Patents Examined by Janelle Morillo
  • Patent number: 8337644
    Abstract: An aluminum alloy, comprising magnesium 4.5 to 6.5% by weight, silicon 1.0 to 3.0% by weight, manganese 0.3 to 1.0% by weight, chromium 0.02 to 0.3% by weight, titanium 0.02 to 0.2 % by weight, zirconium 0.02 to 0.2% by weight, one or more rare earth metals 0.0050 to 1.6% by weight, iron max. 0.2% by weight, and the remainder aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Aluminium Lend Gesellschaft m.b.H.
    Inventors: Günther Trenda, Andreas Kraly
  • Patent number: 8328963
    Abstract: An aluminum alloy sheet of specific Al—Mg—Si composition, which, owing to preliminary aging treatment under adequate conditions, has a specific metallographic structure in which there are a large number of clusters of specific size (each being an aggregate of atoms) expressed in terms of number density, which, when observed under a transmission electron microscope of 1,000,000 magnifications, appear as dark contrast in the bright field image. It is superior in paint baking hardenability and is invulnerable to room temperature aging during storage for a comparatively long period of 1 to 4 months.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Takaki, Kwangjin Lee
  • Patent number: 8317947
    Abstract: The present invention provides an aluminum alloy sheet for press forming, having the crystallo-graphic texture in which the orientation density of CR orientation ({001}<520>) is higher than that of any orientation other than the CR orientation. The orientation density of the CR orientation is preferably 10 or more (random ratio). The orientation densities of all orientations other than the CR orientation are preferably less than 10. The aluminum alloy sheet is preferably made of an Al—Mg—Si alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mineo Asano, Hidetoshi Uchida
  • Patent number: 8313590
    Abstract: An aluminium extrusion having a minimum section thickness and made from an aluminium alloy includes, in weight percent, between approximately 1.0 and 1.7 manganese, and between approximately 0.5 and 1.1 silicon, less than 0.3 iron with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities each less than 0.05 weight % and totaling less than 0.15 weight %, the extrusion being formed with an extrusion ratio less than 125 to retain a fibrous grain structure in which less than 40% of the minimum section thickness is recrystallized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Rio Tinto Alcan International Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Charles Parson, Martin Fortier
  • Patent number: 8303736
    Abstract: A casted aluminum alloy obtained by casting a molten metal of an aluminum alloy, an aluminum alloy material obtained by at least heating the casted aluminum alloy, and methods for producing them. In the production of the casted aluminum alloy, a molten metal is obtained by melting an aluminum alloy containing 0.8 to 5 mass % of Fe, 0.15 to 1 mass % of Ti, Zr or the like as third component elements in an specific amount, and a residual part containing Al and inevitable impurities at a certain temperature (melting step). Subsequently, the molten metal is cast into a plate-like shape by a casting mold while cooling the molten metal to a temperature that is lower by at least 10° C. than a solidus temperature of the aluminum alloy at a cooling rate of 150° C./sec. or more and less than 10000° C./sec. (casting step).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho
    Inventor: Hideaki Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 8298357
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high-strength aluminum alloy extruded product exhibiting excellent corrosion resistance and secondary workability and suitably used as a structural material for transportation equipment such as automobiles, railroad vehicles, and aircrafts, and a method of manufacturing the same. The aluminum alloy extruded product has a composition containing 0.6 to 1.2% of Si, 0.8 to 1.3% of Mg, and 1.3 to 2.1% of Cu while satisfying the following conditional expressions (1), (2), (3) and (4), 3%?Si %+Mg %+Cu %?4%??(1) Mg %?1.7×Si %??(2) Mg %+Si %?2.7%??(3) Cu %/2?Mg %?(Cu %/2)+0.6%??(4) and further containing 0.04 to 0.35% of Cr, and 0.05% or less of Mn as an impurity, with the balance being aluminum and unavoidable impurities. The cross section of the extruded product has a recrystallized structure with an average grain size of 500 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignees: The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Sano, Yasuaki Yoshino
  • Patent number: 8287668
    Abstract: New 2xxx aluminum alloys containing vanadium are disclosed. In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy includes 3.3-4.1 wt. % Cu, 0.7-1.3 wt. % Mg, 0.01-0.16 wt. % V, 0.05-0.6 wt. % Mn, 0.01 to 0.4 wt. % of at least one grain structure control element, the balance being aluminum, incidental elements and impurities. The new alloys may realize an improved combination of properties, such as in the T39 or T89 tempers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: ALCOA, Inc.
