A Intermetallics and Aluminium for Beverage Cans Dr

A Intermetallics and Aluminium for (Beverage) Cans Dr. Havovy Cama Alcan International Limited, Banbury Laboratory, Southam Road, Banbury OX 16 2 SP. Email: havovy. cama@alcan. com Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Topics • A brief Introduction of Alcan Inc. • Definition of intermetallics and can stock • Production and processing of can stock alloys A ? Effect on intermetallic particles ? Techniques to characterise intermetallic particles • Ways of enhancing can stock performance Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Recent History • A Merger of ? Alcan Aluminium Limited ? Algroup ? 17 th October, 2000. ? New Company Alcan Inc. (name adopted since March 2001) • Global Provider of Aluminium, Packaging and Solutions Primary Metal Alcan International Limited Aluminium Fabrication Americas & Asia Aluminium Fabrication Europe Packaging © Alcan International Limited

Research and Technology - Alcan Inc. R&D Budget - 2000 Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Alcan Inc. Number of Employees = 53000 By Sector Packaging 17, 000 Fabrication Europe 12, 000 Alcan International Limited Primary 17, 000 Fabrication Americas & Asia 7, 000 A Geographical Repartition Other 9, 000 Europe 23, 000 North America 21, 000 © Alcan International Limited

Aluminium Processing CASTING A HOMOGENISATION ROLLING Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Typical processing route for Canstock Alloys A DC Cast Ingot Approx. 660 mm x 1850 mm x 8600 mm Scalping AA 3104 (CBS), AA 5182 (CES) Rolling face (+ side faces) Preheat / Homogenisation Hot Roll Break Down Mill to ~ 35 mm 475 - 630 °C Hot Tandem Mill to 2 -3 mm Target exit temp 300 -350 °C Cold Roll Final gauge < 250 µm Finishing Operations Post Lub application / Lacquering To customer specification Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

A DC Casting of Sheet Ingots Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Continuous Casting of Sheet Ingots Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Homogenisation Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Pusher Furnace A . Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Breakdown Mill Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Cropping & Tandem Mill Rolling Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Cold Rolling Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Products Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Products Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

New Product Applications after the Merger Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

World Beverage Can Market for Al Middle East A China South East Asia South Africa South America Central America Japan Europe 1995 (total 202 billion cans) Alcan International Limited US&Canada 2000 estimate (total 233 billion cans) 15% increase © Alcan International Limited

Banbury Laboratory A Banbury Located 26 miles north of Oxford - 2 miles off jn. 11 on M 40 Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Projects at Banbury Laboratories A Raw Materials Metallurgy Surface Sciences Process and Product Modelling Technical Customer Support Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

A Importance of Intermetallic Type for Aluminium Canstock Performance Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Importance of Improving Can Stock Performance (The Canning Market) • A Probably the single largest use of aluminium. ? 12% of total global Al output used to make beverage cans • Market is still evolving ? Cost reduction. ? Weight reduction (down gauging). ? Pressure from non-aluminium materials. ? Need for product innovation. Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Aluminium Beverage Can A Can End (5 XXX Alloy - Mg rich) Can Body (3 XXX Alloy - Mn rich) Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Drawn and Ironed (DI) Cans A The DI cans are cleaned, decorated and lacquered at the customer plant prior to filling them with beverage. Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Drawing and Ironing (D&I) Process Cup on Punch A Ironing Dies Ironed untrimmed can Redraw Die Cooling Ports Dome tooling Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Schematic Diagram AA Compositions of Canning Materials A wt. % Mn 2. 0 Can Body Stock AA 3004 <0. 3 Si 1. 5 <0. 7 Fe <0. 25 Cu 1. 0 AA 5017 AA 3104 <0. 6 Si <0. 8 Fe 0. 02 -0. 25 Cu 0. 5 <0. 25 Si Tab Stock <0. 4 Fe AA 5052 <0. 1 Cu 0. 15 -0. 35 Cr 0. 0 0 Alcan International Limited <0. 2 Si <0. 35 Fe <0. 15 Cu <0. 1 Cr 1 2 wt. % Mg <0. 2 Si <0. 35 Fe <0. 15 Cu <0. 1 Cr 3 Can End Stock AA 5182 AA 5042 4 5 © Alcan International Limited

