Modeling the Processing of Aluminum Alloys

Abstract

The production and use of aluminum alloys involves a wide range of processing and fabrication methods. For a number of reasons discussed in this article, process modeling has an increasingly important role in all areas of production. This article reviews some process modeling activities in aluminum processing. The aims of the review are to (1) describe the current state of research in two major processing areas, (2) establish the principal motivations in the aluminum industry for undertaking process modeling, and (3) to identify generic research issues most in need of attention. This review is not intended to be exhaustive, but considers only selected processes, based on work in Norwegian laboratories with which the authors are most familiar. There is considerable parallel modeling activity worldwide in industry and academia which will not be discussed here. The case studies selected are sufficient, however, to illustrate all the main points of the review.A recent review of materials process modeling identifies a number of recurring themes which indicate the commercial reasons why process modeling is undertaken in various industries. They may be summarized as modeling to (1) develop new or scaled-up processes, (2) reduce the number of trials, (3) optimize an existing process, and (4) improve quality by reducing product variability.So the overriding concerns in industry are improving productivity and quality, and reducing costs. Modeling is also important from the point of view of model based real-time control of processes, but developments in this area are at present limited to relatively slow processing operations. Models are also important tools for both industry and academia to improve scientific understanding of materials processing. Within a company, modeling serves as a means to assemble know-how about the company's processes, raising the level of training of the workforce and making it possible for people to learn a process quickly.