Patents by Inventor Yasuhiro Aruga

Yasuhiro Aruga 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: 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
  • 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
  • Patent number: 10053751
    Abstract: The invention provides a Cu—Ni—Sn—P alloy sheet satisfying the resistance property of stress relaxation in the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction and excellent in the other necessary properties as terminals and connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Aruga
  • 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
  • Patent number: 9976208
    Abstract: The present invention provides a Cu—Fe—P alloy which has a high strength, high conductivity and superior bending workability. The copper alloy comprises 0.01 to 1.0% Fe, 0.01 to 0.4% P, 0.1 to 1.0% Mg, and the remainder Cu and unavoidable impurities. The size of oxides and precipitates including Mg in the copper alloy is controlled so that the ratio of the amount of Mg measured by a specified measurement method in the extracted residue by a specified extracted residue method to the Mg content in said copper alloy is 60% or less, thus endowing the alloy with a high strength and superior bending workability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Aruga, Katsura Kajihara, Takeshi Kudo
  • 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
  • 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: 20170283913
    Abstract: Provided is a 6xxx-series aluminum sheet having high formability for automotive body panel use, which can be produced without significant changes in conventional chemical compositions and production conditions. The 6xxx-series aluminum alloy sheet is controlled in its microstructure as follows. The average grain size of the microstructure is controlled to be small; and the average proportion of small angle grain boundaries after application of tensile deformation to the sheet is controlled at two levels in a low strain region and a high strain region according to the levels of strain imparted by the tensile deformation. This restrains heterogeneous deformation from the high strain region leading to rupture upon press forming into an automotive body panel, and allows the sheet to offer good work hardening properties and to have high formability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Yuuki KOSHINO, Yasuhiro ARUGA
  • Publication number: 20170233853
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to an Al—Mg—Si alloy sheet for forming, that contains 0.2-2.0% of Mg, 0.3-2.0% of Si, and 0.005-0.3% of Si (all amounts given with respect to mass), the balance comprising Al and unavoidable impurities, wherein the aluminum alloy sheet for forming is characterized in that the structure of the aluminum alloy sheet is such that the average number density of compounds having a circle-equivalent diameter within a range of 0.3-20 ?m as measured by SEM at 500 times magnification is more than 0/mm2 but not more than 5,000/mm2, and of the compounds measured by SEM, the average count ratio of compounds that contain 0.5% by mass or more of Sn as identified using an X-ray spectrograph, is 0% or more but less than 50%. This aluminum alloy sheet for forming exhibits high BH response and good formability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Yasuhiro ARUGA, Hisao SHISHIDO, Katsushi MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170204503
    Abstract: Disclosed are a structural part obtained from a 6000 series aluminum alloy sheet as a shaping raw material and having an improved crash performance; and a method for producing the sheet. For the sheet, a 6000 series aluminum alloy sheet is used which has a specified composition and is produced in the usual way. Even when this sheet is used, strain is given at a high level thereto by a cold work, thereby heightening the average dislocation density of a surface of the resultant structural part, which has been artificially aged. This density is measured by X-ray diffraction. Thus, the structural part is improved in strength and in crash performance, which is estimated in a VDA bending test, when the automobile collides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Yasuhiro ARUGA, Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Kazufumi SATO
  • Publication number: 20170175231
    Abstract: An aluminum alloy sheet excellent in terms of formability and bake hardenability which 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: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (KOBE STEEL, LTD.)
    Inventors: Hisao SHISHIDO, Katsuhi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA
  • Publication number: 20170173742
    Abstract: Provided are an aluminum alloy clad plate for structural members, and an aluminum alloy clad structural member which have both of a high strength and formability (ductility) and further such a BH response that the plate and the member can gain a required high strength even through a high-temperature and short-period artificial aging. The clad plate is an aluminum alloy clad plate having laminated aluminum alloy layers as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The clad plate also has mutual diffusion regions in which Mg and Zn are mutually diffused between the laminated aluminum alloy layers as a phase after subjected to diffusion heat treatment, and has an inertial radius Rg and a scattering intensity I0 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The factors Rg and I0 are measured by a small angle X-ray scattering technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Katsushi MATSUMOTO, Yasuhiro ARUGA, Akihiro TSURUNO, Shimpei KIMURA
  • Patent number: 9671182
    Abstract: The present invention provides a copper alloy tube for heat exchangers which is tolerable to a high operating pressure of new cooling media such as carbon dioxide and HFC-based fluorocarbons, and is excellent in fracture strength, even if the tube is thinned, and a copper alloy tube for a heat exchanger which has a composition having specified amounts of Sn and P, has an average crystal grain size of 30 ?m or less and has a high strength of 250 MPa or more of a tensile strength in the longitudinal direction of the tube improves the fracture strength as a texture in which the orientation distribution density in the Goss orientation is 4% or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignees: KOBELCO & MATERIALS COPPER TUBE, LTD., Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Takagi, Yasuhiro Aruga, Mamoru Nagao, Takashi Shirai, Masato Watanabe, Akihiko Ishibashi