    Inventors: Jen C. Lin, Ralph R. Sawtell, Gary H. Bray, Cindie Giummarra, Andre Wilson, Gregory B. Venema
  • Patent number: 8273196
    Abstract: An Al—Mg—Si based aluminum alloy sheet having undergone normal-temperature aging (or being in a underaged state) after a solution treatment thereof is, before press forming, subjected to a heating treatment (partial reversion heating treatment) in which the alloy sheet is partially heated to a temperature in the range of 150 to 350° C. for a time of not more than 5 minutes so that the difference in strength (difference in 0.2% proof stress) between the heated part and the non-heated part will be not less than 10 MPa. The alloy sheet thus treated is subjected to cold press forming in the condition where the heated part with low strength is put in contact with a wrinkle holding-down appliance of the press and the non-heated part with high strength is put in contact with the shoulder part (radius) of the punch. In the partial reversion heating treatment, the temperature rise rate and the cooling rate in cooling down to 100° C. or below are set to be not less than 30° C./min.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Furukawa-Sky Aluminum Corp.
    Inventors: Akira Hibino, Koji Ichitani
  • Patent number: 8252127
    Abstract: This invention provides sputtering target materials having high reflectance and excellent heat resistance, which are formed of Ag base alloys formed by adding a specific, minor amount of P to Ag and alloying them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Ishifuku Metal Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Hasegawa, Nobuo Ishii
  • Patent number: 8241561
    Abstract: Inventors of the present invention have found that, by manufacturing a stress-buffering material with a Ca-containing aluminum alloy including 0.1 to 12 at % of Ca, the stress-buffering material at low cost, capable of expanding its use in various fields, and having low Young's modulus that is beyond a conventional level, can be obtain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., National University Corporation Kitami Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Fumihiko Gejima, Hiroki Sakamoto, Mamoru Sayashi
  • Patent number: 8211251
    Abstract: A method of accomplishing precipitation hardening of a selected portion of an aluminum panel is disclosed herein. The method includes identifying at least one area of the aluminum panel that experiences thermal stress above a threshold value during a bake cycle, thereby identifying the selected portion. Prior to the bake cycle, the method further includes locally heating the selected portion at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time sufficient to increase a local yield strength of the selected portion such that the increased local yield strength ranges from 150 MPa to 300 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: John E. Carsley, Chih-Cheng Hsu, Susan E. Hartfield-Wunsch, Theresa M Lee, James G. Schroth
  • Patent number: 8211248
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an aluminum alloy that is both age-hardenable and degradable in water-containing fluids. Some embodiments include aluminum alloy compositions with about 0.5 to 8.0 wt. % Ga (Gallium); about 0.5 to 8.0 wt. % Mg (Magnesium); less than about 2.5 wt. % In (Indium); and less than about 4.5 wt. % Zn (Zinc).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Manuel P. Marya
  • Patent number: 8206517
    Abstract: New 7XXX alloys having improved ballistics performance are disclosed. The new alloys generally are resistant to armor piercing rounds at 2850 fps, resistant to fragment simulated particles at 2950 fps, and are resistant to spalling. To achieve the improved ballistics properties, the alloys are generally overaged so as to obtain a tensile yield strength that is (i) at least about 10 ksi lower than peak strength and/or (ii) no greater than 70 ksi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Alcoa Inc.
