Aluminum alloy and its preparation method and application

Abstract

The application belongs to the field of polymer materials, and particularly relates to an aluminum alloy with superior mechanical properties and a preparation method and application thereof. The aluminum alloy plate and warm forming part prepared by the method have finer and more uniform grain structures, the mechanical properties of the alloy are significantly improved, the plasticity is basically unchanged, and the use demand of automobile lightweighting can be better met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of polymer materials, specifically relating to an aluminum alloy with superior mechanical properties, its preparation method, and its applications. Background Technology

[0002] Lightweighting is essential for automobile manufacturing, and with the rapid development of new energy vehicles, fuel consumption, emission standards, and demands are constantly increasing. Lightweighting technology, as an important approach to energy conservation and emission reduction in automobiles, can achieve weight reduction while meeting safety and cost control requirements. Aluminum, as a high-quality lightweight material, possesses advantages such as low density, light weight, good formability, and recyclability, making it one of the most ideal materials for automotive lightweighting and offering very broad application prospects.

[0003] 7-series aluminum alloys, due to their high strength and rigidity, are widely used in high-strength structural components related to automotive body collisions, such as B-pillars and door anti-collision beams. However, currently, even 7-series aluminum alloys with matching hot forming processes only have a tensile strength of around 550 MPa, which cannot meet the further development needs of automotive lightweighting. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize material composition and manufacturing technology to upgrade the original high-strength aluminum alloys to ultra-high-strength aluminum alloys, while maintaining plasticity as much as possible to improve material strength, so as to adapt to higher stress and life requirements, thereby promoting the high-quality development of automotive lightweighting. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main production processes for manufacturing traditional 7-series aluminum alloy sheets and their hot-formed parts (specifically, as follows) Figure 1 The process includes: raw material selection, smelting and casting, rolling, solution treatment, hot forming, mold quenching, and artificial aging. This preparation process has at least the following shortcomings: (1) At present, even the 7-series aluminum alloys matched with the hot forming process have a tensile strength of only about 550 MPa, which cannot meet the further development needs of automotive lightweighting; (2) The holding time for artificial aging in the traditional process is 10-20 hours, which is a long aging time, resulting in increased energy consumption and time costs.

[0005] The present invention aims to at least partially solve one of the technical problems in the related art. To this end, one object of the present invention is to provide an aluminum alloy with superior mechanical properties.

[0006] In one aspect of this application, an aluminum alloy is provided, wherein the raw material components of the aluminum alloy include metallic aluminum and additive elements, wherein the additive elements include La and Er.

[0007] The main objective of this invention is to address the issue that the limiting performance of conventional 7-series aluminum alloys cannot meet the material requirements for lightweight automotive applications by optimizing material composition and manufacturing processes, thereby further improving material performance. The aluminum alloy sheets and their warm-formed parts prepared by this invention exhibit finer and more uniform grain structures, significantly improved mechanical properties, and essentially unchanged plasticity, thus meeting the requirements for lightweight automotive applications.

[0008] The inventors discovered that adding appropriate amounts of rare earth elements lanthanum (La) and erbium (Er) to 7-series aluminum alloys can improve the nucleation rate. When the rare earth element content is greater than 0.3%, a new phase containing rare earth elements is generated between the rare earth elements and other elements in the aluminum alloy. The shape and size of the second phase also change significantly, and the particle size gradually decreases. By improving the alloy structure through rare earth elements, the precipitation strengthening effect of rare earth compounds can be exerted, effectively improving the strength and plasticity of the aluminum alloy.

[0009] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of La in the aluminum alloy is 0.08%-0.12%.

[0010] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the Er content in the aluminum alloy is 0.3%-0.5% by mass.

[0011] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the added elements further include Zr and Sc.

[0012] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the Zr content in the aluminum alloy is 0.15%-0.20% by mass.

[0013] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Sc in the aluminum alloy is 0.2%-0.4%.

[0014] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the added elements further include Si, Mn, Mg, Cu, Cr, Zn, Ti, and Fe.

[0015] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Si in the aluminum alloy is 0.05%-0.10%.

[0016] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Mn in the aluminum alloy is 0.04%-0.08%.

[0017] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Mg in the aluminum alloy is 2.0%-2.6%.

[0018] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Cu in the aluminum alloy is 1.6%-2.0%.

[0019] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Cr in the aluminum alloy is no more than 0.05%.

[0020] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the Zn content in the aluminum alloy is 6.0%-7.0% by mass.

