High-Speed Twin-Roll Strip Casting of Al-Mg-Si Alloys With High Iron Content
High-Speed Twin-Roll Strip Casting of Al-Mg-Si Alloys With High Iron Content
High-Speed Twin-Roll Strip Casting of Al-Mg-Si Alloys With High Iron Content
2602 to 2608
Special Issue on Growth of Ecomaterials as a Key to Eco-Society II
#2005 The Japan Institute of Metals
High-Speed Twin-Roll Strip Casting of Al–Mg–Si Alloys with High Iron Content
Kenta Suzuki1 , Shinji Kumai1 , Yuichi Saito1; * and Toshio Haga2
1
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
Thin strips of the 6063 aluminum alloy and the alloys with increased nominal Fe contents (0.7–6 mass%Fe) were fabricated directly from
the molten alloys using a vertical-type high speed twin-roll strip caster equipped with a pair of water-cooled pure copper rolls. The estimated
cooling rates from the DAS measurement were about 4500 and 100 C/s at the near the surface region and the mid-thickness region of the strip
respectively. Refinement of Al–Fe–Si intermetallic compound particles was also successfully achieved, however, segregated coarse particles
were also observed at the mid-thickness region. The cast strips were cold-rolled and heat-treated to form 0.5 mm-thick thin sheets. They were
either naturally aged at room temperature (T4) or artificially aged (T6), and then subjected to bending, tensile and hardness tests. No detrimental
effect of Fe was appeared concerning the bendability even in the alloy containing 3 mass%Fe. No cracking took place even in the 180 bending
(hemming) test. The reduction of age-hardenability was evident for the alloy with 1 mass%Fe and more. The alloy sheet containing 0.7 mass%Fe
exhibited not only a good bendability in the T4 condition but also the larger proof stress and UTS than those of the master alloy in the T6
condition. This means that the capacity of Fe impurity in a 6063 alloy (0.35 mass% according to JIS) can be doubled by using the present roll
caster. Strip casting at a high cooling rate using the present roll caster is considered to be a promising method for reducing the detrimental effect
of impurity iron from the scrap melt.
(Received July 4, 2005; Accepted October 18, 2005; Published December 15, 2005)
Keywords: strip casting, rapid solidification, aluminum–magnesium–silicon aluminum alloys, iron, bendability, recycling
Si Mg Fe Cu Mn Ti Cr Zn
*Graduate Student, Tokyo Institute of Technology. Present address: Fuji 6063 0.44 0.48 0.17 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01
Heavy Industries Ltd, Oura-gun 370-0531, Japan
High-Speed Twin-Roll Strip Casting of Al–Mg–Si Alloys with High Iron Content 2603
Table 2 Melting temperature of each alloy. the cooling slope. The volume fraction of solid formed at this
Fe content (mass%) Melting temperature ( C) stage was estimated to be less than 10%. The partially
0.35 (6063 alloy) 670
solidified melt flowed down, filled the casting nozzle and
0.7 670
then came into contact with the rotating roll surfaces. The
1.0 670
peripheral speed of the rotating roll was 60 m/min (1 m/s).
2.0 680
The melt rapidly cooled at the roll gap and the solid grew
3.0 730
from both roll surfaces. The initial roll gap was 1 mm.
4.0 755
However, the solidified alloy forced open the initial roll gap.
5.0 785
Therefore, the resultant strip thickness was greater than the
6.0 810
initial roll gap (1 mm). Strip thickness varied depending on
the alloy composition and the pouring temperature.
4.0
Near-surface Mid-thickness
(a) (g)
3.0
Thickness, t / mm
2.0
(b) (h)
1.0
Fe content, C / mass%
(a)
(d) (j)
(b)
(e) (k)
(c)
(f) (l)
200µm
(a) (b)
Top-view Side-view
(a) (g)
(c) (d)
(b) (h)
(e) (f)
(c) (i)
100µm
(d) (j)
Fig. 5 Anodized microstructure of the transverse cross section of the
0.5 mm thick cold-rolled and T4-treated sheet. Master alloy (a), 0.7%Fe
(b), 1%Fe (c), 3%Fe (d), 4%Fe (e) and 6%Fe (f).
(a) (b)
(e) (k)
100µm 100µm
(e) (f)
Fig. 7 SEM micrographs of the top- and side-view of the T4-treated sheet
after the 180 bending (hemming) test. Master alloy (a) (g), 0.7%Fe
(b) (h), 1%Fe (c) (i), 3%Fe (d) (j), 4%Fe (e) (k) and 6%Fe (f) (l).
250
Top-view Side-view
(a)
(a) (g)
UTS
T6
150
T4
(b) (h)
100
Proof stress T6
50 T4
(c) (i)
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Fe content, C / mass%
30
(b)
(d) (j) 25
T6
Elongation, E / %
20
T4
15
(e) (k)
10
0
(f) (l) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Fe content, C / mass%
100µm 100µm
elongation of the T4-treated sheets gradually decreased with examination revealed that the cooling rate is more than
an increase in Fe content. For the T6-alloy sheets, elongation 100 C/s even at the mid-central region of the strip. It is
became larger with an increase in Fe content up to 3%Fe and unlikely that these coarse intermetallic particles formed at
then decreased when the Fe content exceeded 3%. such high cooling rates. The cooling slope is not considered
to be a likely reason for the formation of such particles either.
