Production of aluminum-steel-compounds by means of twin-roll casting

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Mirko Schaper
• Subject Area: Metallurgical, Thermal and Thermomechanical Treatment of Materials ; Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 241421068

Compound materials are used for many modern applications such as lightweight vehicle construction. The combination of different materials enables the achievement of elsewise unattainable properties. Of particular interest are sheet-form material compounds at which aluminum-steel hybrids represent a common material combination. The creation of a high-quality material connection between the above-mentioned materials is difficult due to the formation of a rapidly growing layer of mostly brittle intermetallic phases. If this intermetallic layer exceeds a thickness of 10 microns the stability of the diffusion zone under mechanical load and the connection strength are considerably reduced. Hence, the adaption of compound materials is subject to the objectives of a diffusion process control to ensure high bond strength. The twin-roll strip casting process is one of the most modern sheet metal fabrication methods from an ecological and economic point of view. In this method, thin strips with a thickness between 1 and 8 mm are cast directly from the melt. However, this method is used only for experimental composite production between different aluminum alloys so far. The aim of the proposed project is a fundamental investigation concerning the diffusion processes to determine appropriate microstructures and mechanical properties of an aluminum-steel compound under the specific conditions of the twin-roll strip casting process.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Olexandr Grydin