    Inventors: Dustin M. Bush, Ian Murray, Roberto J. Rioja, Ralph R. Sawtell
  • Patent number: 8187395
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electrical contact having high electrical conductivity for a compact electromagnetic relay including an internally oxidized silver-oxide material which is prepared by subjecting an Ag alloy having a composition consisting essentially of, by weight, 5.1 to 9% Sn, 1.5 to 5% In, and 0.005 to 0.06% Bi, with the balance being Ag and unavoidable impurities, to an internal oxidation treatment and then subjecting to a heat treatment for diffusion, aggregation, and growth of precipitated oxides, wherein the internally oxidized silver-oxide material has a metallographic structure such that coarse grains of composite oxides are dispersed and distributed in an Ag matrix, the coarse grains of composite oxides being formed as a result of coarsening of ultra-fine grains of Sn-based oxides and ultra-fine grains of In-based oxides, which are precipitated by the internal oxidation treatment, by the heat treatment for diffusion, aggregation, and growth of the precipitated oxides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Materials C.M.I. Corporation
    Inventors: Yuzo Uemura, Koshiro Ueda, Noriaki Murahashi, Shinji Yamanashi, Michio Taki, Hiroyasu Endo
  • Patent number: 8168013
    Abstract: A method includes: preparing a molten aluminum alloy consisting of 0.3-0.8 mass % Mg, 0.5-1.2 mass % Si, 0.3 mass % or more excess Si relative to the Mg2Si stoichiometric composition, 0.05-0.4 mass % Cu, 0.2-0.4 mass % Mn, 0.1-0.3 mass % Cr, 0.2 mass % or less Fe, 0.2 mass % or less Zr, and 0.005-0.1 mass % Ti, with the balance being aluminum and unavoidable impurities; casting the alloy into a billet at a speed of 80 mm/min or more and a cooling rate of 15° C./sec or more; extruding the billet into an extruded product; water cooling the product immediately after extrusion at 500° C./min or more; and artificially aging the product, thereby yielding an extruded product with fatigue strength of 140 MPa or more, fatigue ratio of 0.45 or more, an interval between striations on a fatigue fracture surface of 5.0 ?m or less, and a maximum length of Al—Fe—Si crystallized products of 10 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignees: Aisin Keikinzoku Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
    Inventors: Karin Shibata, Tomoo Yoshida, Hiroshi Tabuchi, Hidetoshi Takagi
  • Patent number: 8168012
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a binary single phase titanium-zirconium alloy suitable for the production of surgical implants. The alloy includes a zirconium content of less than 25% but more than 5% by weight, and 0.1% to 0.3% by weight of oxygen as a strength enhancing additive, and not more than 1% by weight of other strength enhancing additives and technical impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Straumann Holding AG
    Inventor: Samuel Steinemann
  • Patent number: 8163113
    Abstract: A cast aluminum alloy containing up to about 0.35% by weight chromium is heated to a first elevated temperature to homogenize the casting and dissolve the chromium content in an aluminum-based matrix phase. The alloy is then heated at a lower elevated temperature to cause the precipitation of a portion of the chromium as an aluminum-containing and chromium-containing intermetallic compound. A suitable amount of chromium is retained in solid solution in aluminum. Thus, the concentration of dissolved chromium in an aluminum alloy may be controlled to fall within specified ranges which result in improvements in both the strength and ductility of the alloy. Impurity amounts of iron may also be precipitated as intermetallic particles from the aluminum matrix to enhance the ductility of the aluminum-based alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Queen's University at Kingston
    Inventors: Raja K. Mishra, Anil K. Sachdev, Shigeo Saimoto
  • Patent number: 8157932
    Abstract: An aluminum casting alloy, comprises, in weight percent, about 4-9% Zn; about 1-4% Mg; about 1-2.5% Cu; less than about 0.1% Si; less than about 0.12% Fe; less than about 0.5% Mn; about 0.01-0.05% B; less than about 0.15% Ti; about 0.05-0.2% Zr; about 0.1-0.5% Sc; no more than about 0.05% each miscellaneous element or impurity; no more than about 0.15% total miscellaneous elements or impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Alcoa Inc.
    Inventors: Xinyan Yan, Jen C. Lin, Cagatay Yanar, Larry Zellman, Xavier Dumant, Robert Tombari, Eric Lafontaine
  • Patent number: 8152940
    Abstract: The present invention provides an aluminum alloy forging material having enhanced strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance, and a method of producing the material. An aluminum alloy forging material 1 produced with specified components under specified conditions has an arm portion 2 including a relatively narrow and thick peripheral rib 3 and a thin and relatively wide central web 4 having a thickness of 10 mm or less and having a substantially H-shaped sectional form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Nakai, Yoshiya Inagaki, Atsumi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 8142579
    Abstract: According to the present invention, a process for producing an aluminum alloy material, whereby reduction in toughness and in fatigue strength of the aluminum alloy material can be inhibited even after solution treatment is provided. Also, the following is provided: a process for producing an aluminum alloy material comprising at least the steps of subjecting a heat treatable aluminum alloy material to solution treatment and applying aging treatment to the aluminum alloy material subjected to solution treatment, which further comprises the following step between the solution treatment step and the aging treatment step: the step of subjecting the aluminum alloy material to plastic forming in a manner such that a given amount of equivalent strain is imparted to the aluminum alloy material from at least two directions while the aluminum alloy material subjected to solution treatment is maintained under temperature conditions that do not cause softening of the aluminum alloy material by over-aging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisanori Koma