Patents by Inventor Katsushi Matsumoto

Katsushi Matsumoto has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10544492
    Abstract: The aluminum alloy sheet of the present invention is a specific 6000-series aluminum alloy sheet in which the total sum (total amount) of Mg and Si existing in specific aggregates of atoms (clusters) is regulated and the total sum of Mg and Si existing in the aggregates of atoms is ensured so as to be balanced with the total amount of Mg and Si solid-solutionized in the matrix, and thus BH response (bake hardenability) after natural aging at room temperature and proof strength after BH treatment (bake hardening treatment) are further improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisao Shishido, Katsushi Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Aruga
  • Patent number: 10344359
    Abstract: Provided is an aluminum alloy clad sheet that resolves the contradiction between a high strength level and ductility in a single sheet of the existing 7000-series aluminum alloy or the like, and has high strength, good formability (high ductility), and a good BH property through short-time artificial age hardening. An aluminum alloy clad sheet subjected to diffusion heat treatment includes a plurality of aluminum alloy layers being laminated. In the clad sheet, aluminum alloy layers having specific compositions are adjacently laminated such that the contents of Mg or Zn are different from each other, and a microstructure after the diffusion heat treatment has fine grain size and an interdiffusion region of Mg and Zn. In addition, the clad sheet has a specific DSC characteristic. Consequently, high strength and good formability (high ductility) are exhibited, and a BH property through short-time artificial age hardening is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazufumi Sato, Katsushi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10315277
    Abstract: Provided is an aluminum alloy laminated plate having a sacrificial material cladded to at least one side surface of a core material, wherein the core material contains specified amounts of Mn, Si, Cu, Mg, Fe, and Ti, the balance is Al and inevitable impurities, the number density of dispersed particles having a particle size of 0.01-0.5 ?m is 10-100/?m3, and [(the total solid solution amount of Mg, Mn, Si, and Cu)/(the total added amount of Mg, Mn, Si, and Cu)] is 0.10 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: KOBE STEEL, LTD.
    Inventors: Katsushi Matsumoto, Takahiro Izumi
  • Patent number: 10272645
    Abstract: An aluminum-alloy-clad plate which includes a plurality of superposed aluminum alloy layers and which has undergone a diffusion heat treatment. Aluminum alloy layers having specific compositions are superposed so that any adjoining two of these differ in the content of Mg or Zn, and are subjected to a diffusion heat treatment to give a structure which has fine crystal grain diameters and Mg/Zn mutual diffusion regions and which has specific DSC properties. Thus, both higher strength and high formability are imparted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazufumi Sato, Katsushi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10221469
    Abstract: Provided is an Al—Mg alloy plate for molding, having excellent press formability, little stretcher strain (SS) mark generation, and not generating any new issues such as reduced bending properties as a result of age-hardening at room temperature, while using more accurate and simple structural indicators. As a result, the Al—Mg aluminum alloy plate comprising a specific composition including Cu has a plate structure having an average particle diameter of 0.5-6.0 nm in a minute particle (cluster) particle distribution measured using an X-ray scattering method, controls the volume fraction to at least 0.03%, is unlikely to have serration, and suppresses SS mark generation during press forming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Aruga, Katsushi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20190010581
    Abstract: An aluminum alloy sheet excellent in terms of formability and bake hardenability is provided. The aluminum alloy sheet contains, in terms of mass %, Mg: 0.2 to 2.0%, Si: 0.3 to 2.0% and Sn: 0.005 to 0.3%, with the remainder being Al and unavoidable impurities. A differential scanning calorimetry curve of the aluminum alloy sheet has an endothermic peak in a temperature range of 150 to 230° C. and an exothermic peak in a temperature range of 240 to 255° C. The endothermic peak corresponds to a dissolution of a Mg—Si cluster and has a peak height of 8 ?W/mg or less, including 0 ?W/mg. The exothermic peak corresponds to a formation of a Mg—Si cluster and has a peak height of 20 ?W/mg or larger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (KOBE STEEL, LTD.)
    Inventors: Hisao SHISHIDO, Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA
  • Publication number: 20180363113
    Abstract: Provided is an Al—Mg—Si aluminum alloy sheet having a specific chemical composition including a transition element. The microstructure of the sheet includes grains refined to have a smaller average grain size, and includes nanometer-level fine transition-element-dispersed particles. This allows the aluminum alloy sheet to have higher strength during work hardening in forming into a structural component and, synergistically with this, to have better bake hardenability. The resulting aluminum alloy sheet, when formed into an automobile structural component, offers higher strength after bake hardening without deterioration in formability, even after natural aging at room temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (KOBE STEEL, LTD.)
