STEP Aluminium
Lead Research Organisation:
Brunel University London
Department Name: BCAST
Abstract
As the second most widely used structural metal in the world, after steel, Al-alloys have a low density (3 times lighter than steel), high corrosion resistance and a good combination of physical and mechanical properties. In terms of specific strength (strength/density), Al-alloys outperform conventional steels and match the performance of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) developed in recent years. This makes Al alloys particularly attractive for applications in the transport industry. The demand for aluminium products has increased 30-fold since 1950 and this exceptional growth is predicted to continue well into the first half of the 21st century. However, there is both good and bad news about aluminium. The bad news is that aluminium production uses 3.5% of global electricity and causes 1% of global CO2 emissions resulting in a large negative impact on our environment; and the good news is that aluminium is in principle infinitely recyclable and its recycling requires only 5% of the energy required for primary metal production. In addition, since 1908 we have cumulatively produced over 1 billion tonnes of aluminium, and more than 75% of this aluminium still exists as accessible stock in our society. Such metal stock will become our energy "bank" and a rich resource for meeting our future needs. Our long term vision is "full aluminium circulation", in which the global demand for aluminium is met by a full circulation of secondary aluminium (with only limited addition of primary aluminium each year) through reduced usage, reuse, remanufacture, closed-loop recycling and effective recovery and refining of secondary aluminium. Under this shared vision, BCAST (a global leader in light metal research) and Constellium (a global leader in aluminium lightweight structure supply) have established a strategic research partnership for developing high performance Al-alloys and their applications in lightweight vehicle constructions, with research projects covering a wide range of technology readiness levels.
Under the shared vision for full metal circulation, BCAST and Constellium have identified the shared research challenges and co-created a coherent fundamental research programme on STEP (STrain Enhanced Precipitation) Al-alloys to complement the existing applied research activities. This programme aims to strengthen the existing, strategic research partnership between Constellium and BCAST through successful execution of a co-created STEP Al research programme, which will accelerate academic research impact on business, balance capability between fundamental and applied research, and will build and consolidate the UK's internationally leading position in aluminium research. In the STEP Al programme, we will develop a new generation of high performance Al-alloys with ultra-high strength (twice the strength of their conventional counterparts), good ductility, high crashworthiness and high thermal conductivity; we will develop a novel direct chill (DC) casting process and thermomechanical processing procedures to realise the full potential of STEP Al-alloys; we will deliver new insights into the precise precipitation mechanisms and the solute-dislocation-precipitate interactions to underpin both materials and processing technology development; and we will also develop a holistic approach to the design of lightweight automotive structures to demonstrate the full potential of our research outcomes. Successful execution of the STEP Al programme will deliver significant advances in nucleation science, physical metallurgy, advanced alloy development, materials processing technologies and holistic engineering design. These will in turn have profound impact on UK productivity, the overall UK economy and our environment.
Under the shared vision for full metal circulation, BCAST and Constellium have identified the shared research challenges and co-created a coherent fundamental research programme on STEP (STrain Enhanced Precipitation) Al-alloys to complement the existing applied research activities. This programme aims to strengthen the existing, strategic research partnership between Constellium and BCAST through successful execution of a co-created STEP Al research programme, which will accelerate academic research impact on business, balance capability between fundamental and applied research, and will build and consolidate the UK's internationally leading position in aluminium research. In the STEP Al programme, we will develop a new generation of high performance Al-alloys with ultra-high strength (twice the strength of their conventional counterparts), good ductility, high crashworthiness and high thermal conductivity; we will develop a novel direct chill (DC) casting process and thermomechanical processing procedures to realise the full potential of STEP Al-alloys; we will deliver new insights into the precise precipitation mechanisms and the solute-dislocation-precipitate interactions to underpin both materials and processing technology development; and we will also develop a holistic approach to the design of lightweight automotive structures to demonstrate the full potential of our research outcomes. Successful execution of the STEP Al programme will deliver significant advances in nucleation science, physical metallurgy, advanced alloy development, materials processing technologies and holistic engineering design. These will in turn have profound impact on UK productivity, the overall UK economy and our environment.