Can End Manufacture Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Cans in the 21 st Century A Thinner, stronger and different shapes Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Technical Improvements A • Down gauging, • Light weighting (reduced 25 - 30 % in last 20 yrs) Gauge (inches) . 406. 356 Gauge (mm) . 305. 254. 203 Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

A Ingot: 0. 66 m x 1. 850 m x 8. 6 m Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

What are Intermetallic Particles ? A These are large particles (10 -100 m) formed in the matrix during solidification of the melt. 50 m Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Constituent Particle Formation During Solidification Major Alloying Elements A Trace Chemistry As-cast Particle Population • Phase type • Size Distribution • Spatial Distribution • Morphology Grain Refiner Alcan International Limited Solidification Conditions © Alcan International Limited

Feature Detection and Classification (FDC) Technique A • The apparent concentration of Fe+Mn vs. Si of each point is plotted • Reference to the literature and experimental data on standard samples have led to boundaries between the phases being determined • Great care should be taken to ? particle size ? solute effects 6 or 3 app wt% Fe allow for 25 b ? neighbouring phases ? partial transformation Alcan International Limited 0 5. 0 app wt% Si © Alcan International Limited

Feature Detection and Classification (FDC) Technique Al 6 Fe A Note: Duplex particles fall in both classifications, depending upon the position of the probe analysis point. Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Intermetallic Extraction & Analysis A Al + butanol Al-butoxide + H 2 • The technique was developed at Sintef during the 1980 s, enabling sufficient quantities of dry butanol to be distilled for the reliable extraction and collection in the absence of H 2 O, of sufficient particulate for subsequent analysis. • Extracted Particles are ground analysed using X-ray diffraction and resultant traces are compared with those from known intermetallic types Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

X-Ray Diffraction of Intermetallics Ultrasonic + methanol evaporation grinding A Sample (+ petroleum jelly) Zero reflection Si disc X-ray detector Co X-ray tube Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

XRD Traces A Peaks used in calibration curve are marked using */+ Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

XRD • A Comparison of peak positions and relative peak intensity with standard spectra give • Comparison of peak intensity ratios with standard calibration curves gives estimate of relative concentration of phases • For multiple phase mixtures spectra are Log Peak ratio IA/IB phase identification calibration curve 0 1 X=Fraction phase A complex and interpretation difficult Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Bridgman Furnace furnace A alumina crucible solid-liquid interface thermal shield rolling 'O' ring seal water bath water cooled jacket stepper motor controlled drive rod Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Effect of Casting Speed and Alloy Composition on A Intermetallic Phase Selection Al-1. 25%Fe-0. 25%Mn -0. 2%Si-1. 2%Mg-0. 2%Cu Increase Fe/Mn Alcan International Limited Al-0. 5%Fe-1. 0%Mn -0. 2%Si-1. 2%Mg-0. 2%Cu Base Alloy Al-0. 5%Fe-1. 0%Mn -0. 4%Si-1. 2%Mg-0. 2%Cu Increase Si © Alcan International Limited

Effect of Alloy Composition and Casting Conditions on Intermetallics • A Their composition and crystallographic structure depends upon the alloy composition and casting velocity of the ingot and cooling rate of the melt. ? The type of intermetallics can change during processing • Their size depends on casting velocity ? Increasing the casting velocity decreases particle size. ? Size of particles affects final product performance (recrystallisation, can scoring). Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Equilibrium Phase Diagrams Al 6(Fe, Mn) c A c=Al(Fe, Mn)Si Mg 2 Si • Results only as good as database used • Metastable phases formed during casting. Depending on homogenisation time and temperature, they transform totally or partially to equilibrium phases. Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Homogenisation A T(o. C) 2 stage heating HTR Time (Hours) Depending on type of furnace, homogenisation times can vary from a few hours to up to a day. Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Effect of Time on Amount of Alpha Phase in AA 3104 After Isothermal Exposure at 550 o. C A In the temperature range 550 -630 °C, the amount of Al 6(Fe, Mn) transformed to -Al(Fe, Mn)Si increases with increasing exposure time until it reaches a maximum (equilibrium) concentration determined by the alloy composition and homogenisation temperature. The transformation rate is initially rapid and then slows down. Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

