Alcan International Limited

Novelis, Inc.

Iljoon Jin

David James Lloyd

Kevin Michael Gatenby

Toshiya Anami

Harry Sang

Ichiro Okamoto

Lorne D Kenny

Michael D Skibo

Yoshito Oki

John Fitzsimon

Willard Mark Truman Gallerneault

Willard Mark Gallerneault

Don Allen Doutre

Richard S Bruski

Larry G Hudson

Christopher M Gabryel

Masahiko Katano

Pierre Henri Marois

Michael Jackson Bull

Alok Kumar Gupta

Roland S Timsit

Paul W Jeffrey

Ronald Roger Desrosiers

Peter Alexander Wales

Gary Hay

Sergio Gallo

Jean-Pierre Martin

Alan D McLeod

Takahiko Watai

Philip L Morris

Inge L Hansson

Hidehiko Ishii

Eric R Lees

Christopher Gabryel

A casting belt for using in a single-belt or twin-belt casting apparatus is disclosed. The casting belt is made of aluminum alloy such as an alloy from the AA5XXX and AA6XXX systems, preferably having a thickness in the range of 1 to 2 mm. The aluminum casting belt of the invention is suitable for casting non-ferrous and light metals such as aluminum, magnesium, copper, zinc and their alloys, especially aluminum alloys such as Al&#x2014;Mg, Al&#x2014;Mg&#x2014;Si, Al&#x2014;Fe&#x2014;Si and Al&#x2014;Fe&#x2014;Mn&#x2014;Si alloy systems. A belt casting machine and process using the aluminum casting belt of the invention are also disclosed.

Belt casting of non-ferrous and light metals and apparatus therefor

An aluminum alloy foil is formed from an alloy containing about 1.2 to 1.7% by weight Fe and about 0.35 to 0.80% by weight Si, with the balance aluminum and incidental impurities. The alloy is continuously strip cast to form a strip having a thickness less than about 25 mm, which is then cold rolled to interanneal gauge and interannealed at a temperature of at least 400&deg; C. The interannealed strip is cold rolled and further annealed to form the final foil product, having excellent rollability combined with high strength of the final foil.

Production of aluminum alloy foils having high strength and good rollability

An improved aluminum alloy fin stock is described having both a high strength and a high thermal conductivity. The fin stock contains 1.2-1.8% Fe, 0.7-0.95% Si, 0.3-0.5% Mn, 0.3-1.2% Zn and the balance Al, and is produced by continuously strip casting the alloy at a cooling rate greater than 10&deg; C./sec. but less than 200&deg; C./sec., hot rolling the strip to a re-roll sheet without homogenization, cold rolling the re-roll sheet to an intermediate gauge, annealing the sheet and cold rolling the sheet to final gauge. This fin stock has a conductivity after brazing of greater than 49.8% IACS.

High conductivity aluminum fin alloy

An aluminum alloy foil is formed from an alloy containing about 1.2 to 1.7% by weight iron, about 0.4 to 0.8% by weight silicon and about 0.07 to 0.20% by weight manganese, with the balance aluminum and incidental impurities. The alloy is continuously strip cast, e.g. on a belt caster, to form a strip having a thickness of less than about 25 mm, which is then cold rolled to interanneal gauge followed by interannealing at a temperature of about 280 to 350&deg; C. The interanneal strip is cold rolled to final gauge and further annealed to form the final foil product, having high strength and excellent quality.

Production of high strength aluminum alloy foils

A process for the production of a base foil of an aluminum alloy is provided which comprises a first heating step in which a cold-rolled plate derived from a continuously cast-rolled plate is maintained at a temperature between higher than 350&deg; C. and lower than 450&deg; C. for longer than 0.5 hour, the cast-rolled plate being comprised of a Al-Fe-Si type aluminum alloy, the aluminum alloy containing Fe in a content between more than 0.3% by weight and less than 1.2% by weight and Si in a content between more than 0.20% by weight and less than 1% by weight and having a Si/Fe ratio between above 0.4 and below 1.2, and a second heating step in which the resultant plate is maintained at a temperature between higher than 200&deg; C. and lower than 330&deg; C. for longer than 0.5 hour. The base foil is substantially free of macroscopic and microscopic rib patterns on its rolled and mat surfaces.

Process for producing base foils of aluminum alloys

A composite material having less than about 25 volume percent refractory particles in a metal matrix is concentrated to have about 37-45 volume percent refractory particles. The concentrating is accomplished by heating the composite material to melt the matrix, and then contacting the molten composite material to a porous element having an average pore size greater than that of the average particle size. A small pressure differential, on the order of about one atmosphere, is applied across the porous element, so that metal matrix material separates from the composite material and flows through the porous element. The particulate volume fraction in the composite material gradually increases. When the particulate volume fraction exceeds about 37 volume percent, the mass of composite material becomes semi-solid and freestanding. The resulting composite material may be further processed, as by forming to a useful shape or diluting with another matrix material.

Preparation of metal-matrix composite materials with high particulate loadings by concentration

A method of producing an aluminum alloy fin stock material, comprising the steps of continuously strip casting an aluminum finstock alloy to form an as-cast strip, rolling the as-cast strip to form a sheet article of intermediate gauge, annealing the sheet article of intermediate gauge, and cold rolling the annealed sheet article of intermediate gauge to produce an aluminum finstock material of final gauge. The steps are carried out on a finstock alloy which comprises the following elements in weight percent: Fe 1.6 to 2.4; Si 0.7 to 1.1; Mn 0.3 to 0.6; Zn 0.3 to 2.0; Ti 0.005 to 0.040; incidental elements less than 0.05 each, total no more than 0.15; and the balance aluminum. The invention also relates to the finstock material so-produced which has good thermal conductivity, and is suitable for use in thin gauge (e.g. less than 100 &mgr;m, and preferably 60&plusmn;10 &mgr;m).