Planned Impact
Academic impact:
Our major scientific deliverables include in situ control of solidification morphology, exact mechanisms of precipitation, extended understanding of solute-dislocation-precipitate interactions and the pioneering concept of manufacturing-induced materials properties. These represent major advances in nucleation science, physical metallurgy and high performance alloy development, and will have a significant impact on these academic research communities. In addition, academic impact on the wider scientific research community will also be significant. Nucleation is a widespread phenomenon in nature and technology. Condensation, evaporation, crystal growth, chemical processing and drug delivery are but a few of the processes in which nucleation plays a prominent role. Our research outcomes will be directly or indirectly applicable to these wider scientific and technological research fields.
Technological impact:
The key technological deliverables include a new generation of ultra-high strength aluminium alloys with a step change in performance, a novel DC casting process for high quality Al feedstock, an innovative thermomechanical processing technology and a holistic lightweight design approach to deliver significant weight reduction. In addition to Constellium, the initial technological impact will be in the UK automotive industry and its supply chain and then the wider transportation industry. For the first time they will have direct access to affordable higher performance lightweight components. The STEP Al programme will provide a shortened lead time from technology concept to industrial production, advanced manufacturing technologies, higher performance recycling-friendly advanced metallic materials with reduced cost and improved sustainability.
Environmental impact:
The potential environmental impact from the STEP Al programme is profound as the research and industrial application outputs will have a dramatic influence on curbing the carbon emissions from the UK and global automotive fleet. Take the automotive crash management systems (CMSs) as an example to illustrate such benefits. The UK has 31M cars on the road with an average fuel consumption of 40miles/gallon, and an average mileage of 10k miles/year. It is generally accepted that every 100kg weight reduction leads to 10g/km CO2 reduction and 4% improved fuel efficiency. The weight of a CMS is 10kg for steel and 4.5kg for high strength HSA6 Al. If all the UK's cars had a STEP Al CMS to replace the steel CMS, we would save 3M tonnes of CO2 pa, 86M litres of fuel pa and £103M pa (assuming £1.2/litre). Extended use of STEP Al-alloy in other automotive systems will lead to a much more significant impact on both the UK and the global environment.
Economic impact
The HSA6 high strength Al-alloys developed by Constellium and BCAST have helped Constellium to double its automotive business over the last 5 years, and the STEP Al-alloys will play a pivotal role to achieve Constellium's ambition to double it again over the next 5 years (from £1billion to £2billion pa). As a major strategy for growth, Constellium is setting up manufacturing facilities in the UK, which will create 500 new jobs and will deliver £100M economic benefit per year to the UK. In addition, extensive application of the STEP Al-alloys to lightweight vehicle structures will provide significant competitive advantages to both the UK based automotive OEMs and their supply chains in the global market, leading to improved UK productivity and increased export. The expected overall economic impact will be thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds in the next 10 years.
Societal Impact
The ultimate benefit to society as a whole will be improved quality of life. Society will ultimately benefit from improved air quality through reduced pollution related health problems, increased job opportunities, cleaner and more efficient transport systems, and an improved national economy.
Our major scientific deliverables include in situ control of solidification morphology, exact mechanisms of precipitation, extended understanding of solute-dislocation-precipitate interactions and the pioneering concept of manufacturing-induced materials properties. These represent major advances in nucleation science, physical metallurgy and high performance alloy development, and will have a significant impact on these academic research communities. In addition, academic impact on the wider scientific research community will also be significant. Nucleation is a widespread phenomenon in nature and technology. Condensation, evaporation, crystal growth, chemical processing and drug delivery are but a few of the processes in which nucleation plays a prominent role. Our research outcomes will be directly or indirectly applicable to these wider scientific and technological research fields.
Technological impact:
The key technological deliverables include a new generation of ultra-high strength aluminium alloys with a step change in performance, a novel DC casting process for high quality Al feedstock, an innovative thermomechanical processing technology and a holistic lightweight design approach to deliver significant weight reduction. In addition to Constellium, the initial technological impact will be in the UK automotive industry and its supply chain and then the wider transportation industry. For the first time they will have direct access to affordable higher performance lightweight components. The STEP Al programme will provide a shortened lead time from technology concept to industrial production, advanced manufacturing technologies, higher performance recycling-friendly advanced metallic materials with reduced cost and improved sustainability.
