Lars Auran

Rapid solidification of aluminium by the Hydro Aluminium process

Abstract A proprietary method to produce low-cost particular rapid solidified (RS) material for subsequent precompaction and extrusion is described. Production facilities for both granular production and precompaction/extrusion have been developed and are now available for test runs. At Hydro Aluminium R & D Centre, Sunndalsora, a pilot plant for production of RS needles with annual capacity of up to 200 tons is operable. Cooling rates averaging as high as 10 3–4 K/s can be achieved, and recent work on alloy development offers improved properties with respect to fatigue- and mechanical-strength and rigidity at both room- and elevated temperatures. These property profiles and corresponding total production process cost estimates for RS aluminium show promise for future exploitations both in the low-cost high-volume automotive and the nonautomotive market.