GB2095592A - Process and apparatus for producing elongate aluminium products - Google Patents

Process and apparatus for producing elongate aluminium products Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2095592A
GB2095592A GB8209213A GB8209213A GB2095592A GB 2095592 A GB2095592 A GB 2095592A GB 8209213 A GB8209213 A GB 8209213A GB 8209213 A GB8209213 A GB 8209213A GB 2095592 A GB2095592 A GB 2095592A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
continuous
extrusion
elongate
aluminium
continuous casting
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GB8209213A
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GB2095592B (en
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Lamitref Aluminium
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Lamitref Aluminium
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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21CMANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
    • B21C23/00Extruding metal; Impact extrusion
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22DCASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D11/00Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths
    • B22D11/06Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths into moulds with travelling walls, e.g. with rolls, plates, belts, caterpillars
    • B22D11/0602Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths into moulds with travelling walls, e.g. with rolls, plates, belts, caterpillars formed by a casting wheel and belt, e.g. Properzi-process
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21BROLLING OF METAL
    • B21B3/00Rolling materials of special alloys so far as the composition of the alloy requires or permits special rolling methods or sequences ; Rolling of aluminium, copper, zinc or other non-ferrous metals
    • B21B3/003Rolling non-ferrous metals immediately subsequent to continuous casting, i.e. in-line rolling
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21CMANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
    • B21C23/00Extruding metal; Impact extrusion
    • B21C23/005Continuous extrusion starting from solid state material

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Metal Rolling (AREA)
  • Continuous Casting (AREA)
  • Forging (AREA)
  • Extrusion Of Metal (AREA)
  • Diaphragms For Electromechanical Transducers (AREA)
  • Shaping Metal By Deep-Drawing, Or The Like (AREA)

Abstract

A continuous process of manufacturing aluminium alloy wire rods or other elongate aluminium products. The process comprises, in sequential order from upstream to downstream : continuous casting of a cast bar, continuous extrusion of the bar, and continuous rolling. Apparatus for carrying out the process comprising a continuous casting wheel a continuous extrusion press and a continuous rolling mill.