Environmental impact:
The potential environmental impact from the STEP Al programme is profound as the research and industrial application outputs will have a dramatic influence on curbing the carbon emissions from the UK and global automotive fleet. Take the automotive crash management systems (CMSs) as an example to illustrate such benefits. The UK has 31M cars on the road with an average fuel consumption of 40miles/gallon, and an average mileage of 10k miles/year. It is generally accepted that every 100kg weight reduction leads to 10g/km CO2 reduction and 4% improved fuel efficiency. The weight of a CMS is 10kg for steel and 4.5kg for high strength HSA6 Al. If all the UK's cars had a STEP Al CMS to replace the steel CMS, we would save 3M tonnes of CO2 pa, 86M litres of fuel pa and £103M pa (assuming £1.2/litre). Extended use of STEP Al-alloy in other automotive systems will lead to a much more significant impact on both the UK and the global environment.
Economic impact
The HSA6 high strength Al-alloys developed by Constellium and BCAST have helped Constellium to double its automotive business over the last 5 years, and the STEP Al-alloys will play a pivotal role to achieve Constellium's ambition to double it again over the next 5 years (from £1billion to £2billion pa). As a major strategy for growth, Constellium is setting up manufacturing facilities in the UK, which will create 500 new jobs and will deliver £100M economic benefit per year to the UK. In addition, extensive application of the STEP Al-alloys to lightweight vehicle structures will provide significant competitive advantages to both the UK based automotive OEMs and their supply chains in the global market, leading to improved UK productivity and increased export. The expected overall economic impact will be thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds in the next 10 years.
Societal Impact
The ultimate benefit to society as a whole will be improved quality of life. Society will ultimately benefit from improved air quality through reduced pollution related health problems, increased job opportunities, cleaner and more efficient transport systems, and an improved national economy.
Publications
Al-Helal K
(2019)
Melt Conditioned Direct Chill (MC-DC) Casting of AA-6111 Aluminium Alloy Formulated from Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA)
in Recycling
Al-Helal K
(2020)
Melt Conditioned Direct Chill (MC-DC) Casting and Extrusion of AA5754 Aluminium Alloy Formulated from Recycled Taint Tabor Scrap.
in Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
Al-Helal K
(2020)
Direct Chill Casting and Extrusion of AA6111 Aluminum Alloy Formulated from Taint Tabor Scrap.
in Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
Al-Helal K
(2021)
High-Shear De-Gassing and De-Ironing of an Aluminum Casting Alloy Made Directly from Aluminum End-of-Life Vehicle Scrap
in Recycling
Barekar N
(2021)
Enhancement of chip breakability of aluminium alloys by controlling the solidification during direct chill casting
in Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Chang I
(2022)
From simple binary to complex multicomponent eutectic alloys
in Progress in Materials Science
Chrysoula Tzileroglou
(2020)
Role of extrusion speed of a 6xxx high strength aluminium alloy
Famelton J
(2023)
Point excess solute: A new metric for quantifying solute segregation in atom probe tomography datasets including application to naturally aged solute clusters in Al-Mg-Si-(Cu) alloys
in Materials Characterization
Fan Z
(2022)
Effect of solutes on grain refinement
in Progress in Materials Science
| Description | The key research achievements associated with the STEP aluminium programme to date include the following. 1. The atomistic calculations using density function theory (DFT) based on the SuperSTEM investigations has shown that the Al-Cu phases treated as bulk metastable phases in the textbooks are indeed local atomic arrangements at the interface between super saturated solid solutions (SSSS) and theta prime. The lower formation energies associated with the local atomic arrangements illustrate that these are more stable than the bulk metastable phases indicating a continuous nature of the precipitate evolution through the motion of the the SSSS/precipitate(theta prime) interface. The methodologies used in the model Al-Cu system can be extended to other Al based precipitation hardening systems. 2. Traditionally, precipitate formation has been described as a stepwise nucleation and growth of number of different metastable phases through to formation of theta prime structures, and forms a cornerstone of modern physical metallurgy. Our work at SuperSTEM facility show that the nucleation and growth of theta prime phase occurs through the formation of a nucleus of theta prime via the formation of series of localised atomic arrangements. the theta prime phase grows through the advancing of the interface between theta prime and the SSSS that contain the series of local atomic arrangements. Our finding shed new insights into the mechanism associated with precipitation of theta prime refuting the long standing view of precipitation. 3. The strengthening contributions due to interactions between solutes, precipitates and dislocations such as following the ageing-deformation ageing process (aDA) to strengthening of Al alloys is significantly larger than the sum of the contributions to strengthening imparting by work hardening and precipitation as presented traditionally in textbooks. The interaction between solutes, precipitates and dislocations is more complex and involves a non linear approach to delivery of strength. This understanding lay the foundation for the delivery of the project objectives of ultra high strength Al alloys and advance the current understanding of combinatory effect of various strengthening mechanisms in physical metallurgy. 