrix composite (AMC), and particularly to a method and apparatus for preparing an AMC with a high strength, a high toughness, and a high neutron absorption. The present invention combines a high-neutron-absorption and highly stable micro-B4C extrinsic reinforcement with an in-situ nano-reinforcement containing elements B, Cd, and Hf and having high neutron capture ability, achieves efficient absorption of neutrons by using the large cross-sectional area of the micro-reinforcement, achieves effective capture of rays penetrating gaps of the micro-reinforcement by means of the highly dispersed in-situ nano-reinforcement, and significantly improves the toughness of the composite material by means of the high-dispersion toughening effect of the nano-reinforcement, obtaining a particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composite (PAMC) having high toughness and high neutron absorption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Jiangsu University
    Inventors: Xizhou Kai, Yutao Zhao, Yanjie Peng, Gang Chen, Xiaojing Xu, Lin Wu, Shuoming Huang, Ruikun Chen
  • Patent number: 11603583
    Abstract: Aluminum alloys, fabricated by a rapid solidification process, with high strength, high ductility, high corrosion resistance, high creep resistance, and good weldability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: NanoAL LLC
    Inventors: Nhon Q. Vo, Joseph R. Croteau, Davaadorj Bayansan, Amirreza Sanaty-Zadeh, Evander Ramos
  • Patent number: 11598613
    Abstract: Aluminum structures, such as tactical vehicle hulls, include plural aluminum components formed from a first alloy composition and joined by one or more welded seam(s). The welded seam(s) may be formed by friction stir welding and/or gas metal arc welding using welding wire made from the first alloy composition. In this manner, all component parts are made from the same alloy composition, providing a more homogeneous structure. The welded component parts then may be placed in a heat treatment furnace to temper the structure. Because essentially all of the aluminum structure before heat treating—the welded seam(s) and the individual component parts—is formed of the same starting material and these parts/seam(s) are simultaneously and evenly heat treated, the resultant hardened, heat-treated part (e.g., a vehicle hull) has a more homogeneous hardened/heat treated structure in the individual parts and across the welded seam(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
    Inventors: Peter Brown, George S. Chryssomallis, Eric Smay
  • Patent number: 11584977
    Abstract: New 3xx aluminum casting alloys are disclosed. The aluminum casting alloys generally include from 6.5 to 11.0 wt. % Si, from 0.20 to 0.80 wt. % Mg, from 0.05 to 0.50 wt. % Cu, from 0.10 to 0.80 wt. % Mn, from 0.005 to 0.05 wt. % Sr, up to 0.25 wt. % Ti, up to 0.30 wt. % Fe, and up to 0.20 wt. % Zn, the balance being aluminum and impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: ALCOA USA CORP.
    Inventors: Xinyan Yan, Jen C. Lin
  • Patent number: 11578395
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for suppressing abnormal grain growth in friction stir welded aluminum alloys by inserting an intermediate annealing treatment (“IAT”) after the welding step on the article. The IAT may be followed by a solution heat treatment (SHT) on the article under effectively high solution heat treatment conditions. In at least some embodiments, a deformation step is conducted on the article under effective spin-forming deformation conditions or under effective superplastic deformation conditions. The invention further provides a welded article having suppressed abnormal grain growth, prepared by the process above. Preferably the article is characterized with greater than about 90% reduction in area fraction abnormal grain growth in any friction-stir-welded nugget.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATION OF NASA
    Inventors: Stephen J. Hales, Harold D Claytor, Joel A. Alexa
  • Patent number: 11572611
    Abstract: Described are processes for shaping age hardenable aluminum alloys, such as 2XXX, 6XXX and 7XXX aluminum alloys in T4 temper, or articles made of such alloys, including aluminum alloy sheets. The processes involve heating the sheet or article before and/or concurrently with a forming step. In some examples, the sheet is heated to a specified temperature in the range of about 100-600° C. at a specified heating rate within the range of about 3-600° C./s, for example about 3-90° C./s. Such a combination of temperature and heating rate results in an advantageous combination of sheet properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Novelis Inc.