[0021] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Ti in the aluminum alloy is no more than 0.05%.

[0022] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mass percentage of Fe in the aluminum alloy is no greater than 0.03%.

[0023] The raw materials for the 7-series aluminum alloy, prepared according to the optimized material composition design, were melted to a liquid state. The alloy element composition and mass percentages are as follows: Si: 0.05%-0.10%, Mn: 0.04%-0.08%, Mg: 2.0%-2.6%, Cu: 1.6%-2.0%, Cr: ≤0.05%, Zn: 6.0%-7.0%, Ti: ≤0.05%, Zr: 0.15%-0.20%, Sc: 0.2%-0.4%, Fe: ≤0.03%, La: 0.08%-0.12%, Er: 0.3%-0.5%, with the remainder being Al. The aluminum alloy synthesized according to the material composition of this invention can effectively improve the strength and ductility of aluminum alloys.

[0024] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for preparing an aluminum alloy, comprising mixing the raw material components of the aluminum alloy described in the first aspect and then melting them, and then cooling them to obtain the aluminum alloy.

[0025] A third aspect of the present invention provides a method for preparing an aluminum alloy plate, comprising:

[0026] A. The aluminum alloy described in the first aspect is melted and cast to obtain a billet;

[0027] B. The cast billet is subjected to high-pressure torsion treatment to obtain the aluminum alloy plate.

[0028] The main objective of this invention is to address the issue that the limiting performance of conventional 7-series aluminum alloys cannot meet the material requirements for lightweight automotive applications by optimizing material composition and manufacturing processes, thereby further improving material performance. The aluminum alloy sheets and their warm-formed parts prepared by this invention exhibit finer and more uniform grain structures, significantly improved mechanical properties, and essentially unchanged plasticity, thus meeting the requirements for lightweight automotive applications.

[0029] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the billet is in the shape of a circular plate.

[0030] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the cast billet is 800-1000 mm.

[0031] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the cast billet is 2-3 mm.

[0032] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the number of torsion turns in the high-pressure torsion treatment is 5-10 turns.

[0033] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the compressive stress of the radial load in the high-pressure torsion treatment is 5-10 GPa.

[0034] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the rotational speed of the high-pressure torsion treatment is 3-5 r / min.

[0035] The fourth aspect of the present invention provides an aluminum alloy plate prepared by the method described in the third aspect.

[0036] The fifth aspect of this invention provides a method for preparing aluminum alloy warm-formed parts, comprising:

[0037] a. Machining the aluminum alloy plate described in the fourth aspect to obtain a product blank that conforms to the product shape;

[0038] b. The product blank is subjected to warm forming treatment in a contact mold to obtain the aluminum alloy warm-formed part.

[0039] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the temperature during the warm forming process is 420-460℃, and the strain rate is 0.01-0.05s. -1 .

[0040] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the method for preparing aluminum alloy warm-formed parts further includes sequentially quenching and artificial aging treatment of the aluminum alloy warm-formed parts.

[0041] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the quenching method is rapid cooling quenching.

[0042] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the temperature during the artificial aging treatment is 100-140℃, and the holding time is 4-8h.

[0043] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the aluminum alloy prepared by the method of the present invention has high tensile strength, low energy consumption, and can save labor costs.

[0044] The sixth aspect of the present invention provides an aluminum alloy warm forming part, which is prepared by the method described in the fifth aspect.

[0045] The seventh aspect of the present invention provides the application of the aluminum alloy described in the first aspect, the aluminum alloy plate described in the fourth aspect, or the aluminum alloy warm-formed part described in the sixth aspect in the manufacture of a carrier.

[0046] The eighth aspect of the present invention provides an automotive component comprising the aluminum alloy described in the first aspect, the aluminum alloy sheet described in the fourth aspect, or the aluminum alloy warm-formed part described in the sixth aspect.

[0047] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0048] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0049] Figure 1 This application illustrates a manufacturing process path for an aluminum plate and its formed parts in one embodiment.

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the high-pressure torsion process in Embodiment 1 of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0051] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0052] The endpoints and any values ​​of the ranges disclosed herein are not limited to the precise ranges or values, and these ranges or values ​​should be understood to include values ​​close to these ranges or values. For numerical ranges, the endpoint values ​​of the various ranges, the endpoint values ​​of the various ranges and individual point values, and individual point values ​​can be combined with each other to obtain one or more new numerical ranges, which should be considered as specifically disclosed herein.