4. The microstructures developed during aDA process does not lead to a uniform distribution of precipitates through the alloy but rather seems to generate lead to a non- uniform distributions of precipitate densities which deliver a "composite" structure. The inter-twinned regions with higher densities of precipitates and lower densities of precipitates in 3D, observed deliver both high strength and high ductility without compromising one property to enhance the other. This provides a path to developing alloys with high strength, without compromising the crashworthiness. 5. We have developed in lab scale, a chemical approach to refine the size distribution of second phase particles through the Al matrix during solidification through trace additions of selected elements. This is in addition to the refinement observed through the physical approach associated with intensive melt shearing to refine and disperse the second phase particles during DC casting. The knowledge gained has enhanced our capability to control the second phase particles for potential enhancement of mechanical properties as well reduction of energy expended during the processing chain associated with wrought processing of Al alloys. The refinement of second phase particles means that the large intermetallic particles that are detrimental to the property profile are removed. This means that the alloy is likely to be more tolerant to tramp elements like Fe leading to the potential increase in recycled Al content. 6. In industrial applications, immediate thermomechanical processing of alloys following extrusions is not possible and natural ageing prior to the completion of the thermomechanical processing can compromise the performance of these alloys. This is a practical challenge that is faced by the Al industry. We have shown experimentally that trace addition of large atomic radii elements compared with Al will retard the detrimental effects of natural ageing. By using large atomic radii elements as trace additions, it may be possible to control both the second phase intermetallic particles during solidification and to control natural ageing phenomena observed during subsequent processing using different trace additives. 7. Constellium has pioneered the concept of manufacturing induced materials property enhancement to provide high performance Al alloys. As part of the STEP programme methodologies to introduce the deformation step of the aDA process through electo-magnetic pulse technology (EMPT) and other novel process has been used to impart localised strengthening of the final component. Significant progress has been made on both experimental investigations and Finite Element modelling of the EMPT process. |
| Exploitation Route | The direct beneficiary from the successful delivery of this programme is the industrial partner Constellium. As such, the programme structure has been designed to maximise the two-way interaction between the academic and industrial teams and provide a direct path to implementing fundamental understanding into industrial products and processes. This provides a pipeline to deliver new lightweight high-performance alloys to the market and into commercial products as fast as possible. The fundamental knowledge gained through the STEP programme would be applied by Constellium to develop products such as battery enclosures and crash management systems where high strength lightweight structures are paramount in supporting the growth of Electric Vehicles. The knowledge generated within this programme will be integrated by Constellium into the development of prototype demonstrators which will be used to showcase the STEP process as part of the strategic partnership between BCAST-Constellium. Moreover, the learning will also be fed into ongoing Innovate UK (LIBERATE) and APC (ALIVE) programs. In order to disseminate the understanding grained through this programme to a wider audience BCAST with Constellium will present fundamental scientific knowledge at International conferences and publish the understanding developed in high impact factor journals. This will apply especially to topics that has high scientific impact but will not have an impact on the activities of the industrial partners. To further disseminate the findings and to inform the UK light metals community (both academic and industrial) workshops will be held to showcase the potential of scientific break throughs made as part of the programme by both the academic and the industrial teams |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Construction,Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| Description | Findings The impact generated by the STEP programme is three fold. The first is the impact on Constellium business (the industrial partner): The research findings will make a positive contribution towards the growth of Constellium business. Especially the automotive structures and industry unit which has a target to double their business in 5 years. The contributions include: the application of manufacturing step to induce the deformation process in the aDA that will significantly reduce the energy expended during the production process, controlling the aDA process to impart the enhanced strength and ductility to combination to produce high performance light weight alloys and the use of impurity additions to control the microstructure especially the refinement in insoluble Fe based second phase particles. One of the most important impacts for the business is the ability to realise the benefits of the aDA process in alloys containing high levels of impurities originating from the use of higher levels of "dirty" post-consumer scrap sources. This is important in reducing the embodied CO2 content of the alloys as this is a significant contributor to the CO2 footprint especially in electrical vehicles (EVs). STEP programme thus lay down understanding required for Constellium to remain at the forefront of the highly competitive automotive structures such as crash systems and battery enclosures. The second is the impact on the automotive industry: As the emissions due to fossil fuel is eliminated with the use of EVs, CO2 embedded within the production of the materials used in the vehicle becomes a main contributor to the vehicle's carbon footprint. Not only do the alloys developed under the programme will offer "less material" through light-weighting because they are stronger, while