EnglishViews: 244 Author: Julong Publish Time: 2023-09-19 Origin: aluminum panel systems manufacturer
Smelting is used in extractive metallurgy to produce metal from ore. Smelting uses heat and a chemical reduction agent to break down the ore, removing other components such as gasses or slag (the stonelike waste material removed from metal during smelting) and leaving only the metal. A carbon source, such as coal, coke, or charcoal, is frequently used as a reducing agent. During the smelting stage, aluminum is normally separated from its oxide, alumina, using the Hall-Heroult process. In an alumina refinery, the Bayer process is used to extract alumina from bauxite ore. The Hall-Heroult and Bayer processes are both explained below. Related product: Aluminum Coil with High Quality.
Bauxite rock is composed of alumina, water atoms, and other minerals. The Bayer process dissolves the constituent parts of the particle to remove alumina, which is then refined further through filtration. The smelter will discard the other components after isolating the alumina from the bauxite. Bauxite may contain a variety of other substances in addition to aluminum. Even though each chemical in bauxite requires a different extraction technique, the overall process is the same. The precise extraction method will be determined by the specific aluminum component. The gibbsite (a mineral form of aluminum hydroxide) is cooled and seeded after the residue is separated. Gibbsite, with the structural formula [Al(OH)3], is an aluminum hydroxide that belongs to the oxides and hydroxides group. The gibbsite structure is made up of stacked octahedral sheets of aluminum hydroxide. During the extraction process, aluminum oxide from bauxite transforms into soluble sodium aluminate. Simultaneously, other bauxite constituents remain solid, while silica dissolves. A rotational sand trap (a system for separating unwanted particles from waste) removes pollutants such as red mud. Red mud, also known as bauxite residue, is a type of industrial waste produced during the Bayer process of converting bauxite to alumina. Red mud contains titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, and iron oxide, depending on where the bauxite ore came from. Its bright red color is caused by the presence of iron in the form of oxides and hydroxides, which may be of interest for separate use.
By dissolving alumina in molten synthetic cryolite, a white, crystalline powder made by mixing hydrofluoric acid, sodium carbonate, and aluminum, the Hall-Heroult process lowers the melting point for electrolysis. Synthetic cryolite is mostly used in the electrolytic manufacture of aluminum in a flux state. Furthermore, cryolite has the advantages of transmitting electricity, having a lower density than aluminum, and making alumina, an aluminum-containing compound, easy to dissolve. During the electrolysis process, liquid aluminum collects at the cathode, while carbon and oxygen from the alums combine to form carbon dioxide.
Aluminum is produced on a large scale through electrolysis, and aluminum smelters require a lot of energy to operate efficiently. Due to their energy requirements, smelters are frequently located near major power plants. Any increase in power costs, or the amount of power required to refine aluminum to a higher grade, raises the price of aluminum coils. Furthermore, dissolved aluminum separates and flows to a collection area. This technique also necessitates a significant amount of energy, which has an impact on aluminum market prices.
One of the most common methods for thinning an aluminum slab is hot rolling. Metal is heated above the point of recrystallization in hot rolling to deform and shape it. The metal stock is then run through one or more pairs of rolls. This is done to reduce thickness, and uniformity, and achieve the desired mechanical quality. The sheet is processed at 1700 degrees Fahrenheit to create an aluminum coil.
This method can generate shapes with the desired geometrical parameters and material properties while maintaining a constant metal volume. These operations are critical in the manufacture of semi-finished and finished goods such as plates and sheets. However, finished rolled products differ from cold rolled coils in that they have a less uniform thickness due to tiny debris on the surface.
Cold rolling of metal strips is a specialty of the metalworking industry. The "cold rolling" process entails passing aluminum through rollers at temperatures lower than its recrystallization temperatures. The metal's yield strength and hardness are increased by squeezing and compressing it. The difference between hot rolling and cold rolling is that cold rolling occurs at the work-hardening temperature (the temperature below a material's recrystallization temperature) and hot rolling occurs above the work-hardening temperature.
Cold rolling is a metal treatment procedure used by many industries to produce strip and sheet metal with the desired final gauge. The rolls are heated regularly to make the aluminum more workable, and lubricant is used to keep the aluminum strip from sticking to the rolls. The movement and heat of the rolls can be changed to fine-tune the operation. In the aluminum industry, an aluminum strip that has already undergone hot rolling and other procedures such as cleaning and treating is cooled to room temperature before being placed in a cold mill rolling line. Rinsing aluminum with detergent cleans it, and this treatment hardens the aluminum coil enough to withstand cold rolling.
After these preliminary steps have been completed, the strips are repeatedly passed through rollers, gradually losing thickness. Throughout the process, the metal's lattice planes are disrupted and off-set, resulting in a harder, stronger final product. Because it reduces the thickness of the aluminum as it is crushed and pushed through rollers, cold rolling is one of the most popular methods for hardening aluminum. Cold rolling can reduce the thickness of an aluminum coil by up to 0.15 mm.
Annealing is a heat treatment that is used to make a material more malleable and less rigid. This change in hardness and flexibility is caused by a decrease in dislocations in the crystal structure of the material being annealed. Annealing is frequently performed after a hardening or cold working procedure to prevent brittle failure or to make a material more workable for subsequent operations.
Annealing restores slip planes and allow for further shaping of the part without using excessive force by effectively resetting the crystalline grain structure. A work-hardened aluminum alloy must be heated to a temperature between 570°F and 770°F for a predetermined amount of time, which can range from thirty minutes to three hours. The temperature and time requirements are determined by the size of the annealed part and the alloy it is made of.
Annealing also helps to stabilize a part's dimensions, eliminates problems caused by internal strains, and reduces internal stresses that can occur during procedures such as cold forging or casting. Additionally, heat-treatable aluminum alloys can be successfully annealed. As a result, it is frequently used to describe cast, extruded, or forged aluminum parts.
Annealing improves a material's ability to be formed. It can be difficult to press or bend hard, brittle materials without causing a fracture. Annealing helps to eliminate this risk. Annealing can also improve machinability. A material's extreme brittleness may result in excessive tool wear. The hardness of a material can be reduced by annealing, which reduces tool wear. Annealing removes any remaining tensions. Wherever possible, residual tensions should be reduced because they can cause cracks and other mechanical issues.
This procedure operates at a low temperature and minimizes internal mechanical loads caused by hard work, casting, or welding.
The crystalline structure of the metal is altered in this state. If the alloy reaches the recrystallization or annealing temperature, the nuclei generated in the cold wrought metal begin to grow new grains. The new grains absorb the flaws and distortions caused by cold deformation. The grains are axed equally and are independent of the old grain structure. The mechanical properties of the alloy (strength, flexibility) return to their pre-cold-work state as a result of recrystallization.
This is the expansion of new grains at the expense of neighbors. It occurs above the temperature of recrystallization. This unfavorable process causes the grain structure to coarsen.
Aluminum coils could be produced in a single long continuous roll. However, to pack the coil into smaller rolls, it must be sliced. Aluminum rolls are fed through slitting equipment, which uses razor-sharp blades to make precise cuts. This operation necessitates a significant amount of force. When the applied force exceeds the tensile strength of aluminum, slitters split the roll into smaller pieces.
The aluminum is placed in an uncoiler to begin the slitting process. It is then passed through a set of rotary knives. The blades are positioned to achieve the best slit edge while keeping the desired width and clearance in mind. The slit material is then fed through separators to direct it to the recoiler. To prepare for shipping, the aluminum is bundled and wrapped into a coil.
