Abstract:
An aluminum-based alloy composition having improved corrosion resistance and high extrudability consists essentially of about 0.1-0.5 % by weight of manganese, about 0.05-0.12 % by weight of silicon, about 0.01-0.20 % by weight of titanium, about 0.15-0.25 % by weight of iron and the balance aluminum, wherein the aluminum alloy is essentially copper free. The inventive alloy is useful in automotive applications, in particular, heat exchanger tubing and finstock, and foil packaging. The process provided by the invention uses a high extrusion ratio and produces a product having high corrosion resistance.
Abstract:
In a method of extruding a 6000-series aluminum alloy by casting, homogenizing, extruding and, optionally, aging and/or heat treating, an alloy composition is provided having silicon .6-1.2 wt. %, magnesium .7-1.2 wt. %, copper .3-1.1 wt. %, manganese .1-.8 wt. %, zirconium .05-.25 wt. %, up to .5 wt. % iron, up to .15 wt. % chromium, up to .25 wt. % zinc, up to .10 wt. % titanium with the balance aluminum and incidental impurities wherein an effective amount of zirconium, in combination with effective amounts of manganese, produces a fibrous grain structure which contributes to a combination of high strength and fracture toughness in the extruded alloy. The fibrous grain structure also permits improvements in forming the extrusion by enabling lower temperatures to be utilized during the homogenization step. The figure shows a schematic diagram of an extrusion process according to the invention.