also being manufactured from high post-consumer scrap sources, the use of STEP alloys and processes will significantly reduce the embodied CO2 of the vehicle. The third is the societal and environmental impact: The understanding developed as part of the STEP programme will facilitate the application of high performance Al alloys in wider range of weight critical applications in manufacturing sector reducing the CO2 imparted including wider transport sectors including rail and aerospace. Additionally the use of post consumer scrap rather than primary Al in the production of STEP Al alloys means over 80% reduction in the energy consumption of the use primary Al, with majority of energy embedding occurs during the extraction of Al from the ore. The coupled effects associated with use of secondary (scrap) Al which results in the reduced CO2 embedded material and the light weighting contributes towards the UK government target for the net zero carbon by 2050 and government policy on circular economy through reduced use and recycling of Al. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Construction,Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Aluminium Intensive Vehicle Enclosure (ALIVE) |
| Amount | £1,261,460 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Advanced Propulsion Centre |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2020 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Description | Circular and Constant Aluminium |
| Amount | £4,699,965 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 10030959 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 08/2025 |
| Description | Constellium - Development of Heat Treatable Ultra-High Strength Al Alloys for Automotive Application - iCASE Studentship David Makuyana |
| Amount | £27,800 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | France |
| Start | 02/2018 |
| End | 01/2022 |
| Description | EPSRC - Development of Heat Treatable Ultra-High Strength Al Alloys for Automotive Application - iCASE Studentship David Makuyana |
| Amount | £83,296 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2043889 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2018 |
| End | 01/2022 |
| Description | Future Metallurgy Centre |
| Amount | £16,000,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Future Metallurgy Centre |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Department | Research England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2020 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | ICASE Studentship - V de Stefano |
| Amount | £27,765 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | France |
| Start | 02/2019 |
| End | 01/2023 |
| Description | Lightweight Innovative Battery Enclosures using Recycled Aluminium TEchnologies |
| Amount | £375,762 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 28979 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2019 |
| End | 06/2021 |
| Description | Machine learning guided alloy design and thermomechanical process optimisation for high performance automotive aluminium alloys |
| Amount | £27,765 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | France |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 09/2024 |
| Description | Made Smarter Innovation - Materials Made Smarter Research Centre |
| Amount | £4,049,203 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/V061798/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2021 |
| End | 02/2025 |
| Description | Manufacturing Made Smarter Network+ (MMSN+) |
| Amount | £100,763 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/V016555/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2021 |
| End | 08/2021 |
| Description | Manufacturing of lightweight structural components for high performance electrical machines by electromagnetic pulse technology (EMPT) |
| Amount | £62,471 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | R/155683 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | Microstructural control during Melt Conditioned DC (MCDC) casting process |
| Amount | £27,765 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | France |
| Start | 01/2020 |
| End | 12/2023 |
| Description | Next generation of free machining aluminium alloys |
| Amount | £27,765 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | France |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 09/2024 |
| Description | Physics-based Modelling of Microstructure Evolution in High-strength 6xxx Aluminium Alloys: |
| Amount | £29,621 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2742066 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 09/2026 |
| Description | Prediction of Engineering Properties of Thermomechanically Treated Aluminium Alloys. Prof. Hamid Assadi Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Tech |
| Amount | £29,232 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2625243 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 12/2024 |
| Description | Synergetic effect of surface-active metallic additions on structure modification in aluminium alloys |
| Amount | £27,765 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | France |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 09/2024 |
| Description | UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for CircularMetal |
| Amount | £4,437,439 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/V011804/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 12/2024 |
| Description | Constellium - University Technology Centre (UTC) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Department | Constellium UK Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Provides expertise in fundamental investigation for sustainable metals, and the use of the AMCC and AMPC facilities to underpin Constellium's R&D activities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Constellium established their University Technology Centre (UTC) at Brunel University London's Advanced Metal Casting Centre (AMCC), later including the AMPC. |
