Alcan International Limited

Roger Grimes

William S Miller

Kevin M Gatenby

Derek C Martin

Ian G Palmer

A method of treating a blank of an aluminium base alloy comprising a combination of heat treatments and cold forming operations to produce a highly recovered semi-fabricated wrought product that is not statically recrystallized and that is inherently non-superplastic and is capable of superplastic deformation only after an initial non-superplastic deformation to achieve dynamic recrystallization.

Metal treatment

Cold rolling for aluminum-lithium alloys

A method of and an apparatus for vertical, semi-continuous direct chill casting of light metal fabricating ingots of particularly, though not exclusively, lithium containing aluminium and magnesium alloys, through an open mould into a pit, comprising commencing the casting without a pool of water within the pit, supplying cooling water to the emergent ingot at a predetermined rate and continuously removing water from the pit as casting continues at a rate sufficient to ensure that no build up of a pool of water in the pit occurs, whereby the risk of violent and damaging explosion is further reduced.

Casting light metals

A method of superplastically deforming a blank of a metallic alloy which:

Production of metallic articles

A method of superplastically forming an article from a light metal base alloy, of the kind capable of having its crystal structure modified by cold working in such a way that subsequent dynamic recrystallization by hot working is facilitated, comprises cold working a first blank of the alloy to form a second blank having the modified crystal structure, and then forming the second blank into the article by hot working so that dynamic recrystallization is induced and super plastic deformation occurs. The degree of modification of the crystal structure during cold working is such that as the dynamic recrystallization continues, the grain size is progressively refined.

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Gerrards Cross, United Kingdom

Roger Grimes