[0053] To facilitate understanding of the invention, certain technical and scientific terms are specifically defined below. Unless otherwise expressly defined elsewhere in this document, all other technical and scientific terms used herein have the meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0054] In this document, the terms “comprising” or “including” are open-ended expressions, meaning that they include the contents specified in this invention, but do not exclude other aspects.

[0055] In this document, the terms “optionally,” “optionally,” or “optionally” generally refer to an event or condition that may, but may not, occur, and the description includes both cases in which the event or condition occurs and cases in which the event or condition does not occur.

[0056] In a first aspect of this application, an aluminum alloy is proposed, wherein the raw material components of the aluminum alloy include metallic aluminum and additive elements, wherein the additive elements include La and Er.

[0057] The main objective of this invention is to address the issue that the limiting performance of conventional 7-series aluminum alloys cannot meet the material requirements for lightweight automotive applications by optimizing material composition and manufacturing processes, thereby further improving material performance. The aluminum alloy sheets and their warm-formed parts prepared by this invention exhibit finer and more uniform grain structures, significantly improved mechanical properties, and essentially unchanged plasticity, thus meeting the requirements for lightweight automotive applications.

[0058] According to a more specific embodiment of the present invention, the aluminum alloy provided by the present invention has the following elemental composition and mass percentage: Si: 0.05%-0.10%, Mn: 0.04%-0.08%, Mg: 2.0%-2.6%, Cu: 1.6%-2.0%, Cr: ≤0.05%, Zn: 6.0%-7.0%, Ti: ≤0.05%, Zr: 0.15%-0.20%, Sc: 0.2%-0.4%, Fe: ≤0.03%, La: 0.08%-0.12%, Er: 0.3%-0.5%, with the remainder being Al. Adding appropriate amounts of rare earth elements lanthanum (La) and erbium (Er) to 7-series aluminum alloys can improve the nucleation rate. When the rare earth element content is greater than 0.3%, a new phase containing rare earth elements is generated between the rare earth elements and other elements in the aluminum alloy. The shape and size of the second phase also change significantly, and the particle size gradually decreases. By improving the alloy structure through rare earth elements, the precipitation strengthening effect of rare earth compounds can be exerted, effectively improving the strength and plasticity of aluminum alloys.

[0059] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing aluminum alloy thin plates, comprising:

[0060] A. The aluminum alloy described in the first aspect is melted and cast to obtain a billet;

[0061] B. The cast billet is subjected to high-pressure torsion treatment to obtain the aluminum alloy sheet.

[0062] According to a more specific embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for preparing aluminum alloy thin plates, comprising:

[0063] 1) Prepare raw materials according to the alloy element composition of the 7-series aluminum alloy after material composition optimization design, and melt it into a liquid state. The alloy element composition and mass percentage are as follows: Si: 0.05%-0.10%, Mn: 0.04%-0.08%, Mg: 2.0%-2.6%, Cu: 1.6%-2.0%, Cr: ≤0.05%, Zn: 6.0%-7.0%, Ti: ≤0.05%, Zr: 0.15%-0.20%, Sc: 0.2%-0.4%, Fe: ≤0.03%, La: 0.08%-0.12%, Er: 0.3%-0.5%, with the remainder being Al;

[0064] 2) Pour the molten solution into a casting mold and use high pressure casting process to obtain a casting billet. The casting billet is in the shape of a round plate with a diameter of 800-1000mm and a thickness of 2.0-3.0mm.

[0065] 3) The circular billet is placed in a high-pressure torsion device for high-pressure torsion processing. The process parameters are as follows: process temperature is room temperature, number of high-pressure torsion rotations is 5-10, radial load is 5-10 GPa compressive stress, and rotation speed is 3-5 r / min. The upper die applies a load in the height direction of the billet, while the lower die rotates. The active friction on the cross-section applies torque, causing the billet to undergo axial compression and transverse shear deformation. By causing the billet to undergo severe plastic deformation, the internal structure of the material is improved, and the grain size is significantly refined, which can reduce the grain size to below 100 nm. This greatly improves the mechanical properties of the material, and finally, F-state circular aluminum sheet material with a diameter of 790-990 mm and a thickness of 1.8-2.8 mm is obtained.

[0066] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing aluminum alloy warm-formed parts, comprising:

[0067] a. Machining the aforementioned aluminum alloy sheet to obtain a product blank that conforms to the product shape;

[0068] b. The product blank is subjected to warm forming treatment in a contact mold to obtain the aluminum alloy warm-formed part.