High thermal conductivity aluminum fin alloys

An aluminum alloy fin stock of lower (more negative) corrosion potential and higher thermal conductivity is produced by a process, which comprises continuously strip casting the alloy to form a strip, cold rolling the strip to an intermediate gauge sheet, annealing the sheet and cold rolling the sheet to final gauge. Lower corrosion potential and higher thermal conductivity are imparted by carrying out the continuous strip casting while cooling the alloy at a rate of at least 300.degree. C./second, e.g. by conducting the casting step in a twin-roll caster.

Process of producing aluminum fin alloy

A continuous cast aluminum alloy strip is used in the production of thin gauge or converter foils. The alloy strip contains 0.4 to 0.8% by weigth Fe and 0.2 to 0.4% by weight Si, has an an cast thickness of less than about 30 mm and contains a substantially single intermetallic species of alpha-phase. The strip is cast using a continuous strip caster, e.g. a block or belt caster.

Production of aluminum alloy strip for use in making thin gauge foils

An aluminum alloy strip useful for can stock having a thickness of less than or equal to about 30 mm, and containing large (Mn,Fe)Al.sub.6 intermetallics as principal intermetallic particles in said strip. The intermetallic particles have an average surface size at a surface of the strip and an average bulk size in a bulk of the strip, the average surface size being greater than the average bulk size. The strip article may be produced by supplying a molten aluminum alloy having a composition consisting, in addition to aluminum, essentially by weight of: Si between 0.05 and 0.15%; Fe between 0.3 and 0.6%; Mn between 0.6 and 1.2%; Mg between 1.1 and 1.8%; Cu between 0.2 and 0.6%; and other elements: less than or equal to 0.05% each element with a maximum of 0.2% for the total of other elements; and casting the molten alloy in a continuous caster having opposed moving mold surfaces to an as-cast thickness of less than or equal to 30 mm. The moving mold surfaces have a surface roughness of between 4 and 13 microns, substantially in the form of sharp peaks, and heat flux is extracted from the metal at a rate that results in the production of an interdendritic arm spacing of between 12 and 18 microns at the surface of said strip. The strip may then be processed to final thickness by means of rolling and annealing steps.

Cast aluminum alloy for can stock and process for producing the alloy

A metal-matrix composite material includes a matrix having magnesium in an amount of more than about 0.3 weight percent but no more than about 2.5 weight percent, an alloying element of about 0.8 to about 2.5 weight percent iron or from about 1.0 to about 2.5 weight percent manganese, and the balance aluminum and impurities. Dispersed throughout the matrix is a plurality of metal oxide particles present in an amount of more than about 5 volume percent but no more than about 25 volume percent of the total volume of the matrix and the particles. This material may be cast into casting molds. After casting is complete and during solidification of the matrix alloy, a high volume fraction of intermetallic particles is crystallized in the matrix alloy. The total of the volume fractions of the metal oxide particles and the intermetallic particles is from about 10 to about 40 volume percent, preferably from about 25 to about 40 volume percent.

Cast metal-matrix composite material and its use

A composite material mixture of free flowing reinforcement particles in a molten metal is solidified at a cooling rate greater than about 15.degree. C. per second between the liquidus and solidus temperatures of the matrix alloy. This high cooling rate imparts a homogeneous structure to the solid composite material. Care is taken to avoid the introduction of gas bubbles into the molten composite material while the mixture is stirred to prevent segregation of the particles. For viscous melts, an artificial surface layer such as a fiberglass blanket may be used to prevent entrapment of bubbles during pre-casting stirring. Additionally, gas bubbles are removed from the molten mixture by filtering and skimming.

Apparatus and process for casting metal matrix composite materials

An alloy of aluminum containing magnesium, silicon and optionally copper in amounts in percent by weight falling within one of the following ranges:

Aluminum alloys and process for making aluminum alloy sheet

A high speed twin roll casting process is described in which molten metal is fed through a feeding nose into a convergent cavity formed between the walls of two rotating rolls with a meniscus of hot metal extending from the feeding nose tip in a casting zone and the metal strip formed in the casting zone is reduced in a rolling zone. According to the novel feature, the tendency of the metal strip to stick to the rolls is significantly inhibited by shrouding the hot metal meniscus with an oxygen enriched atmosphere. Also when the metal is an Al--Mg alloy, the sticking is greatly inhibited by adding to the alloy a small amount of at least one alloying element selected from nickel, lead, indium and bismuth.

Control of sticking in twin roll casting

A method is described for preparing a refined or reinforced eutectic or hyper-eutectic metal alloy, comprising: melting the eutectic or hyper-eutectic metal alloy, adding particles of non-metallic refractory material to the molten metal matrix, mixing together the molten metal alloy and the particles of refractory material, and casting the resulting mixture under conditions causing precipitation of at least one intermetallic phase from the molten metal matrix during solidification thereof such that the intermetallics formed during solidification wet and engulf said refractory particles. The added particles may be very small and serve only to refine the precipitating intermetallics in the alloy or they may be larger and serve as reinforcing particles in a composite with the alloy. The products obtained are also novel.

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Kingston, Canada

Iljoon Jin