Annealed Shaped Metal Containers for Complex Bottle-Like Forms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing metal containers with non-cylindrical shapes, such as those resembling glass or plastic bottles, are limited by work hardening issues that reduce ductility and increase hardness, making it difficult to achieve complex shapes like those found in glass or plastic containers using metal materials.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an annealing process that reduces yield strength and increases ductility by altering the grain structure of metal preforms, allowing for the creation of shaped metal containers with rounded grain structures, which can be outwardly or inwardly shaped to achieve complex geometries without the need for extensive re-drawing or necking operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional deep drawing and wall ironing methods are used to produce metal containers with complex shapes, then cylindrical shapes can be produced efficiently, but complex non-cylindrical shapes resembling glass or plastic bottles cannot be achieved due to work hardening limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary annealing treatment to the metal blank before deep drawing operations. This preliminary action softens the material, increasing its ductility and formability, which enables the subsequent formation of complex non-cylindrical shapes that would otherwise be impossible with work-hardened metal. The annealing is performed in advance to prepare the material for the challenging shaping operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of the metal by controlling the annealing temperature and duration. By adjusting these parameters, the material's microstructure is modified to achieve optimal ductility and formability. This parameter control allows the metal to be shaped into complex geometries while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Length of moving object
If multiple re-drawing operations are performed to achieve tall containers with high height-to-diameter ratios, then the desired container dimensions can be obtained, but the work hardening increases significantly, reducing material ductility and increasing hardness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary annealing of the metal blank before the deep drawing process. This preliminary softening action reduces the initial hardness and increases ductility, allowing the material to undergo multiple drawing operations without excessive work hardening. This enables the production of tall containers with high height-to-diameter ratios while maintaining material formability throughout the manufacturing process.
3Productivity
If the metal container is made with standard wall thickness, then production is cost-effective, but achieving complex shapes requires extensive metal shaping steps that increase production time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary annealing to the metal blank to enhance its formability before shaping operations. This allows complex geometries to be achieved in fewer forming steps compared to conventional methods, thereby reducing production time and maintaining cost-effectiveness despite the increased shape complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
By controlling the annealing parameters (temperature, time), the patent optimizes the material's formability to match the requirements of the desired complex shape. This parameter optimization enables the production of intricate geometries with standard wall thicknesses without requiring excessive additional shaping operations, thus maintaining productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in metal containers with improved formability, reduced material usage (at least 10% weight savings), and cost efficiency, enabling the production of containers with complex shapes that were previously challenging to achieve with metal.
Implementation Method 1
at least a section to be inwardly or outwardly shaped is annealed such that at least one of the middle section diameter Dm, the bottom section diameter Db, and the top section diameter Dt is greater than, and at least one of the middle section diameter Dm, the bottom section diameter Db and the top section diameter Dt, is smaller than the cylinder diameter Dc of the container preform
Data Source
AI summary
The principles of the present invention further provide both a shaped metal container and its preforms that exhibit a rounded grain structure characteristic created by an annealing process and a method for making a shaped metal container. The process of making said metal container results in a quicker process time and uses less metals (at least 10% metal weight savings), thus allowing for a decrease in the costs of making such shaped metal containers. A shaped metal container may include work hardened rolled sheet-metal defining a sidewall, an opening, and a base, where at least one section along the sidewall has grains with an average aspect ratio less than about 4 to 1.