Steel sheet for dissimilar materials weldbonding to aluminum material and dissimilar materials bonded body

• US 7,521,129 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Klaus Schmidt
• Original Assignee: Klaus Schmidt
• Inventors: Takeda, Mikako, Matsumoto, Katsushi, Katoh, Jun, Urushihara, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; John J
• Application Number:
  US11/436,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20060275623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 428/632, 428/633, 428/639, 428/650, 428/653, 428/651, 428/684, 428/685, 148/334
• US Class Current: 428/653
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0261 Rods, electrodes, wires
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/286 Al as the principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/012 one layer being formed of an iron alloy or steel, another layer being formed of aluminium or an aluminium alloy
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 9/46 for sheet metals
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/02 with silicon as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/06 with magnesium as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 21/08 with silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/02 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/04 containing manganese
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/12 containing tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, vanadium, or niobium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/22 with molybdenum or tungsten
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/26 with niobium or tantalum
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/28 with titanium or zirconium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/34 with more than 1.5% by weight of silicon
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12472 Microscopic interfacial wave or roughness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12757 Fe

Abstract

Disclosed is a steel sheet for dissimilar materials weldbonding to an aluminum material, the steel sheet containing, in mass, C: 0.02 to 0.3%, Si: 0.2 to 5.0%, Mn: 0.2 to 2.0%, and Al: 0.002 to 0.1%, further one or more of Ti: 0.005 to 0.10%, Nb: 0.005 to 0.10%, Cr: 0.05 to 1.0%, and Mo: 0.01 to 1.0%, and the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities. In the steel sheet, (i) the proportion of the oxide containing Mn and Si by 1 at. % or more in total in the external oxide layer which is newly formed after an original oxide layer having already existed on the surface of the steel sheet is once removed and now exists on the surface of the base steel material of the steel sheet is 50 to 80% in terms of the average proportion of the total length of the oxide to 1 μm length of the interface between the base steel material and the external oxide layer nearly in the horizontal direction, (ii) the proportion of the internal oxide, including oxide at the grain boundary, which exists in the steel region up to the depth of 10 μm from the surface of said base steel material of said steel sheet and contains Mn and Si by 1 at. % or more in total is 3% or more to less than 10% in terms of the average area percentage of said internal oxide in the visual field of 10 μm² of said steel region, (iii) the proportion of the internal oxide, including oxide at the grain boundary, which exists in the steel region exceeding 10 μm in depth from the surface of said base steel material of said steel sheet and contains Mn and Si by 1 at. % or more in total is 0.1% or less in terms of the average area percentage of said internal oxide in the visual field of 10 μm² of said steel region.

Claims

1. A steel sheet for dissimilar materials weldbonding to an aluminum material, said steel sheet containing, in mass, C:

0.02 to 0.3%, Si;

0.2 to 5.0%, Mn;

0.2 to 2.0%, and Al;

0.002 to 0.1%, further one or more of Ti;

0.005 to 0.10%, Nb;

0.005 to 0.10%, Cr;

0.05 to 1.0%, and Mo;

0.01 to 1.0%, and the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities, wherein

the proportion of the oxide containing Mn and Si by 1 at . % or more in total in the external oxide layer which is newly formed after an original oxide layer having already existed on the surface of said steel sheet is once removed and now exists on the surface of the base steel material of said steel sheet is 50 to 80% in terms of the average proportion of the total length of said oxide to 1 μ

m length of the interface between said base steel material and said external oxide layer nearly in the horizontal direction.

2. The steel sheet for dissimilar materials weldbonding to an aluminum material according to claim 1, wherein the proportion of the internal oxide, including oxide at a grain boundary, which exists in the steel region up to the depth of 10 μ

m from the surface of said base steel material of said steel sheet and contains Mn and Si by 1 at. % or more in total is 3% or more to less than 10% in terms of the average area percentage of said internal oxide in the visual field of 10 μ

m² of said steel region.

3. The steel sheet for dissimilar materials weldbonding to an aluminum material according to claim 1, wherein

the proportion of the internal oxide, including oxide at a grain boundary, which exists in the steel region exceeding 10 μ

m in depth from the surface of said base steel material of said steel sheet and contains Mn and Si by 1 at. % or more in total is 0.1% or less in terms of the average area percentage of said internal oxide in the visual field of 10 μ

m² of said steel region.

4. The steel sheet for dissimilar materials weldbonding to an aluminum material according to claim 1, wherein after the original oxide layer has been once removed by subjecting the steel sheet to pickling, said steel sheet is, annealed in an atmosphere wherein the oxygen partial pressure is controlled.