[0069] According to a more specific embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for preparing aluminum alloy warm-formed parts, specifically including:

[0070] 4) According to the product shape, through mechanical processing, remove the product blank of the appropriate shape from the round aluminum sheet;

[0071] 5) The billet is placed in a contact mold for temperature adjustment, and then thermoforming is performed on a pre-set mold to obtain a thermoformed sample. The process parameters for thermoforming are as follows: temperature 420-460℃, strain rate 0.01-0.05s. -1By heating the billet to a suitable temperature below the recrystallization temperature before forming it, the extremely fine nano-sized grains obtained through high-pressure torsion can be protected from re-dissolving or growing. This effectively improves the plasticity of the aluminum alloy sheet without reducing the material strength, thus enabling the stamping of aluminum sheet parts to be successfully completed at this temperature.

[0072] 6) Rapidly cool and quench the warm-formed parts to further improve the crystal structure and increase the material strength;

[0073] 7) The warm-formed parts are subjected to artificial aging treatment with the following process parameters: temperature 100-140℃, holding time 4-8h, to obtain aluminum alloy warm-formed parts in the T6 state. Artificial aging further improves material properties and increases strength. In addition, compared with the traditional artificial aging process with a holding time of 10-20h, it saves more than 50% of the time, significantly reducing energy consumption and time costs in aluminum alloy applications, and saving on the production cost of parts.

[0074] The ultra-high strength 7-series aluminum alloy thin and warm-formed parts prepared by the preparation method of the present invention have a tensile strength of 650-700 MPa, a yield strength of 590-650 MPa, and an elongation after fracture of ≥10.0%.

[0075] The mechanical properties involved in this application include at least one of tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus and impact strength.

[0076] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. In addition, unless otherwise specified, all reagents used in the following embodiments are commercially available or can be synthesized according to the methods described herein or known methods. For reaction conditions not listed, they are also readily available to those skilled in the art.

[0077] Example 1: Preparation method of ultra-high strength 7-series aluminum alloy sheet and its warm-formed parts

[0078] (1) The alloy element composition and mass percentage of the 7-series aluminum alloy are as follows: Si: 0.08%, Mn: 0.06%, Mg: 2.4%, Cu: 1.8%, Cr: 0.03%, Zn: 6.7%, Ti: 0.04%, Zr: 0.16%, Sc: 0.3%, Fe: ≤0.02%, La: 0.10%, Er: 0.4%, with the remainder being Al. Adding appropriate amounts of rare earth elements lanthanum (La) and erbium (Er) to the 7-series aluminum alloy can improve the nucleation rate. When the rare earth element content is greater than 0.3%, a new phase containing rare earth elements is generated between the rare earth elements and other elements in the aluminum alloy, and the shape and size of the second phase also change significantly, and the particle size gradually decreases. By improving the alloy structure through rare earth elements, the precipitation strengthening effect of rare earth compounds can be exerted, effectively improving the strength and plasticity of the aluminum alloy.

[0079] (2) Pour the molten solution into the casting mold and use high pressure casting process to obtain the casting billet. The casting billet is round, with a diameter of 950 mm and a thickness of 2.0 mm.

[0080] (3) Place the round billet in a high-pressure torsion device for high-pressure torsion process (see schematic diagram of high-pressure torsion process as shown in Figure 1). Figure 2 As shown), the process parameters are as follows: process temperature is room temperature, high-pressure torsion rotation is 5 turns, radial load is 8 GPa compressive stress, and rotation speed is 5 r / min. A circular aluminum sheet in the F state with a diameter of 940 mm and a thickness of 1.8 mm is obtained.

[0081] (4) According to the product shape, through mechanical processing, a product blank with a length of 900mm, a width of 50mm, and a thickness of 1.8mm is taken out from the round aluminum sheet;

[0082] (5) The blank is subjected to temperature conditioning within the contact mold, and then warm-formed on a pre-set mold to obtain a warm-formed sample. The process parameters for warm forming are as follows: temperature 450℃, strain rate 0.03s. -1 ;

[0083] (6) The warm-formed parts are rapidly cooled and quenched by room temperature water cooling.

[0084] (7) The warm-formed parts are subjected to artificial aging treatment with the following process parameters: temperature 130℃, holding time 6h, to obtain aluminum alloy warm-formed parts in T6 state.

