The United Kingdom has led a project R & D collaboration aimed at developing and manufacturing high-strength aluminum alloys from fully recycled metals. Aluminum production consumes 3.5% of the global electricity supply, and its carbon dioxide emissions account for 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
However, in theory, metal can be recycled wirelessly, and the energy consumption of recycling only accounts for nearly 5% of the energy consumption of the first metal production. Since relying on it in 1908, the global aluminum production has exceeded 1 billion tons, more than 75% of which is in stock.
In order to achieve the full utilization of aluminum materials and recycling, Brunel University's Brunel Advanced Curing Technology Center (BCAST) has signed a strategic R & D cooperation agreement with Constellium of the Netherlands.
The two companies aim to develop high-performance aluminum alloys and apply their products to lightweight automotive structures. Aluminum alloys have many advantages, including: low density, high strength, and high corrosion resistance. For this reason, the demand for aluminum products continues to grow, with the demand growth of the transportation industry being the most prominent.
However, aluminum automotive parts can also significantly reduce vehicles, while reducing carbon emissions, they also need to ensure that vehicles can travel 10,000 miles.
The STEP research project will develop a new generation of alloys to give aluminum alloys ultra-high strength, making it twice as strong as traditional alloy materials, and ensuring its ductility, crashworthiness, and thermal conductivity.
Researchers will use a variety of product technologies, including: deforming and reducing the particle size of alloys to increase the overall strength of the metal.
Researchers also plan to develop a new type of melt direct conditioned direct chill (MC-DC) casting process to densely cut liquid metal before solidification.
The MC-DC casting process provides high-quality aluminum fillers. Due to its finer crystal particles, which can increase the strength of the material, the processing process will be simplified in the future.