    Inventors: Corrado Bassi, Etienne Combaz, Aude Despois, Pasquier Romain, Maude Fumeaux, Julie Richard
  • Patent number: 11542580
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an Al—Si—Mg aluminum alloy casting material is provided. The method for manufacturing an Al—Si—Mg aluminum alloy casting material includes performing heat treatment on an Al—Si—Mg aluminum alloy casting material containing 5 mass % or larger and 10 mass % or smaller of Si, 0.2 mass % or larger and 1.0 mass % or smaller of Mg, 0.03 mass % or larger and 0.5 mass % or smaller of Sb, and 0.0004 mass % or larger and 0.0026 mass % or smaller of Be, and a remainder having an alloy composition including Al and unavoidable impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignees: NIKKEI MC ALUMINIUM CO., LTD., MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsumi Fukaya, Hiroshi Horikawa, Yutaro Kitaki, Makato Otsuka, Tsutomu Masuda, Naoaki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11508493
    Abstract: Provided is an aluminum alloy for a cable conductor. Specifically, the present invention relates to an aluminum alloy for a cable conductor, which is excellent in both mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, at room temperature and high temperatures and elongation, and electrical conductivity, is simple to manufacture at low costs, and is eco-friendly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: LS CABLE & SYSTEM LTD.
    Inventors: Ji Young Kim, Sangyum Kim, Jee Yong Park
  • Patent number: 11459648
    Abstract: Provided is a performance controlling method for a high-strength aluminum alloy shell during an ultra-low temperature forming process. The present disclosure greatly improves the performance of an aluminum alloy sheet by applying an ultra-low temperature. The present disclosure cools the aluminum alloy sheet to an ultra-low temperature by using an ultra-low temperature cooling medium, so as to compensate for insufficient hardening caused by insufficient deformation and avoid cracking caused by increased deformation. The present disclosure cools the sheet blank zonally according to a deformation law of a desired curved part, and controls the ultra-low temperature distribution of the sheet blank during forming so as to promote the formation of a substructure in a small-deformation zone. In this way, the present disclosure improves a subsequent age-hardening effect, and corresponding uniformity of microstructure and performance, and effectively solves the problem of non-uniformity due to uneven deformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Dalian University of Technology
    Inventors: Xiaobo Fan, Shijian Yuan, Zhubin He
  • Patent number: 11421304
    Abstract: In various embodiments, aluminum alloys having yield strengths greater than 120 MPa, and typically in the range from 140 MPa to 175 MPa, are described. Further, such alloys can have electrical conductivity of greater than 45% IACS, typically in the range from 45-55% IACS. In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy comprises Si from 1 to 4.5 wt %, Mg from 0.3 to 0.5 wt %, TiB2 from 0.02 to 0.07 wt %, Fe less than 0.1 wt %, Zn less than 0.01 wt %, Cu less than 0.01 wt %, Mn less than 0.01 wt %, the remaining wt % being Al and incidental impurities. Such alloys can be used to cast a variety of automotive parts, including rotors, stators, busbars, inverters, and other parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Tesla, Inc.
    Inventors: Sivanesh Palanivel, Charlie Kuehmann, Paul Edwards, Ethan Filip
  • Patent number: 11421305
    Abstract: A cast alloy including iron 0.8-3.0 wt. %, magnesium 0.01-9.0 wt. %, manganese 0-2.5 wt. %, beryllium 0-500 ppm, titanium 0-0.5 wt. %, silicon 0-0.8 wt. %, strontium 0-0.8 wt. %, phosphorus 0-500 ppm, copper 0-4 wt. %, zinc 0-10 wt. %, 0-0.5 wt. % of an element or a group of elements selected from the group consisting of chromium, nickel, molybdenum, zirconium, vanadium, hafnium, calcium, gallium and boron, and the remainder being aluminium and unavoidable impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Inventor: Stuart Wiesner
  • Patent number: 11414729
    Abstract: The present disclosure concerns composite material having improved strength at elevated temperatures. The composite material comprises a matrix of an aluminum alloy (comprising, in weight percent, Si 0.05-0.30, Fe 0.04-0.6, Mn 0.80-1.50, Mg 0.80-1.50 and the balance being aluminum and unavoidable impurities) as well as particles of a filler material dispersed within the matrix. The matrix can optionally comprise Cu and/or Mo. In some embodiments, the composite material comprises, as a filler material, B4C as well as an additive selected from the group consisting of Ti, Cr, V, Nb, Zr, Sr, Sc and any combination thereof. The present disclosure also provides processes for making such composite materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: UNIVERSITE DU QUEBEC A CHICOUTIMI
    Inventors: Jean-Alain Laurin, Nicholas C. Parson, Mario Roux, Xiao-Guang Chen, Kun Liu
  • Patent number: 11408056
