Aluminum alloy element wire, aluminum alloy stranded wire and method for producing aluminum alloy stranded wire, automotive electric wire, and wire harness

• US 10,461,441 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Timothy J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Rhadames Alonzo
• Application Number:
  US15/565,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20180115088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/00 Alloys based on aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/08 with silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/04 of aluminium or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/047 of alloys with magnesium as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/02 mainly consisting of metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/023 Alloys based on aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing conductors or cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/01209 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 5/02 Single bars, rods, wires, or strips
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 5/08 Several wires or the like stranded in the form of a rope
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/00 Insulated conductors or cables characterised by their form
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/185 combined with a U-shaped insulation-receiving portion

Abstract

An aluminum alloy element wire has a chemical composition including in mass percent: Mg: 0.3% or more and 0.9% or less, Si: 0.1% or more and 0.7% or less, Fe: 0.1% or more and 0.4% or less, at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Cr, Ni, and Zr: 0.01% or more and 0.5% or less in total, and the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities. The aluminum alloy element wire has a surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.15 μm or more and 2 μm or less as measured with a non-contact surface roughness measuring machine. An aluminum alloy stranded wire includes a plurality of the aluminum alloy element wires twisted together. An automotive electric wire includes the aluminum alloy stranded wire. A wire harness includes the automotive electric wire, and a terminal crimped to the aluminum alloy stranded wire of the automotive electric wire.

Claims

1. An aluminum alloy element wire for use as a conductor of an automotive cable, having:

a chemical composition comprising in mass percent

Mg;

0.3% or more and 0.9% or less,

Si;

0.1% or more and 0.7% or less,

Fe;

0.1% or more and 0.4% or less,

at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Cr, Ni, and Zr;

0.01% or more and 0.5% or less in total, and

the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities; and

a surface roughness Ra being in the range of 0.15 μ

m or more and 2 μ

m or less as measured with a non-contact surface roughness measuring machine.

2. The aluminum alloy wire according to claim 1, wherein the chemical composition further comprises in mass percent, Ti, a content of which is 0.003% or more and 0.03% or less and/or B, a content of which is 0.0003% or more and 0.003% or less.

3. The aluminum alloy element wire according to claim 1, wherein a wire diameter of the aluminum alloy element wire is 0.1 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less.

4. The aluminum alloy element wire according to claim 2, wherein a wire diameter of the aluminum alloy element wire is 0.1 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less.

5. An aluminum alloy stranded wire comprising a plurality of the aluminum alloy element wires according to claim 1, which are twisted together.

6. An aluminum alloy stranded wire comprising a plurality of the aluminum alloy element wires according to claim 2, which are twisted together.

7. An aluminum alloy stranded wire comprising a plurality of the aluminum alloy element wires according to claim 3, which are twisted together.

8. An aluminum alloy stranded wire comprising a plurality of the aluminum alloy element wires according to claim 4, which are twisted together.

9. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 5, wherein a tensile strength of the aluminum alloy stranded wire is 200 MPa or more and 350 MPa or less.

10. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 6, wherein a tensile strength of the aluminum alloy stranded wire is 200 MPa or more and 350 MPa or less.

11. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 7, wherein a tensile strength of the aluminum alloy stranded wire is 200 MPa or more and 350 MPa or less.

12. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 8, wherein a tensile strength of the aluminum alloy stranded wire is 200 MPa or more and 350 MPa or less.

13. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 5, wherein a number of the aluminum alloy element wires to be twisted together is one selected from numbers consisting of 7, 11, 19 and 37.

14. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 6, wherein a number of the aluminum alloy element wires to be twisted together is one selected from numbers consisting of 7, 11, 19 and 37.

15. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 7, wherein a number of the aluminum alloy element wires to be twisted together is one selected from numbers consisting of 7, 11, 19 and 37.

16. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 8, wherein a number of the aluminum alloy element wires to be twisted together is one selected from numbers consisting of 7, 11, 19 and 37.

17. The aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 12, wherein a number of the aluminum alloy element wires to be twisted together is one selected from numbers consisting of 7, 11, 19 and 37.

18. An automotive cable comprising the aluminum alloy stranded wire according to claim 5.

19. A wire harness comprising the automotive cable according to claim 18, and a terminal crimped to the aluminum alloy stranded wire of the automotive cable.

20. A method for producing an aluminum alloy stranded wire for use as a conductor of an automotive electric wire, comprising:

a casting step of forming a cast material having a chemical composition comprising in mass percent;

Mg;

0.3% or more and 0.9% or less;

Si;

0.1% or more and 0.7% or less;

Fe;

0.1% or more and 0.4% or less;

at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Cr, Ni, and Zr;

0.01% or more and 0.5% or less in total; and

the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities;

an extending step of subjecting the cast material to plastic working to form a wrought product;

a wire drawing step of subjecting the wrought product to wire drawing to form a drawn wire; and

a wire stranding step of twisting a plurality of the drawn wires together to form a stranded wire material and subjecting the stranded wire material to heat treatment, or of subjecting the drawn wire to heat treatment and twisting a plurality of the drawn wires subjected to heat treatment together to form a stranded wire material;

wherein

the wire drawing is performed to give the drawn wire a surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.15 μ

m or more and 2 μ

m or less as measured with a non-contact surface roughness measuring machine, or

the drawn wire is subjected to roughing treatment after the wire drawing and before forming the stranded wire material to have a surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.15 μ

m or more and 2 μ

m or less as measured with a non-contact surface roughness measuring machine.