| Impact | A dedicated centre of excellence for the design, development and prototyping of aluminium alloys and automotive structural components, the UTC is a unique partnership between industry and academia, bringing the latest research to market. Projects such as LEAAST and CAAHS are examples of outputs. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | EPSRC Constellium iCASE Studentship - David Makuyana |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Department | Constellium UK Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Concerned with studies of the effect of processing parameters of melt conditioning during direct chill casting of Al 6xxx alloys on as-solidified microstructure and its contribution towards the development of microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminium extrusions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Constellium is focussed on the optimisation of the direct chill casting and hot extrusion processes at large scale for this project. |
| Impact | Early stages of project. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | EPSRC Constellium iCASE Studentship - David Makuyana |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Department | EPSRC National Service for Solid State NMR |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Concerned with studies of the effect of processing parameters of melt conditioning during direct chill casting of Al 6xxx alloys on as-solidified microstructure and its contribution towards the development of microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminium extrusions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Constellium is focussed on the optimisation of the direct chill casting and hot extrusion processes at large scale for this project. |
| Impact | Early stages of project. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | EPSRC Constellium iCASE Studentship - Vincenzo De Stefano |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Department | Constellium UK Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Work will examine advanced microscopy to understand the precipitate evolution and dislocation precipitate interactions in a class of ultra-high performance Al-alloys for automotive applications. It is expected that a fundamental understanding on interactions between dislocations and the precipitates, G P zones or solute clusters and their role in enhancing the strengthening observed in the thermo-mechanical approach developed by Constellium in a modified Al-Mg-Si alloy. As a part of the project the thermo mechanical approach developed by the industrial partner will be optimised. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The industrial partner in addition to financial support will extrude the alloys as required to a number of different profiles. The student is exposured to Constellium's industrial practices and training and further supported with access to experimental techniques not available at Brunel University London. |
| Impact | At present it is envisaged a number of high quality journal papers will be produced from the fundamental understanding developed as part of the work. The understanding coupled with lab scale optimisation will allow Constellium to optimise the approach within industrial constraints to further enhance the strength of the alloy. This will lead to increased applications for the alloy in question without a cost penalty and industrial partner is likely in the long run be able to replace a more expensive alloy with this alloy or break into new applications given the optimised property profile. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | EPSRC Constellium iCASE Studentship - Vincenzo De Stefano |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Department | EPSRC National Service for Solid State NMR |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Work will examine advanced microscopy to understand the precipitate evolution and dislocation precipitate interactions in a class of ultra-high performance Al-alloys for automotive applications. It is expected that a fundamental understanding on interactions between dislocations and the precipitates, G P zones or solute clusters and their role in enhancing the strengthening observed in the thermo-mechanical approach developed by Constellium in a modified Al-Mg-Si alloy. As a part of the project the thermo mechanical approach developed by the industrial partner will be optimised. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The industrial partner in addition to financial support will extrude the alloys as required to a number of different profiles. The student is exposured to Constellium's industrial practices and training and further supported with access to experimental techniques not available at Brunel University London. |
| Impact | At present it is envisaged a number of high quality journal papers will be produced from the fundamental understanding developed as part of the work. The understanding coupled with lab scale optimisation will allow Constellium to optimise the approach within industrial constraints to further enhance the strength of the alloy. This will lead to increased applications for the alloy in question without a cost penalty and industrial partner is likely in the long run be able to replace a more expensive alloy with this alloy or break into new applications given the optimised property profile. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | EPSRC and Constellium - iCASE studentship Chrysoula Tzileroglou |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Novel processing of 6xxx alloys for automotive applications - iCASE Studentship, Chrysoula Tzileroglou. This collaboration involves the understanding and optimisation of the processing (e.g. extrusion, post thermomechanical treatments) conditions on microstructure and mechanical performance in terms of hardness, yield strength, tensile strength and ductility. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Constellium hold regular meetings to steer the research to their industrial product requirements. Constellium: (a) provision of DC billets and extrusions of HSA8 alloys. Regular technical review meeting and workshop training organised by Constellium staff members. (b) Provision of research strategy and direction relevant to their business. |