[0085] Example 2: Preparation method of ultra-high strength 7-series aluminum alloy sheet and its warm-formed parts

[0086] Example 2 uses the same method as Example 1 for preparing ultra-high strength 7-series aluminum alloy sheets and their warm-formed parts. The only difference is the alloy element composition and mass percentage of the 7-series aluminum alloy. The alloy element composition and mass percentage of the 7-series aluminum alloy in Example 2 are as follows: Si: 0.05%, Mn: 0.04%, Mg: 2.0%, Cu: 1.6%, Cr: 0.03%, Zn: 6.0%, Ti: 0.04%, Zr: 0.15%, Sc: 0.2%, Fe: ≤0.02%, La: 0.08%, Er: 0.3%, and the remainder is Al.

[0087] Example 3: Preparation method of ultra-high strength 7-series aluminum alloy sheet and its warm-formed parts

[0088] Example 3 uses the same method as Example 1 for preparing ultra-high strength 7-series aluminum alloy sheets and their warm-formed parts. The only difference is the alloy element composition and mass percentage of the 7-series aluminum alloy. The alloy element composition and mass percentage of the 7-series aluminum alloy in Example 3 are as follows: Si: 0.10%, Mn: 0.08%, Mg: 2.6%, Cu: 2.0%, Cr: 0.05%, Zn: 7.0%, Ti: 0.05%, Zr: 0.20%, Sc: 0.4%, Fe: ≤0.03%, La: 0.12%, Er: 0.5%, and the remainder is Al.

[0089] Comparative Example 1: Preparation method of ordinary 7075 aluminum alloy sheet and its hot-formed parts

[0090] (1) The alloying element composition and mass percentage of 7075 aluminum alloy are: Si: 0.38%, Mn: 0.20%, Mg: 2.3%, Cu: 1.6%, Cr: 0.23%, Zn: 5.8%, Ti: 0.05%, Fe: 0.3%, and the remainder is Al;

[0091] (2) The billet is processed into 1.8mm aluminum alloy plate by traditional rolling process and the billet is cut into lengths of 900mm and widths of 50mm.

[0092] (3) Solution treatment of aluminum sheet blanks, with the following process parameters: temperature 480℃, holding time 5min;

[0093] (4) Quickly transfer the solution-treated aluminum plate blank into the stamping die, and quickly complete the stamping and in-die quenching to obtain the hot-formed part. This step is completed within 10 seconds.

[0094] (5) Artificial aging of the thermoformed parts, with the following process parameters: temperature 120℃, holding time 20h.

[0095] Comparative Example 2: Preparation Method of Rare Earth Reinforced 7075 Aluminum Alloy Plate and its Hot-Formed Parts

[0096] (1) The alloy element composition and mass percentage of rare earth strengthened 7075 aluminum alloy are as follows: Si: 0.38%, Mn: 0.20%, Mg: 2.3%, Cu: 1.6%, Cr: 0.23%, Zn: 5.8%, Ti: 0.05%, Fe: 0.3%, Zr: 0.16%, Sc: 0.3%, La: 0.10%, Er: 0.4%, with the remainder being Al;

[0097] (2) The billet is processed into 1.8mm aluminum alloy plate by traditional rolling process and the billet is cut into lengths of 900mm and widths of 50mm.

[0098] (3) Solution treatment of aluminum sheet blanks, with the following process parameters: temperature 480℃, holding time 5min;

[0099] (4) Quickly transfer the solution-treated aluminum plate blank into the stamping die, and quickly complete the stamping and in-die quenching to obtain the hot-formed part. This step is completed within 10 seconds.

[0100] (5) Artificial aging of the thermoformed parts, with the following process parameters: temperature 120℃, holding time 20h.

[0101] Performance testing

[0102] Mechanical property comparison tests were conducted on samples taken from the parts obtained in Examples 1, 2, and 3, and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The mechanical property test method was in accordance with GB / T 228.1-2021 Metallic materials, tensile testing - Part 1: Test method at room temperature. The specimens were in accordance with GB / T 16865-2013 Deformed aluminum, magnesium alloys and their alloy processed articles, specimens and methods for tensile testing. Rectangular specimens of type P002 were selected. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0103] Table 1 Statistical analysis of mechanical property test results