    Inventors: Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA, Hisao SHISHIDO
  • Patent number: 10119179
    Abstract: A titanium plate according to the present invention contains a predetermined amount of Fe and O with the remainder consisting of titanium and inevitable impurities, and has a grain microstructure of the ?-phase having a HCP structure. In the titanium plate, the total area in which ?-phase grains specified by a first angle (?) are included is a predetermined value of a ratio (P) or (R) and the total area in which ?-phase grains specified by a second angle (?) are included is a predetermined value of an area ratio (Q) or (S) in a (0001) pole figure of ?-phase grains, and the average value and the maximum value of an equivalent circle diameter in the ?-phase grains are respectively predetermined values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsushi Matsumoto, Yoshinori Ito
  • Publication number: 20180305794
    Abstract: A 7000-series aluminum alloy sheet that is useful for automobile parts and that is provided with both strength and stress corrosion cracking resistance and having an average grain size of 15 ?m or lower, an average percentage of low-angle grain boundaries with tilt angles from 5 to 15° of 15% or higher, and an average percentage of high-angle grain boundaries with tilt angles higher than 15° of 15 to 50%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd. )
    Inventors: Yasuhiro ARUGA, Katsushi MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20180187293
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an aluminum alloy plate capable of having a 0.2% proof stress during molding of no more than 110 MPa and a 0.2% proof stress after BH of at least 170 MPa. The present invention pertains to an aluminum alloy plate including, in mass %, 0.2%-1.0% Mg and 0.2%-1.0% Si, fulfilling {(Mg content)+(Si content)}?1.2%, having a 20-50 ?W/mg high exothermic peak within a temperature range of 230-330° C. in a differential scanning calorimetry curve, and having both excellent moldability and excellent bake hardening properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hisao SHISHIDO, Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA
  • Publication number: 20180171451
    Abstract: Provided is a 6000-series aluminum alloy sheet excellent in strength and bendability. The alloy sheet is an Al—Mg—Si aluminum alloy sheet including Mg: 0.5 to 1.3% by mass, and Si: 0.7 to 1.5% by mass; one or more elements selected from Mn: 0.05 to 0.5% by mass, Zr: 0.04 to 0.20% by mass, and Cr: 0.04 to 0.20% by mass; and Al and inevitable impurities as the remainder of the alloy sheet. Transition-element-based dispersed particles which are present on grain boundaries of the alloy sheet and which have a size of 0.05 ?m or more have a number density of 0.001 nm?1 or less. The grain boundaries show a PFZ width of 60 nm or less after the aluminum alloy sheet is subjected to an artificial aging of holding the aluminum alloy sheet at 200 to 250° C. for 10 to 30 minutes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Katsushi Matsumoto, Masahiro Yamaguchi, Yasuhiro Aruga
  • Publication number: 20180105900
    Abstract: An Al—Mg—Si aluminum alloy sheet has a chemical composition which includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cr, and Zr and which meets the condition: 0.6?([Mg]/[Si]-0.15[Mn]-0.3[Cr]-0.1[Zr]?1.8. The aluminum alloy sheet is controlled to have a higher aspect ratio of grains, thereby has significantly higher strength after artificial aging such as paint bake (after bake hardening), and satisfactorily has strength necessary for automobile structural components, without deterioration in bendability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hisao SHISHIDO, Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA
  • Patent number: 9932658
    Abstract: A 6000-series aluminum alloy plate, which is obtained by introducing a minor amount of Sn into a 6000-series aluminum alloy plate that has a specific Mg and Si composition, and controlling the tissue of the plate on the basis of the tissue thereof under a specific heat treatment, shows an improved hem bendability even after aging for a long period of time at room temperature, as a characteristic after the natural aging, and increases the bake hardenability (BH response) in baking finishing a molded automobile panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisao Shishido, Katsushi Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Aruga
  • Publication number: 20180023174
    Abstract: A 7xxx-series aluminum alloy sheet produced by a common procedure is allowed to include a surface part having a texture with grown Cube orientation, and a central part having a texture with grown S orientation. Namely, the surface part and the thickness-central part in the sheet are allowed to have different textures that are optimal respectively for shock absorption and for strength. This allows the aluminum alloy sheet to have better shock absorption upon automobile collision without lowering its strength, where the shock absorption is evaluated by a VDA bend test as illustrated in FIG. 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA, Hisao SHISHIDO, Kazufumi SATO
  • Publication number: 20180022067