    Abstract: The present invention provides an aluminum hybrid metal matrix composite including cerium and graphite. The aluminum-cerium intermetallic is stable at temperatures up to a melting point of aluminum and graphite provides in situ lubrication. This stability is advantageous in applications such as cylinder liners and other applications where strength and stiffness at elevated temperatures are required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Intelligent Composites, LLC
    Inventors: David J. Weiss, Pradeep K. Rohatgi, Christopher T. Jordan, Simon S. Beno, James H. Hunter, III, Benjamin F. Schultz
  • Patent number: 11408690
    Abstract: A method for producing an aluminum alloy clad material having a core material and a sacrificial anode material clad on at least one surface of the core material, wherein the core material comprises an aluminum alloy comprising 0.050 to 1.5 mass % (referred to as “%” below) Si, 0.050 to 2.0% Fe and 0.50 to 2.00% Mn; the sacrificial anode material includes an aluminum alloy containing 0.50 to 8.00% Zn, 0.05 to 1.50% Si and 0.050 to 2.00% Fe; the grain size of the sacrificial anode material is 60 ?m or more; and a ratio R1/R2 is 0.30 or less, wherein R1 (?m) is a grain size in a thickness direction and R2 (?m) is a grain size in a rolling direction in a cross section of the core material along the rolling direction; a production method thereof; and a heat exchanger using the clad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: UACJ CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Ando, Atsushi Fukumoto, Akio Niikura
  • Patent number: 11359273
    Abstract: A sputtering target comprising a forged aluminum material having an average grain size between about 15 and 55 microns. The aluminum material has at least one of the following: a homogeneous texture with minimal texture banding as measured by banding factor B below about 0.01; a texture gradient H of less than 0.2; or either weak (200) texture or near random texture characterized by maximum intensity of inverse pole figure less than 3 times random in multiple directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Stephane Ferrasse, Suresh Sundarraj, Frank C. Alford, Jeffrey J. Schaefer, Susan D. Strothers
  • Patent number: 11352686
    Abstract: Provided is a method for producing an aluminium alloy strip from a non-precipitation-hardenable aluminium alloy having the following alloying constituents in wt %: 3.6%?Mg?6%, Si?0.4%, Fe?0.5%, Cu?0.15%, 0.1%?Mn?0.4%, Cr?0.05%, Zn?0.20%, Ti?0.20%, with the remainder Al and unavoidable impurities, individually at most 0.05 wt %, in total at most 0.15 wt %. In the method, a rolling ingot is cast. The rolling ingot is homogenised and then hot rolled into a hot strip. Then, the strip is cold rolled before a last intermediate annealing. The intermediate annealing is carried out to produce a recrystallised microstructure. The intermediate-annealed aluminium alloy strip is cold rolled to a final thickness, and the aluminium alloy strip is reverse annealed in the coil to a final thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products GmbH
    Inventors: Olaf Engler, Henk-Jan Brinkman
  • Patent number: 11326232
    Abstract: A method for producing aluminum strips for lithographic printing plate supports, wherein the aluminum strip is produced from a rolling ingot, which after optional homogenizing is hot-rolled to a thickness of 2 mm to 7 mm and cold-rolled to a final thickness of 0.15 mm to 0.5 mm provides for an aluminum strip having a thickness of 0.15 mm to 0.5 mm and a printing plate support produced from the aluminum strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Hydro Aluminium Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Kernig, Henk-Jan Brinkman, Jochen Hasenclever, Christoph Settele, Gerd Steinhoff
  • Patent number: 11318526
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an aluminum alloy for die casting, more particularly, to an aluminum alloy for die casting which has high corrosion resistance, strength and castability. The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aluminum alloy for die casting comprising a composition ratio having an aluminum (Al) content which occupies almost the composition ratio of the aluminum alloy; a magnesium (Mg) content of 2.5˜3.0%; a silicon (Si) content of 9.6˜0.5%; a zinc (Zn) content of 0.5% or less; and a copper (Cu) content of 0.15% or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Myeongdeok Kim, Seongmo Bae
  • Patent number: 11313015
    Abstract: Aluminum alloys having improved properties are provided. The alloy includes about 13 to about 17 weight percent silicon, about 0.3 to about 0.6 weight percent magnesium, and at least 75 weight percent aluminum. The alloy may include copper up to about 2.0 weight percent; iron up to about 0.8 weight percent; manganese up to about 1.0 weight percent; nickel up to about 1.0 weight percent; zinc up to about 0.8 weight percent; titanium up to about 0.5 weight percent; zirconium up to about 0.5 weight percent; vanadium up to about 0.5 weight percent; and other trace elements up to about 0.1 weight percent. In addition, the alloy may contain about 50 to about 1000 ppm of strontium and about 10 about 100 ppm phosphorus. Also disclosed is a die cast article, such as transmission clutch housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Qigui Wang, Wenying Yang, Bing Ye