Appeal No. 1997-2958 2
Application No. 08/401,719
BACKGROUND
The appellants’ invention relates to a non-recrystallized aluminum alloy plate suitable for
superplastic molding and methods for producing the non-recrystallized plate. Claims 1 and 20 are
representative of the subject matter on appeal with regard to the plate. Claim 1 defines the plate in
terms of its composition, its crystalline structure and certain properties. Claim 20 contains the same
composition limitations as claim 1. Claim 20 differs, inter alia, from claim 1 in that it recites process
limitations instead of property limitations.
1. An aluminum alloy plate for super plastic molding capable of cold pre-molding, comprising:
Mg ranging from 2.0 to 8.0 weight %;
Be ranging from 0.0001 to 0.01 weight %;
at least one of
Mn ranging from 0.3 to 2.5 weight %,
Cr ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 weight %,
Zr ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 weight % and
V ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 weight %;
Fe and Si each ranging from 0.0 to 0.2 weight %;
Na ranging from 0 to 3 ppm;
Ca ranging from 0 to 5 ppm;
a remainder of Al and inevitable impurities;
a crystalline structure of the plate being a non-recrystallized crystal structure;
a 90° critical bending radius of the plate ranging from 0 to 7.5 times a plate thickness;
and
a yield strength ratio before and after final annealing is at least 70%.
20. An aluminum alloy plate for super plastic molding capable of cold pre-molding, consisting
essentially of:
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