    Abstract: An aluminum-alloy-clad plate which includes a plurality of superposed aluminum alloy layers and which has undergone a diffusion heat treatment. Aluminum alloy layers having specific compositions are superposed so that any adjoining two of these differ in the content of Mg or Zn, and are subjected to a diffusion heat treatment to give a structure which has fine crystal grain diameters and Mg/Zn mutual diffusion regions and which has specific DSC properties. Thus, both higher strength and high formability are imparted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Kazufumi SATO, Katsushi MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20180001596
    Abstract: An aluminum-alloy-clad plate in which a plurality of aluminum alloy layers are layered and diffusion heat treatment is performed thereon, wherein aluminum alloy layers having a specific composition are layered so as to each have a different content Mg or Zn, the structure of the aluminum alloy clad plate after diffusion heat treatment thereof has a minute crystal grain diameter and a predetermined amount of a specific Mg and Zn inter-diffusion region in which Mg and Zn of layered aluminum alloy layers are diffused with each other, and increased strength and high moldability are obtained at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Kazufumi SATO
  • Patent number: 9845521
    Abstract: A copper alloy containing Ni: 1.5%-3.6% and Si: 0.3%-1.0% in terms of mass percent with the remainder consisting of copper and unavoidable impurities, wherein: the average crystal grain size of the crystal grains in the copper alloy is 5 to 30 ?m; the area ratio of the crystal grains having crystal grain sizes not less than twice the average crystal grain size is not less than 3%; and the ratio of the area of cube orientation grains to the area of the crystal grains having crystal grain sizes not less than twice the average crystal grain size is not less than 50%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisao Shishido, Shinya Katsura, Yasuhiro Aruga, Katsushi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20170349978
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an Al—Mg—Si sheet which contains, in terms of mass %, 0.3-1.0% Mg, 0.5-1.5% Si, 0.005-0.2% Sn, 0.02-1.0% Fe, and 0.02-0.6% Mn, with the remainder comprising Al and unavoidable impurities, characterized by having a structure wherein compounds that are detected with an SEM having a magnification of 500 diameters and are identified with an X-ray spectrometer include Sn compounds which contain Mn and Fe and which have an Sn content of 1.0 mass % or higher and a diameter of 0.3-20 ?m in terms of equivalent circular diameter, the average number density of the Sn compounds being 500-3,000 /mm2, and wherein the length of the boundary between each Sn compound and the aluminum matrix is in the range of 3-20/mm on average in terms of value obtained by dividing the total peripheral length of the Sn compound grain by the area thereof determined with the SEM.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (KOBE STEEL, LTD.)
    Inventors: Hisao SHISHIDO, Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA, Satoru TAKADA, Takahiro OZAWA, Akihiko TATSUMI
  • Publication number: 20170274479
    Abstract: There are provided a flux cored wire for joining dissimilar materials with each other, capable of enhancing a bonding strength upon joining an aluminum-base material with a steel-base material, and excellent in bonding efficiency, a method for joining the dissimilar materials with each other, and a bonded joint obtained by the method. In particular, there is provided a method for joining dissimilar materials with each other, in the case of melt weld-bonding of high-strength dissimilar materials with each other, that is, the high-strength steel member with the high-strength 6000 series aluminum alloy member and in the case of the steel member being a galvanized steel member. In one mode, use is made of a flux cored wire wherein the interior of an aluminum alloy envelope is filled up with a flux, the flux has fluoride composition containing a given amount of AlF3 without containing chloride, and the aluminum alloy of the envelope contains Si in a range of 1 to 13 mass %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Jun KATOH, Mikako TAKEDA, Seiji SASABE, Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Hidekazu IDO, Tsuyoshi MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170247782
    Abstract: Provided is a hot-forged 6xxx-series aluminum alloy having excellent corrosion resistance and still having both high strength and good ductility. A forged 6xxx-series aluminum alloy having a specific chemical composition after solution treatment is further subjected to warm working to introduce dislocations into the forged aluminum alloy microstructure. This allows the forged aluminum alloy after artificial aging to have a microstructure which has a high dislocation density, includes a large proportion of small angle grain boundaries, and has a high average number density of precipitates. Thus, the resulting forged aluminum alloy has a 0.2% yield strength of 400 MPa or more and an elongation of 10% or more and combines properties necessary for suspension parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Hisao SHISHIDO, Manabu NAKAI, Masayuki HORI