Description

SPECIFICATION Process and apparatus for producing elongate aluminium products This invention relates to a process for producing elongate aluminium products and to apparatus for carrying out the process. The invention is particularly concerned with processes involving the continuous casting of aluminium alloy into an elongate member such as a bar, followed by the continuous rolling of the member. The elongate product may be any product, such as a wire, strip or member of any cross-sectional shape, having its length much greater than the two dimensions perpendicular thereto, regardless of the geometric shape of the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction, which may be square, rectangular, round, trapezoidal or of any other form. These products are often called products with "infinite" length.
In presently known processes of continuous casting there is a drawback which is particularly important having regard to the rolling operation which follows it. It is known that continuous casting produces cavities which are due to unequal cooling of the walls of the passageway in whcih the aluminium is solidified for forming, e.g. a cast bar. It has been attempted to eliminate such cavities by a rolling operation with a high reduction rate in order to produce sufficient compression to close the cavities. However, such compressions produce such large internal tensions that there is then the risk of the formation of cracks, especially where brittle eutectic precipitates are concentrated. It has been proposed to find a solution to this problem by attempting more equally distributed cooling around the circumference of the walls of the passageway.But practical solutions in this regard result in significant accumulations of the eutectic phase at the surface which in turn results in crack formation during the subsequent rolling step. Conversely, possible solutions for avoiding, during solidification, such concentrations of eutectic phases as iead to cracks during rolling, are of a type which do not allow for the elimination of the cavities in the metal during solidification. Thus, the problem of obtaining a better quality of the product, obtained by rolling of, e.g. a cast bar, is left unsolved.
Viewed from one aspect, the invention provides a process for the continuous production of an elongate aluminium product, the process comprising a continuous casting operation producing an elongate aluminium member, followed by a continuous rolling operation wherein, between the continuous casting operation and the rolling operation, said elongate member is submitted to a continuous extrusion operation.
Viewed from another aspect the invention provides apparatus for carrying out the process, comprising a continuous casting means for producing a cast elongate member and a continuous rolling mill, wherein between said continuous casting means and said rolling mill, there is provided a continuous extrusion press. The continuous casting apparatus will preferably be a continuous casting wheel.
Extrusion, as is presently known for forming, from cast blocks, elongate products with a desired cross-sectional profile, requires special preparation of the cast material. This preparation includes homogenization and removal, by mechanical means, of the eutectic conglomerations at the surface of the blocks, in order to obtain a sufficiently economic speed at the exit of the extrusion press. However, an elongate member obtained by conventional continuous casting methods, e.g. by using a casting wheel, shows a much lower heterogeneity than a cast block. It appears now that such an elongate member can be directly extruded, omitting the conventional preparation operations, and at a sufficiently high speed to take up the elongate member leaving the casting wheel at its normal economic speed.Consequently, a continuous extrusion at the exit of the continuous casting apparatus appears to be possible at the normal economic speeds. It is in this extrusion operation that the aluminium by the interaction of speed and pressure, is pushed far enough in the region of plastic deformation, so as to destroy the heterogeneous dendritic porous structure with its conglomerates of eutectics. The structure so obtained is similar to that obtained by homogenizing after hot rolling.
An advantage of the process according to the present invention is that it can be very economical, because it is a continuous process starting with molten aluminium. The aluminium should not be reheated after the necessary cooling-down, which would normally be necessary for the intermediate preparation of a cast product before extrusion. For the extrusion, the inherent heat of the solidified aluminium is used, without any substantial external heating. It would though be possible to effect intermediate heating between the exit of the continuous casting apparatus and the entrance of the extrusion apparatus in order to maintain an ideal entrance temperature, in dependence on e.g. the composition of aluminium alloy, the dimensions and other parameters of the extrusion system.
A further advantage of the invention lies in the ease with which the cross-sectional shape of the extruded product can be chosen, which means that the intial shape for the subsequent rolling step can be conveniently chosen. As a consequence, the process can be widely used regardless of the geometric shape of the final product, and can especially be used for the manufacture of flat strips, by which term is meant an article having a cross-section with a length more than twice its breadth. The product after rolling can also be in the form of wire rods, with a circular cross-section having a diameter of in general 5 to 20 mm but in most cases between 7 and 1 2 mm.
An embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of an extrusion press which is used in this embodiment; Figure 2 is a sectional view of a casting wheel which is used in this embodiment; and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, along line AA of Fig. 2, of the rim of the casting wheel.
In the present embodiment, the continuous extrusion operation is conducted, by the process known as "conform extrusion'' which is explained in detail in U.S. patents No.
3,765,216 and No. 4,101,253, and for which the apparatus is available from Babcock Wire Equipment Ltd., Great Britain. The process is shown in Fig. 1. The apparatus used in the process comprises a friction wheel 1 of 450 mm diameter which rotates at a speed of about 55 revolutions per minute. The circumference of this wheel comprises a groove 2, which is covered over an angle a (in general of about 100 ) of tHe circumference by a covering piece 3 so as to form a passageway 4 ending in an extrusion orifice 5. A cast bar 6 is directed, tangentially to the wheel and in the direction of arrow 7, towards the entry of the passageway for extrusion.The friction of the wheel against the cast bar produces heat and generates a pressure inside the passageway which effects the extrusion of the aluminium, through orifice 5, in the direction of arrow 8, in the form of an elongate product with a cross-section having the same shape as the orifice 5. This process will be called hereinafter "extrusion by friction".
It is possible, for example, to form a cast bar 6 of Al-Mg-Si alloy, by using a known casting wheel which produces a bar with a cross-sectional area of 2,100 mm2 which leaves the wheel at a speed of 1 2 m per minute and at a temperature of 500"C. This bar is immediately directed towards the entrance of friction wheel 1, in which it is extruded to a cross-sectional area of 1000 mm2. The alloy product is subsequently rolled with a reduction of 20% per pass, down to a diameter of 9.5 mm.
The bar should be cast with a minimum of heterogeneity and porosity. In the present embodiment this is achieved by the use of a continuous casting wheel 11 (Fig. 2 and 3) which has a rim comprising a groove 1 2 over its circumference and which is covered over its major part by a metallic endless belt 1 3 so as to form a passageway 14 in which solidification of the aluminium takes place. This belt travels, under guidance of the wheels 15, 16, 1 7 and 18, at the same linear speed (in the sense of arrow 19) as the linear speed of the cicumference of the casting wheel. The liquid aluminium is introduced in funnel 20 and the solidified bar 21 leaves the wheel in the sense of arrow 22.The interior and lateral surface of the rim is cooled down by water jets, coming from a number of orifices, arranged along an arc of a circle 23 at the inner side of the casting wheel, as shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3. The outerside, covered by belt 13, is also cooled down by water jets arranged along arcs 24 and 25, as is well known in the art of continuous casting. If the same cooling is applied along the rim and along the belt, the belt cools down more rapidly because the belt, which has to be flexible, is much thinner.
If this happens cavities form due to unequal cooling. Thus the cooling arc 24-25 on the circumference adjacent the belt is shifted by an angle ss with respect of the cooling arc 23 adjacent the rim, in order to have more equal cooling. This shifting angle can be adjusted by movement of the half arc 24 with respect to half arc 25, in the sense of arrows 26, and this angle can be adjusted in each specific case according to the speed and cross-section of the bar, the alloy composition, the temperature, and so on. It is however necessary that, at the entrance of the passageway for casting and at the belt side, a sufficiently thick film of aluminium be immediately and completely formed in order to avoid, during solidification, the penetration of eutectic compounds through this film towards the surface.It is this penetration through the intial film that is responsible for the normally high concentration of eutectic compounds at the belt side of the surface. In order to commence by forming this sufficiently thick film, the cooling systen at the belt side is further provided with an orifice 27 located at the beginning of the passageway in which solidification takes place. The water-jet which leaves this orifice is adjusted so as to obtain a sufficiently thick film, without adversely affecting the balance of the cooling at the belt side with respect of the other side.
The invention may, for example, be used in a process of making wire rods of Al-Mg-Si alloy for electrical conductor wire. Typically this alloy has a composition of 0.3 to 0.9% of magnesium, 0.25 to 0.75% of silicon, 0 to 0.60% of iron, the balance being aluminium and impurities. With such an alloy, the continuous extrusion is arranged to precede a quenching operation which quenches the alloy down to a temperature below 260"C. During the quenching the aluminium is roiled to obtain the wire rods.Alternatively the continuous extrusion is arranged to precede a purely thermal quenching step, i.e. without any mechanical working, down to a temperature below 260"C. This would be followed by a thermo-mechanical second step, in which the aluminium is worked at a temperature ranging from 1 30 to 260to and is subsequently submitted before any subsequent working step, to an aging operation. The second step preferably immediately follows the first in one continuous operation.In Luxembourg Patent Applications 80,656 and 83,249, there are disclosed such processes in which the quenching can be preceded by a hot working step, at a temperature which is as high as possible, preferably above 470"C, and with a minimal cooling in order to keep to a maximum the proportion of alloying, elements in solution before quenching. This gives a very advantageous metallographic structure. In the context of this invention such a hot working step can be effected by the aformentioned extrusion operation. This is an advantage of the present invention, because in this working step the metal does not cool down but, to the contary, heats up.
It is to be noted that the principal aim of the extrusion operation is to improve the metallographic structure of the aluminium, and not necessarily to reduce the cross-section of the cast bar that enters the continuous extrusion press. If desirable, the cross-sectional area of the extrusion orifice can be made larger than the cross-section of the cast bar.
This ratio can be arranged to correspond with the most desirable output and input speeds and the cross-section of the metal at the end of the casting wheel and at the entrance of the rolling mill.
The metal used in the present invention may be pure aluminium or an aluminium alloy by which expression is meant an alloy in which the aluminium is the major component.
All such metals are herein identified by the general term "aluminium".