4. Discussion From a morphological viewpoint, these coarse needle-like
particles are -AlFeSi. The particles were more than 10 mm
4.1 Estimated cooling speed achieved by the twin-roll long. Particles of this size were reported in the furnace cooled
casting process 6063 alloy at a cooling rate of 0.06 C/s by Tanihara et al.7)
Secondary dendrite arm spacing (DAS) of the as-solidified In this study, the pure Fe wire was dissolved slowly into
strip can be used as a useful guide for estimating the cooling the melt of the master alloy. The melt was held for one hour
rate in the course of solidification. The relationship between before pouring. However, referring to the present exper-
DAS and the cooling rate has been examined by many imental results, it is thought that the original molten alloys
researchers for various alloys. Horiuchi and Kaneko exam- with high Fe contents (more than 2%) were not homogeneous
ined the relationship for 6063 alloy and obtained the and included these coarse particles.
following equation.8)
4.3 Effects of Fe on age-hardening of the sheet
DAS ¼ 85V0:38
As shown in Fig. 9, a significantly reduced age-hardening
where DAS is the dendrite arm spacing (mm) and V is the effect was observed for alloys with 1% or higher Fe. In order
cooling rate ( C/s). The measured DAS values for the master to confirm this supposition, micro-Vickers hardness tests
alloy were 3.5 mm at the near-surface region and 14.5 mm at were performed for both the T4- and T6-treated sheets. The
the mid-thickness region. By using the equation, the cooling results are shown in Fig. 10. Although a large increase in the
rates were estimated at about 4500 C/s at the near-surface hardness was obtained by T6 treatment of the master and
and about 100 C/s at the mid-thickness region. The 0.7%Fe alloy, only a moderate hardness increase was
estimated cooling rate near the surface was the same as that obtained for alloys with Fe content of 1 or higher mass%.
obtained by the present authors for the twin-roll cast A356 Age-hardening of the alloy mainly occurs by the precip-
alloy.9) However, the estimated cooling rate at the mid- itation of Mg2 Si in the matrix. The decreased hardness is
thickness region was lower than that of A356 (500 C/s). This thought to be due to the reduction in the quantity of
may result from the complicated microstructure in this precipitates. When the molten alloy contains a large amount
region. Solidified microstructure at the mid-thickness region of Fe, Si atoms are used to form the Al–Fe–Si base
is a mixture of equiaxed and granular grains formed on the intermetallic compound during cooling. Consequently, the
cooling slope. The DAS of granular grains is coarser than that number of Si atoms remaining in the -aluminum matrix
of equiaxed grains. We need to measure the DAS of the decreases and so the quantity of precipitates also decreases.
equiaxed grains in order to obtain the local cooling rate. With the cooling conditions used in this study, 1 mass% of Fe
However, it is generally hard to distinguish one from the is considered to be enough to trap the Mg atoms and
other in such a bi-modal DAS size distribution. Therefore, the eliminate the hardening effect of artificially aging.
average DAS value tends to be the overestimated one. This
may result in an underestimated cooling rate at the mid-
thickness region.
100
4.2 Effects of Fe content and cooling rates on the
formation of Al–Fe–Si base intermetallic compound
Mulazimoglu et al. found the Chinese-script-type - 80
AlFeSi and the plate-like and sharp needle-like -AlFeSi
Vickers hardness, Hv / HV
4.4 Effects of Fe on bendability of the sheet bendability but also a higher proof stress and UTS than
In the automotive industry, hemming is often used to join those of the T6-treated master alloy. This means that,
outer skins to inner panels. The very tight radius of curvature although there are many problems left to be solved, the
in a hem is an extreme test of the bendability of sheet content of Fe impurity in a 6063 alloy can be doubled by
material, and tearing or cracking of the outer tensile bend using the high-speed twin-roll caster. Strip casting at a high
surface is common. Under these conditions, the combined cooling rate using the high-speed twin-roll caster is a
role of void damage nucleated from Fe-based constituent promising method for reducing the detrimental effect of iron
particles and shear bands emanating from outer surface impurity from the scrap melt.
undulations is very important.3)
Even the alloy sheet containing 3%Fe could be bent Acknowledgements
successfully without cracking. Such good bendability of the
T4-treated sheet is thought to result from the following: The authors would like to acknowledge the financial
(1) Intermetallic compound particles which act as initiation support provided by RISTEX of JST (Japan Science and
sites for cracking are mainly dispersed at the mid- Technology Agency) and the Light Metal Education Foun-
thickness region in the twin roll cast strip. The cast strip dation. They also wish to acknowledge Miss Akiko Ishihara
was rolled into a sheet directly without removing the and Mr. Yusuke Nagata for their assistance in experiments.
surface. Therefore, the intermetallic particles had little The Japan Aluminum Association is also acknowledged by
chance of appearing on the sheet surface. one of the authors (K. Suzuki) for the financial support.
(2) Decrease in grain size was observed with an increase in
Fe content (see Fig. 6). Refined grain structure is
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