| Impact | Outcomes to date have included: Studied the effect of extrusion parameters, post heat treatment conditions on mechanical performance of HSA6 alloys, as well as the influence of extrusion die geometry on the fibrous texture in the extruded microstructure prior to strain enhanced precipitation treatment. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | EPSRC and Constellium - iCASE studentship Chrysoula Tzileroglou |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Novel processing of 6xxx alloys for automotive applications - iCASE Studentship, Chrysoula Tzileroglou. This collaboration involves the understanding and optimisation of the processing (e.g. extrusion, post thermomechanical treatments) conditions on microstructure and mechanical performance in terms of hardness, yield strength, tensile strength and ductility. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Constellium hold regular meetings to steer the research to their industrial product requirements. Constellium: (a) provision of DC billets and extrusions of HSA8 alloys. Regular technical review meeting and workshop training organised by Constellium staff members. (b) Provision of research strategy and direction relevant to their business. |
| Impact | Outcomes to date have included: Studied the effect of extrusion parameters, post heat treatment conditions on mechanical performance of HSA6 alloys, as well as the influence of extrusion die geometry on the fibrous texture in the extruded microstructure prior to strain enhanced precipitation treatment. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Innovate UK - Aluminium for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (Al-ULEV) |
| Organisation | Constellium |
| Department | Constellium UK Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The main objectives of the project are to provide high strength extruded components for the manufacture of vehicle frames and battery enclosures for GMD i-Stream and JLR I-Pace electric vehicles. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The first generation of vehicle and enclosure extruded components will use the present Constellium HSA6 and HCA6 aluminium extrusion alloys to provide component weight saving beyond the current state-of-the art. |
| Impact | The project will design, develop extruded components for prototype vehicle integration systems and for battery enclosures for Gordon Murray Design for an electric vehicle based on the aluminium intensive version of their i-Stream vehicle under development in the IUK CAAHS project. The second development in the project will be for vehicle integration and battery box enclosures, for the JLR I-Pace. The longer term intention is to establish a UK based manufacturing facility for world leading cost efficient aluminium extruded sections based on the intensive use of fully recyclable aluminium alloys in order to provide an on-shore resource for both extrusion and ULEV component manufacture. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Innovate UK - Aluminium for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (Al-ULEV) |
| Organisation | Gordon Murray Design Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The main objectives of the project are to provide high strength extruded components for the manufacture of vehicle frames and battery enclosures for GMD i-Stream and JLR I-Pace electric vehicles. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The first generation of vehicle and enclosure extruded components will use the present Constellium HSA6 and HCA6 aluminium extrusion alloys to provide component weight saving beyond the current state-of-the art. |
| Impact | The project will design, develop extruded components for prototype vehicle integration systems and for battery enclosures for Gordon Murray Design for an electric vehicle based on the aluminium intensive version of their i-Stream vehicle under development in the IUK CAAHS project. The second development in the project will be for vehicle integration and battery box enclosures, for the JLR I-Pace. The longer term intention is to establish a UK based manufacturing facility for world leading cost efficient aluminium extruded sections based on the intensive use of fully recyclable aluminium alloys in order to provide an on-shore resource for both extrusion and ULEV component manufacture. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Innovate UK - Aluminium for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (Al-ULEV) |
| Organisation | Innoval Technology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The main objectives of the project are to provide high strength extruded components for the manufacture of vehicle frames and battery enclosures for GMD i-Stream and JLR I-Pace electric vehicles. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The first generation of vehicle and enclosure extruded components will use the present Constellium HSA6 and HCA6 aluminium extrusion alloys to provide component weight saving beyond the current state-of-the art. |
| Impact | The project will design, develop extruded components for prototype vehicle integration systems and for battery enclosures for Gordon Murray Design for an electric vehicle based on the aluminium intensive version of their i-Stream vehicle under development in the IUK CAAHS project. The second development in the project will be for vehicle integration and battery box enclosures, for the JLR I-Pace. The longer term intention is to establish a UK based manufacturing facility for world leading cost efficient aluminium extruded sections based on the intensive use of fully recyclable aluminium alloys in order to provide an on-shore resource for both extrusion and ULEV component manufacture. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | "Sustainable Aluminium Automotive Alloys" ALFED-Automotive Industry Meet the Aluminium Industry Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | It is apparent that the automotive industry is in strong demand for aluminium and this demand is a chance for the sector to show how aluminium in automotive applications can and will be the sustainable future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://alfed.org.uk/eb-events/automotive-industry-meet-the-aluminium-industry/ |