Claims (11)

1. A process for the continuous production of an elongate aluminium product, the process comprising a continuous casting operation producing an elongate aluminium member, followed by a continuous rolling operation wherein, between the continuous casting operation and the rolling operation, said elongate member is submitted to a continuous extrusion operation.
2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said extrusion operation comprises extrusion by friction.
3. A process as claimed in claim 1, or 2, wherein the extrusion operation is carried out using an extrusion orifice of rectangular crosssection.
4. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the extrusion operation is carried out using an extrusion orifice whose cross-section is larger than that of said elongate member as cast.
5. A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said continuous casting operation is conducted in a casting wheel of which the rim comprises a groove covered by a flexible belt so as to form a passageway for solidification, cooling at the belt side being delayed with respect to cooling at the rim side, with the exception of a coolant jet, directed towards said belt at the entrance of said passageway.
6. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the aluminium is an Al-Mg-Si alloy for electrical conductor wire.
7. A process as claimed in claim 6, wherein said continuous extrusion operation precedes a quenching step down to a temperature below 260"C, during which quenching step the elongate aluminium member is rooled to form wire rods.
8. A process as claimed in claim 6, wherein said continuous extrusion operation prcedes a quenching step without working down to a temperature below 260"C, followed by a step in which the member is worked at a temperature ranging from 130"C to 260"C and a subsequent aging step, before any subsequent working.
9. Apparatus for carrying out the process claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a continuous casting means for producing a cast elongate member and a continuous rolling mill, wherein between said continuous castuing means and said rolling mill, there is provided a continuous extrusion press.
10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said continuous extrusion press is a wheel for extrusion by friction.
11. A process for the continuous production of an elongate aluminium product substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 2. Apparatus for the continuous production of an elongate aluminium product substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
GB8209213A 1981-03-27 1982-03-29 Process and apparatus for producing elongate aluminium products Expired GB2095592B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
LU83262A LU83262A1 (en) 1981-03-27 1981-03-27 PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AN ELONGATED ALUMINUM PRODUCT

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GB2095592A true GB2095592A (en) 1982-10-06
GB2095592B GB2095592B (en) 1984-12-05

