ALUMINUM ELECTRIC WIRE FOR AN AUTOMOBILE AND A METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

• US 20130255840A1
• Filed: 05/17/2013
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Toyama Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Toyama Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: OTSUKA, Yasuyuki, YOSHIMURA, Masanobu, MAEDA, Kotaro, YOSHIMOTO, Jun, KIMURA, Masashi, NISHIKAWA, Taichirou, KUSAKARI, Misato, KITAMURA, Shinichi, TAKAI, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,953,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 148/523
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/00 Alloys based on aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/02 in inert or controlled atmosphere or vacuum adjusting the composition of the atmosphere C21D1/76
• CPC Class Codes: C22F 1/04 of aluminium or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/023 Alloys based on aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/0016 for heat treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/06 Insulating conductors or cables H01B13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

An aluminum electric wire includes an annealing conductor that is made up of elemental wires made of an aluminum alloy containing 0.90-1.20 mass % Fe, 0.10-0.25 mass % Mg, 0.01-0.05 mass % Ti, 0.0005-0.0025 mass % B, and the balance being Al and has a tensile strength of 110 MPa or more, a breaking elongation of 15% or more, and an electric conductivity of 58% IACS or more, and an insulating material covering the conductor. The wire is produced by casting an aluminum alloy prepared by rapidly solidifying a molten aluminum alloy having the above composition, producing the wires by subjecting the alloy to plasticity processing, producing the conductor by bunching the wires, subjecting the wires or the conductor to annealing at 250° C. or higher, and then covering the conductor with the insulator.

Claims

1. A method for producing an aluminum electric wire for an automobile, the method comprising the steps of:

casting an aluminum alloy that is prepared by rapidly solidifying a molten aluminum alloy containing 0.90 to 1.20 mass % Fe, 0.10 to 0.25 mass % Mg, and a balance being Al and incident impurities;

producing an aluminum alloy conductor from the aluminum alloy by subjecting the aluminum alloy to plasticity processing;

making the aluminum alloy conductor into an annealed conductor by subjecting the aluminum alloy conductor to annealing; and

covering the aluminum alloy conductor with an insulating material,

wherein the annealed conductor made up of the elemental wires made of the aluminum alloy has a tensile strength of 110 MPa or more, a breaking elongation of 15% or more, and an electric conductivity of 58% IACS or more.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein 0.01 to 0.05 mass % Ti is added to the molten aluminum alloy immediately before the rapid solidification.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein 0.0005 to 0.0025 mass % B is added to the molten aluminum alloy immediately before the rapid solidification.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annealing comprises annealing performed at a temperature of 250°

C. or higher.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annealing comprises annealing performed at a temperature of 250°

C. or higher.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the annealing comprises annealing performed at a temperature of 250°

C. or higher.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annealing comprises batch-type annealing.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annealing comprises batch-type annealing.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the annealing comprises batch-type annealing.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein, in the batch-type annealing, a heating temperature is in the range of from 250 to 400°

C. and a cooling time necessary to cool the aluminum alloy conductor from an annealing temperature to 150°

C. is ten minutes or longer.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in the batch-type annealing, a heating temperature is in the range of from 250 to 400°

C. and a cooling time necessary to cool the aluminum alloy conductor from an annealing temperature to 150°

C. is ten minutes or longer.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in the batch-type annealing, a heating temperature is in the range of from 250 to 400°

C. and a cooling time necessary to cool the aluminum alloy conductor from an annealing temperature to 150°

C. is ten minutes or longer.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annealing comprises continuous annealing using electric heating.

14. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annealing comprises continuous annealing using electric heating.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein the annealing comprises continuous annealing using electric heating.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annealing comprises continuous annealing using high-frequency induction heating.

17. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annealing comprises continuous annealing using high-frequency induction heating.

18. The method according to claim 3, wherein the annealing comprises continuous annealing using high-frequency induction heating.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annealing comprises annealing performed under a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

20. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annealing comprises annealing performed under a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

21. The method according to claim 3, wherein the annealing comprises annealing performed under a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

22. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of concentrically compressing the aluminum alloy conductor.

23. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of concentrically compressing the aluminum alloy conductor.

24. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of concentrically compressing the aluminum alloy conductor.