An Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Cooling Rate During Combined Continuous Casting and Rolling Process on Mechanical Properties of 7075 Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

When a combined continuous casting–rolling (CCCR) process is employed for making Al plates and sheets, considerable savings in both the cost and the production time are attained. In the present research, the variation and control of temperature of the material flowing through the cooling jacket during CCCR of 7075 aluminum alloy were investigated. Employing three temperature profiles for this passage, it was shown that the best mechanical properties and grain size of the finally rolled product could be attributed to the exponential profile. It was also found through a heat transfer analysis that the difference in the free convection heat transfer from the top and bottom surfaces of the slab exiting the cooling jacket can result in a temperature gradient through the thickness of the plate, and this can consequently lead to certain variations in the hardness through the thickness of the finally rolled 7075 Al plate.