The Effect of Si Content on the Type of Intermetallic Present after Homogenization A Increasing the Si content in the alloy increases the rate of the Al 6(Fe, Mn) to -Al(Fe, Mn)Si transformation. Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Homogenisation of 3 xxx Alloys AA 3104: Al-0. 4%Fe-0. 9%Mn-1. 2%Mg-0. 2%Cu- 0. 2%Si Al 6(Fe, Mn) A Mg 2 Si Si Si Temperature Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Homogenisation of 3 xxx Alloys AA 3104: Al-0. 4%Fe-0. 9%Mn-1. 2%Mg-0. 2%Cu-0. 2%Si A After Isothermal Heat Treatment at 600 °C for 15 mins Cell Edges c-Al(Fe, Mn)Si Al 6(Fe, Mn) 20 µm Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Homogenisation of 3 xxx Alloys AA 3104: Al-0. 4%Fe-0. 9%Mn-1. 2%Mg-0. 2%Cu- 0. 2%Si A After Ramped Heat Treatment TEM images of AA 3104 ramped to 300°C then isothermally treated. 100 nm 400 °C / 12 m Alcan International Limited 100 nm 450°C / 5 m 450 °C /15 m © Alcan International Limited

Particle Break-up During Rolling (CBS) A Breakdown mill rolling produces slab Hot rolling produces reroll Cold rolling produces final gauge sheet Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Improved Can Body Stock • • • A Thinner ? Downgauge further Good strength ? Solid solution strengthening, strain hardening ? Controlled by alloying and thermomechanical processing ? Strength limited by customer tooling performance Galling control ? Need for continuous die cleaning for good can surface ? Believed to be controlled by correct size and amount of alpha phase Earing control ? To minimise metal wastage after D&I process ? Controlled by alloying and thermomechanical processing Cost ? Controlled by cost of alloying additions and final gauge Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Wall Ironing Process (CBS Manufacture) A Galling Ironing Die Entry Exit Punch Travel Direction Score lines Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Improved Canstock (With respect to Galling resistance) • • • A Need enough alpha particles of optimum size Can be obtained by increasing the Si concentration Decreasing homogenisation temperature Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

Improved Can Body Stock • • • A Thinner ? Downgauge further Good strength ? Solid solution strengthening, strain hardening ? Controlled by alloying and thermomechanical processing ? Strength limited by customer tooling performance Galling control ? Need for continuous die cleaning for good can surface ? Believed to be controlled by correct size and amount of alpha phase Earing control ? To minimise metal wastage after D&I process ? Controlled by alloying and thermocmechanical processing Cost ? Controlled by cost of alloying additions and final gauge Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

A Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

CBS Performance Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

Can End Stock - AA 5182 A Al-0. 04%Si-0. 16%Fe-0. 040%Cu-0. 48%Mn-4. 60%Mg Mg 5 Al 8 Al 6(Fe, Mn) Tau - Al. Cu. Mg Alcan International Limited Mg 2 Si © Alcan International Limited

Improved Can End Stock • A Good strength ? Solid solution strengthening, strain hardening ? Controlled by alloying and thermomechanical processing • Good Formability ? Reduce number of coarse particles • Earing control ? To minimise metal wastage during seaming ? Controlled by alloying and thermomechanical processing • Cost ? Controlled by cost of alloying additions and final gauge Alcan International Limited © Alcan International Limited

CES Performance Alcan International Limited A © Alcan International Limited

A Always let the upstream end of your business know what the downstream end is doing. Alcan International Limited (Prepared By R. A. Ricks - Alcan International Ltd. ) © Alcan International Limited