| Description | Aluminium Alloy formulation from Shredded End-of-life Vehicles |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Online presentation given at the 4th Annual Vehicle Recycling Conference 25th November 2021 Event which offers a meeting place for top manufacturers, researchers, academics, decision-makers and other business professionals who are keen to share their knowledge and experience in the most pressing issues of vehicle dismantling. The conference represents a unique opportunity for learning, exchanging opinions, and expanding one's network enabled by live presentations followed by dynamic Q&A sessions - providing the attendees with valuable insights from the representatives of the biggest scrap metal recycling companies and leaders from automotive and manufacturing industries. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://lp.bcf-events.com/4th-annual-vehicle-recycling-online-conference/#:~:text=ABOUT%20THE%20CONF... |
| Description | Aluminium from Cans to Cars: Recycling the future |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Online presentation at the Warwick Manufacturing Group Research Colloquium on 27th April 2021 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIosZiubzUY |
| Description | Aluminium recycling: Is there still magic? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Blog posted on Innoval website |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.innovaltec.com/aluminium-recycling-still-magic-blog/ |
| Description | Conference participation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation at the ICAP6 6th International Conference on Advances in Solidification Processes 20-24 June 2022, Le Bischenberg, France Tittle of the presentation was "Controlled solidification of second phase particles (SPPs) through SDAS refinement by minor element addition in Al-alloys" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://icasp6.sciencesconf.org/data/ICASP_2022_detailed_scientific_program_version_up_to_date.pdf |
| Description | EPSRC Engineering Net Zero Week |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We exhibited a stand at the EPSRC Net Zero event in Glasgow, 20-24 June 2022 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.ukri.org/events/epsrc-engineering-net-zero-showcase/ |
| Description | Electron Backscatter Diffraction Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Isaac Chang: Electron Backscatter Diffraction Meeting at National Physics Laboratory. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Enhancing strength of light alloys through precipitation hardening |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Enhancing strength of light alloys through precipitation hardening at The 3rd ICYS & MANA Reunion Workshop by C. Mendis on 4-5 March 2021 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/news_room/conference/2021011501.html |
| Description | Formulation of Wrought Aluminium Alloys from Post-consumer Scrap Streams |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Online presentation at the IFAM: International Forum on Advanced Materials on 18th October 2021 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Launch of UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metals |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metals, one of five centres recently funded as part of a £22.5 million government investment hosted its official launch as an online event during the Covid-19 pandemic. The centre is a collaboration between Brunel University London, University College London and Warwick University; and over 30 industry partners. The launch outlined the Centre's vision and aims to make the UK the first country to fully circulate metals by 2050; and included speeches from prominent figures in industry, the public sector and academia. There were opportunities for networking and lively panel debate sessions with guest speakers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/ |
| Description | Recycled AA6111 aluminium alloy manufactured by melt conditioned direct chill casting and thermomechanical forming processes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at International Conference on Materials Science and Engineering 2019 16-18 Sept 2019 by I Chang. Title: Recycled AA6111 aluminium alloy manufactured by melt conditioned direct chill casting and thermomechanical forming processes |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.materialsconferenceaustralia.com/ |
| Description | The Effect of Profile Shape on Crystallographic Texture of Extruded 6xxx High Strength Aluminium Alloy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at TMS 2020 conference, 149th Annual Meeting & Exhibition 23-27 Feb 2020 by C Tzilerouglou. Title: The Effect of Profile Shape on Crystallographic Texture of Extruded 6xxx High Strength Aluminium Alloy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.tms.org/tms2020/downloads/TMS2020-Technical-Program-WEB.pdf |
| Description | The Effect of Profile Shape on Crystallographic Texture of Extruded 6xxx High Strength Aluminium Alloy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at TMS 2020 conference, 149th Annual Meeting & Exhibition 23-27 Feb 2020 by I Chang. Title: The Effect of Profile Shape on Crystallographic Texture of Extruded 6xxx High Strength Aluminium Alloy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.tms.org/tms2020/downloads/TMS2020-Technical-Program-WEB.pdf |
| Description | Webinar series hosted by Cameca on atom probe tomography |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Part of the internationally accessed set of atom probe tomography seminar hosted by the Cameca title of the webinar -Using Atom Probe Tomography to understand the precipitation hardening of Magnesium alloys: pitfalls and successes |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.cameca.com/learning-zone/webinars/webinars-apt |