5. The dissimilar materials bonded body formed by weldbonding a steel sheet according to claim 1 to an aluminum material, wherein the weldbonding forms a weld nugget, and having an average thickness, in the direction of the weld nugget depth, of the reaction layer at the bonded interface between said steel sheet and said aluminum material is 0.1 to 10 μ

m and the range wherein said reaction layer is formed is 50% or more in terms of the bonding length in the case of linear welding or in terms of the bonding area in the case of spot welding.

6. A steel sheet, comprising:

from 0.02 to 0.3 mass % C;

from 0.2 to 5.0 mass % of Si;

from 0.2 to 2.0 mass % of Mn;

from 0.002 to 0.1% of Al; and

one or more selected from the group consisting of Ti in an amount of from 0.005 to 0.10 mass %, Nb in an amount of from 0.005 to 0.10 mass %, Cr in an amount of from 0.05 to 1.0 mass %, and Mo in an amount of from 0.01 to 1.0 mass %;

wherein the balance in mass % comprises Fe and unavoidable impurities;

wherein mass % is based on the total mass of the steel sheet;

wherein the outer surface of the steel sheet is an external oxide layer and the external oxide layer is in direct and continuous contact with an internal oxide layer beneath the external oxide layer;

wherein the external oxide layer comprises an oxide phase comprising one or more external oxides wherein the external oxides comprise at least one of Mn and Si in an amount of 1 at. % or more;

wherein the oxide phase is from 50 to 80% of the length of a 1 μ

m length of the external oxide layer; and

wherein the steel sheet is obtained by removing an original oxide layer and then forming the external oxide layer in a controlled atmosphere comprising an amount of oxygen that is lower than the amount of oxygen present in an original atmosphere in which the original oxide layer was formed.

7. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the internal oxide layer comprises an internal oxide comprising Mn and Si in an amount of 1 at. % or more;

wherein the internal oxide is present in the internal oxide layer at a depth up to 10 μ

m wherein the depth is measured from the interface between the external oxide layer and the internal oxide layer;

wherein the internal oxide is present in an amount of from 3% to 10% of the average area percentage of the internal oxide measured in a 10 μ

m² area of the steel sheet; and

wherein the internal oxide includes a grain boundary oxide.

8. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the internal oxide is present in an amount of 0.1% or less based on an average area percentage, in the internal oxide layer at a depth of greater than 10 μ

m;

wherein the internal oxide is present in the internal oxide layer at a depth up to 10 μ

m wherein the depth is measured from the interface between the external oxide layer and the internal oxide layer;

wherein the internal oxide is present in an amount of from 3% to 10% of the average area percentage of the internal oxide measured in a 10 μ

m area of the steel sheet; and

wherein the internal oxide includes a grain boundary oxide.

9. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the original oxide layer is removed by pickling to form a steel layer and the steel layer is annealed in the controlled atmosphere comprising oxygen, wherein the partial pressure of the oxygen in the controlled atmosphere is controlled to an amount less than the amount of oxygen present in the original atmosphere in which the original oxide layer was formed.

10. A bonded body, comprising:

the steel sheet according to claim 6 and an aluminum material welded to the steel sheet;

wherein the average thickness, in the direction of a nugget depth, of the reaction layer at the bonded interface between the steel sheet and the aluminum material is from 0.1 to 10 μ

m and the range wherein said reaction layer is formed is 50% or more in terms of the bonding length when the aluminum material is linear welded to the steel sheet or in terms of the bonding area when the aluminum material is spot welded to the steel sheet.

11. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the external oxide of the oxide phase comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of Mn₂SiO₄ and SiO₂.

12. The steel sheet of claim 11, wherein the steel sheet further comprises Fe₃O₄.

13. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the balance consists of Fe₃O₄ and unavoidable impurities.

14. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the oxide phase extends from 72 to 80% across a 1 μ

m length of the external oxide layer.

15. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the oxide phase extends from 50 to 63% of a 1 μ

m length of the external oxide layer.

16. The steel sheet of claim 6, wherein the oxide phase extends from 63 to 72% of a 1 μ

m length of the external oxide layer.

17. The steel sheet of claim 16, wherein the internal oxide is present in an amount of from 0.05 to 0.08 area %.

18. The steel sheet of claim 16, wherein the internal oxide is present in an amount of from 5% to 10 area %.

19. The steel sheet of claim 16, wherein the internal oxide is present in an amount of from 5 to 10 area %.

20. The steel sheet of claim 9, wherein the atmosphere comprises nitrogen and hydrogen.