[0104] Example 1 682MPa 627MPa 11.0％ 6h Example 2 650MPa 590MPa 10.0％ 6h Example 3 700MPa 650MPa 11.5％ 6h Comparative Example 1 573MPa 521MPa 13.5％ 20h Comparative Example 2 623MPa 568MPa 14.0％ 20h

[0105] As shown in Table 1, compared with Comparative Example 1, the final mechanical properties of the ultra-high strength 7-series aluminum alloy warm-formed parts provided in Examples 1-3 are significantly improved compared with those of conventional 7-series aluminum alloys, with little change in plasticity, which can further meet the requirements of automotive lightweighting. Meanwhile, compared to the 20-hour artificial aging process in the Comparative Example, this example significantly shortens the artificial aging time to 6 hours, increasing efficiency by more than 3 times, effectively reducing energy consumption and time costs, and saving production costs. Furthermore, the data from Comparative Examples 1 and 2 show that adding Zr and rare earth elements Sc, La, and Er to ordinary 7075 aluminum alloy can significantly improve the mechanical strength of the parts. Moreover, the comparison of the final mechanical properties of Examples 1, 2, and 3 shows that increasing the rare earth element content in the alloy can effectively improve the strength and plasticity of the aluminum alloy.

[0106] To compare the changes in material properties at each stage under the conventional process and the warm forming process of this disclosure, the properties were extracted using examples and comparative examples, and are listed in Table 2.

[0107] Table 2 shows the changes in tensile strength of the samples at various stages.

[0108]

[0109] As shown in Table 2, the comparative example, using traditional manufacturing processes, achieves increased tensile strength in aluminum alloys through prolonged artificial aging, resulting in high energy consumption and time costs. In contrast, this embodiment continuously refines the grains and improves the crystal structure through a series of operations, including material composition optimization, high-pressure torsion processing, and warm forming followed by rapid cooling and quenching, thereby increasing material strength. Finally, a higher tensile strength in the aluminum alloy can be achieved through a shorter artificial aging period, reducing energy consumption and time costs.

[0110] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," "some implementations," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0111] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for preparing aluminum alloy warm-formed parts, characterized in that, include: a. Machining aluminum alloy sheets to obtain product blanks that conform to the shape of the product; b. The product blank is subjected to warm forming treatment in a contact mold, and then quenched and artificially aged in sequence to obtain the aluminum alloy warm forming part; The temperature during the artificial aging treatment is 100-140 ℃, and the holding time is 4-8 h; A method for preparing the aluminum alloy plate includes: A. The aluminum alloy is melted and cast to obtain a billet; B. The cast billet is subjected to high-pressure torsion treatment to obtain the aluminum alloy plate; The aluminum alloy is composed of 7-series aluminum alloy and additives, including La, Er, Zr, and Sc.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mass percentage of La in the aluminum alloy is 0.08%-0.12%; The Er content in the aluminum alloy is 0.3%-0.5% by mass.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Zr content in the aluminum alloy is 0.15%-0.20% by mass; The mass percentage of Sc in the aluminum alloy is 0.2%-0.4%.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mass percentage of Si in the aluminum alloy is 0.05%-0.10%; The mass percentage of Mn in the aluminum alloy is 0.04%-0.08%; The mass percentage of Mg in the aluminum alloy is 2.0%-2.6%; The mass percentage of Cu in the aluminum alloy is 1.6%-2.0%; The mass percentage of Cr in the aluminum alloy is no more than 0.05%; Zn accounts for 6.0%-7.0% of the mass of the aluminum alloy. The mass percentage of Ti in the aluminum alloy is no more than 0.05%; The mass percentage of Fe in the aluminum alloy is no more than 0.03%.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Also includes: The raw material components of the aluminum alloy are mixed and then melted, and the aluminum alloy is obtained after cooling.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The casting blank is in the shape of a round plate; The diameter of the cast billet is 800-1000 mm; The thickness of the cast billet is 2-3 mm; The high-pressure torsion treatment involves 5-10 torsion rotations. The compressive stress of the radial load in the high-pressure torsion treatment is 5-10 GPa; The rotational speed for the high-pressure torsion treatment is 3-5 r / min.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature during the warm forming treatment is 420-460 °C and the strain rate is 0.01-0.05 s -1 .

8. A type of aluminum alloy warm-formed part, characterized in that, It is prepared by the method described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. The application of the aluminum alloy warm-formed part according to claim 8 in the manufacture of carriers.

10. An automotive component, characterized in that, Includes the aluminum alloy warm-formed part as described in claim 8.

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