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GB8209213A Expired GB2095592B (en) 1981-03-27 1982-03-29 Process and apparatus for producing elongate aluminium products

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JP (1) JPS57209754A (en)
KR (1) KR830008747A (en)
AR (1) AR228179A1 (en)
AU (1) AU8157782A (en)
BE (1) BE892591A (en)
BR (1) BR8201741A (en)
DD (1) DD203242A5 (en)
DE (1) DE3210824A1 (en)
DK (1) DK139382A (en)
ES (1) ES510424A0 (en)
FI (1) FI821037L (en)
FR (1) FR2502522A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2095592B (en)
GR (1) GR75530B (en)
IT (1) IT8248086A0 (en)
LU (1) LU83262A1 (en)
NL (1) NL8201212A (en)
NO (1) NO821019L (en)
OA (1) OA07052A (en)
SE (1) SE8201882L (en)
ZA (1) ZA821683B (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1992000156A1 (en) * 1990-06-28 1992-01-09 Holton Machinery Limited Method and device for continuous casting and extrusion
WO1999032239A1 (en) * 1997-12-19 1999-07-01 Technalum Research, Inc. Process and apparatus for the production of cold rolled profiles from continuously cast rod
CN111318586A (en) * 2020-02-18 2020-06-23 邹平中大实业有限公司 Method for reducing friction force of continuous extruder during extruding solid metal
CN114110411A (en) * 2021-11-26 2022-03-01 江苏万和铝业有限公司 Corrosion-resistant super-weather-resistant aluminum alloy section and production process thereof

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR101392178B1 (en) * 2013-12-24 2014-05-08 구제율 Method and apparatus for manufacturing of forgeable extrusion materials
CN110756778A (en) * 2019-11-04 2020-02-07 武汉深蓝自动化设备股份有限公司 Continuous casting device for lead-acid storage battery grid

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE620630A (en) *
US1851063A (en) * 1931-02-19 1932-03-29 Ramsey George Extrusion rolling
AT291898B (en) * 1969-05-09 1971-08-10 Voest Ag Process for machining a cast steel strand
GB1370894A (en) * 1971-03-12 1974-10-16 Atomic Energy Authority Uk Extrusion
US3922898A (en) * 1974-03-29 1975-12-02 Wanskuck Co Extrusion process
US4066475A (en) * 1974-09-26 1978-01-03 Southwire Company Method of producing a continuously processed copper rod
FR2379329A1 (en) * 1977-02-02 1978-09-01 Pechiney Aluminium CONTINUOUS DIE AND LAMINATE MACHINE WIRE PRODUCTION PROCESS
DE2842094C3 (en) * 1978-09-27 1982-02-04 Korf Engineering GmbH, 4000 Düsseldorf Movable continuous casting mold for stretch-sensitive metals, especially steel

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1992000156A1 (en) * 1990-06-28 1992-01-09 Holton Machinery Limited Method and device for continuous casting and extrusion
US5377744A (en) * 1990-06-28 1995-01-03 Holton Machinery Limited Method and device for continuous casting and extrusion
WO1999032239A1 (en) * 1997-12-19 1999-07-01 Technalum Research, Inc. Process and apparatus for the production of cold rolled profiles from continuously cast rod
CN111318586A (en) * 2020-02-18 2020-06-23 邹平中大实业有限公司 Method for reducing friction force of continuous extruder during extruding solid metal
CN114110411A (en) * 2021-11-26 2022-03-01 江苏万和铝业有限公司 Corrosion-resistant super-weather-resistant aluminum alloy section and production process thereof
CN114110411B (en) * 2021-11-26 2022-11-25 江苏万和铝业有限公司 Corrosion-resistant super-weather-resistant aluminum alloy section and production process thereof

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
LU83262A1 (en) 1983-02-22
SE8201882L (en) 1982-09-28
AU8157782A (en) 1982-09-30
DD203242A5 (en) 1983-10-19
KR830008747A (en) 1983-12-14
ES8307140A1 (en) 1983-06-16
GR75530B (en) 1984-07-26
OA07052A (en) 1983-12-31
FI821037A0 (en) 1982-03-24
ES510424A0 (en) 1983-06-16
BR8201741A (en) 1983-02-22
JPS57209754A (en) 1982-12-23
ZA821683B (en) 1983-01-26
GB2095592B (en) 1984-12-05
AR228179A1 (en) 1983-01-31
FI821037L (en) 1982-09-28
NL8201212A (en) 1982-10-18
FR2502522B1 (en) 1984-04-20
DE3210824A1 (en) 1982-10-14
BE892591A (en) 1982-09-23
NO821019L (en) 1982-09-28
IT8248086A0 (en) 1982-03-25
DK139382A (en) 1982-09-28
FR2502522A1 (en) 1982-10-01

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