Faculty of Foundry Engineering

FACULTY OF FOUNDRY ENGINEERING

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

connected with

XXXVI SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE FOUNDRYMAN' DAY 2012

Krakow, 22 – 23 Nov. 2012

COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCTS AND PRODUCTS OBTAINED IN CONTINUOUS CASTING AND ROLLING AND CONTINUOUS CASTING TECHNOLOGY ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE ALUMINUM GRADE EN AW 1370

M. Piwowarska - Uliasz1, T. Knych2 and P. Uliasz

1, 2, 3 AGH University of Science and Technology. Faculty of Non-Ferrous Metals

al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

; ;

Keywords: Continuous Casting Technology, Aluminium Wire Rod, Aluminium Cast, Wire Drawing

Abstract

Modern metal processing is based on continuous casting processes, which result in the semi-finished products in the form, billets for extrusion, rods for drawing and forging and sheet and strip for rolling process, which are intended for further processing in the process of plastic working. Continuous casting technologies have been known since 1856, when Henry Bessemer, presented the idea of continuous casting of steel between two rollers water-cooled. In the case of non-ferrous metal continuous casting was used for the first time in the industry in the years 1930/1940 [1, 2, 3]. In the non-ferrous metal industry the technologies production wrought materials are known in the market for more than 50 years. One of the first solutions in this regard was the technology of continuous casting and rolling (CCR) aluminum and its alloys company Continuus Properzi (CP) developed in 1948. According to the producer of the CP lines produce about 85% of global production of aluminum rod and wire rod significant part of production of copper, zinc and other metals [4].

Production of the materials a continuous casting with the destination to the drawing process distinguishes two types of technology, the first is the cost of high productivity, such as the continuous casting and the rolling lines and the second one, technologies about the less productivity dedicated for specific applications, such as continuous casting lines (CC) [4, 5]. The group high productivity technology can include such as Contirod, Continuus Properzi, Southwire, which are used to produce rods with different diameters of such metals as copper, aluminum, zinc, tin and their alloys. In turn industrial technologies of the continuous casting include mainly the processing of special copper alloys (OFC), and zinc, and they are carried out in lines from companies such as Vertic, Upcast or Rautomead. Despite the widespread of technology, continuous casting aluminum and its alloys, there is no solution in the industrial production of the material assigned for the drawing process.

One concept of the development of new technologies for the processing of aluminum wire is the omission of the hot deformation of the segment, thus eliminating the additional heat treatment. This method, because of the recovery process of hot deformed aluminum lines CCR, bypassing the need to anneal the rod annealed state, which significantly reduces the cost of production of such material. This technology involves the continuous casting of aluminum rod of the desired diameter, then the direct drawing for torsion wires or as a stock for other processes [6, 7]. The range of this work includes a comparative study of mechanical, electrical and structural rods obtained in continuous casting technology and the technology of wire rod obtained in the continuous casting and rolling. Besides, the work includes research on the drawing process of comparable material and detailed studies on selected wire diameters.

References

1.  Fredriksson H., Åkerlind U., Material properties during casting. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, England 2006

2.  Wilson R., A practical approach to continuous casting of Cooper-based alloys and precious metals. IOM Communications Ltd, London 2000

3.  Pops H., Nonferrous wire handbook Volume 3: Principles and Practice. The Wire Association International, Inc., USA 1995

4.  Knych T., Mamala A., Smyrak B., Uliasz P., Technologie produkcji materiałów wsadowych do procesu ciągnienia drutów na cele elektryczne, Rudy i Metale Nieżelazne nr 9 2009

5.  Dunleavy J. G., Tassi O.J., Nonferrous Wire Handbook, Vol. 2, Bare Wire Processing, WAI, 1981

6.  T. Knych, Kwaśniewski P., Kiesiewicz G., Piwowarska M., Uliasz P., Study about drawing aluminium rod made by continuous casting, Rudy i Metale Nieżelazne, vol. 55, no.7, 2010

7.  Patent No. P-393457, Method of continuous casting of metals and equipment for horizontal continuous casting of metals