Aluminum-iron-zirconium alloys

Abstract

Aluminum-Iron-Zirconium alloys that exhibit improved electrical and mechanical properties.

1 .- 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . An aluminum alloy comprising:
 about 0.1% to about 1% iron by weight;   about 0.1% to about 0.5% zirconium by weight;   about 0.01% to about 0.2% of an inoculant by weight; and   aluminum as the remainder.   
     
     
         21 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , wherein the inoculant comprises one or more of tin, indium, antimony, and magnesium. 
     
     
         22 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , wherein the inoculant comprises one or more of zinc, gallium, germanium, lead, arsenic, and bismuth. 
     
     
         23 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , wherein the inoculant comprises tin. 
     
     
         24 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , wherein the inoculant comprises at least one Group 3A, 4A, and 5A metal or metalloid. 
     
     
         25 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , wherein the inoculant comprises about 0.05% to about 0.1% of the aluminum alloy by weight. 
     
     
         26 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , further comprising silicon. 
     
     
         27 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 26 , wherein the silicon comprises about 0.01% to about 0.2% of the aluminum alloy by weight. 
     
     
         28 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , wherein the iron comprises about 0.3% to about 0.7% of the aluminum alloy by weight. 
     
     
         29 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , wherein the zirconium comprises about 0.2% to about 0.4% of the aluminum alloy by weight. 
     
     
         30 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , comprising a plurality of nanoscale precipitates having an L1 2 -structure in an α-Al face centered cubic matrix, the plurality of precipitates comprising Al 3 Zr precipitates, and the plurality of precipitates being present in the aluminum alloy at a density of about 10 21  precipitates per m 3  or more. 
     
     
         31 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 30 , wherein the plurality of precipitates has an average diameter of about 20 nm or less. 
     
     
         32 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 30 , wherein the plurality of precipitates has an average diameter of about 3 nm to about 7 nm. 
     
     
         33 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 30 , wherein the plurality of precipitates comprises Al—Zr—X precipitates, X being the inoculant. 
     
     
         34 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , having an elongation at break greater that 14.5% and an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of at least about 120 MPa. 
     
     
         35 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , having an electrical conductivity compared to copper of at least about 56% as measured in accordance to the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS). 
     
     
         36 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , having a stress relaxation time to reach about 85% of the initial stress that is about 2-times longer than a similar alloy without inoculant when measured in accordance with ASTM E328 standards. 
     
     
         37 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , having about 40% higher yield stress than a comparative 8000-series aluminum alloy described by ASTM Specification B800. 
     
     
         38 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 20 , adapted for use in a casting application. 
     
     
         39 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 38 , wherein the casting application is die casting. 
     
     
         40 . A cast aluminum component, comprising the aluminum alloy of  claim 20 . 
     
     
         41 . An aluminum alloy comprising:
 about 0.3% to about 0.7% iron by weight;   about 0.2% to about 0.4% zirconium by weight;   about 0.05% to about 0.2% of an inoculant by weight, wherein the inoculant comprises tin; and   aluminum as the remainder.   
     
     
         42 . The aluminum alloy of  claim 41 , comprising about 0.25% to about 0.3% zirconium by weight.