Fletcher Aluminium is a New Zealand company that manufactures aluminium extrusions for the building market. Their extrusion process involves using a hydraulic ram to force heated raw supplied material, in the form of large diameter cylindrical logs, through a die land that is the desired product shape. The final quality of the extruded product is influenced by the extrusion temperature, ram pressure and extrusion speed. The speed of extrusion at Fletcher Aluminium is limited by the extrusion ram pressure because the extrusion machine is operating at the pressure limit of the compressor. Currently the company requires an increase in the extrusion speed, while maintaining quality requirements where these improvements are desired without upgrading the compressor. The press pressure is required to overcome friction and the flow stress of the billet, which is dependent on the precipitates and solutes conditions and their strengthening effects in the billet. However, the preheating temperature and extrusion speeds need to be sufficiently low enough to avoid hot tearing. This research starts to increase the ram speed by decreasing the Mg2Si content for precipitation strengthening. Heat treatment may be used to dissolve Mg2Si content by billet preheat to a temperature at or exceeds solvus temperature (TSolvus). However, a higher (than TSolvus) billet temperature may have two conflicting effects. First, a higher temperature in general reduces the flow stress thus lowering the required pressure. On the other hand, at temperature higher than Tsolvus, Mg2Si should completely dissolve, resulting in solid solution strengthening thus increasing the flow stress. The objective of the study is to quantify the strengthening contributions from solute atoms (Mg / Si) and precipitates (Mg2Si) on the as-received and heat treated test samples using room temperature mechanical testing and phase diagram analysis. The selected heat treatment conditions fully enclose the preheating temperature and time range currently used in Fletcher Aluminium production. Simulations of the extrusion were conducted by hot compression testing (Gleeble test), to measure the combination of strengthening effects during deformation at elevated temperatures. The room temperature tests have shown that hardness, yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are minimised at approximately 405°C. The minimum point is shown to be caused by the combination of strengthening and softening due to solid solution and precipitation strengthening. The higher values of hardness, YS and UTS at lower and higher preheating temperatures are mainly due to precipitation and solution strengthening respectively. The findings show that, the solution of Mg2Si gradually increases as the temperature increases at temperatures exceeding 405°C. Hardness, YS and UTS were compared in order to determine the correlation between each mechanical property. A correlation exists, but it is not simple to translate between each mechanical property. The relationship between hardness and stress observed for 8% permanent strain was also investigated; there was no improvement in correlation. The elevated temperature tests show that initial flow stress and peak flow stress reduces linearly with temperature increases, which means higher testing temperature results lower precipitation and solid solution strengthening effects. Additionally, the constants of the Gleeble – Holomon equation were numerically calculated and are similar to published values. The Gleeble – Holomon equation was combined with Felthams equation in order to provide a relationship between extrusion velocity and extrusion temperature.

Fletcher Aluminium is a New Zealand company that manufactures aluminium extrusions for the building market. Their extrusion process involves using a hydraulic ram to force heated raw supplied material, in the form of large diameter cylindrical logs, through a die land that is the desired product shape. The final quality of the extruded product is influenced by the extrusion temperature, ram pressure and extrusion speed. The speed of extrusion at Fletcher Aluminium is limited by the extrusion ram pressure because the extrusion machine is operating at the pressure limit of the compressor. Currently the company requires an increase in the extrusion speed, while maintaining quality requirements where these improvements are desired without upgrading the compressor. The press pressure is required to overcome friction and the flow stress of the billet, which is dependent on the precipitates and solutes conditions and their strengthening effects in the billet. However, the preheating temperature and extrusion speeds need to be sufficiently low enough to avoid hot tearing. This research starts to increase the ram speed by decreasing the Mg2Si content for precipitation strengthening. Heat treatment may be used to dissolve Mg2Si content by billet preheat to a temperature at or exceeds solvus temperature (TSolvus). However, a higher (than TSolvus) billet temperature may have two conflicting effects. First, a higher temperature in general reduces the flow stress thus lowering the required pressure. On the other hand, at temperature higher than Tsolvus, Mg2Si should completely dissolve, resulting in solid solution strengthening thus increasing the flow stress. The objective of the study is to quantify the strengthening contributions from solute atoms (Mg / Si) and precipitates (Mg2Si) on the as-received and heat treated test samples using room temperature mechanical testing and phase diagram analysis. The selected heat treatment conditions fully enclose the preheating temperature and time range currently used in Fletcher Aluminium production. Simulations of the extrusion were conducted by hot compression testing (Gleeble test), to measure the combination of strengthening effects during deformation at elevated temperatures. The room temperature tests have shown that hardness, yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are minimised at approximately 405°C. The minimum point is shown to be caused by the combination of strengthening and softening due to solid solution and precipitation strengthening. The higher values of hardness, YS and UTS at lower and higher preheating temperatures are mainly due to precipitation and solution strengthening respectively. The findings show that, the solution of Mg2Si gradually increases as the temperature increases at temperatures exceeding 405°C. Hardness, YS and UTS were compared in order to determine the correlation between each mechanical property. A correlation exists, but it is not simple to translate between each mechanical property. The relationship between hardness and stress observed for 8% permanent strain was also investigated; there was no improvement in correlation. The elevated temperature tests show that initial flow stress and peak flow stress reduces linearly with temperature increases, which means higher testing temperature results lower precipitation and solid solution strengthening effects. Additionally, the constants of the Gleeble – Holomon equation were numerically calculated and are similar to published values. The Gleeble – Holomon equation was combined with Felthams equation in order to provide a relationship between extrusion velocity and extrusion temperature.

Le projet porte sur la résistance structurale et durabilité d’un plancher de ponton fait d’extrusions d’aluminium assemblées par insertion rapide. C’est une étude qui vise à valider le nouveau concept et d’implémenter la technique d’assemblage par insertion rapide dans la construction d’un ponton. Les nouvelles pièces nécessaires au projet sont déjà conçues et la présente étude se limite à l’étude du comportement de la nouvelle structure. Le projet comporte deux parties, numérique et pratique. La partie numérique consiste à effectuer des simulations numériques sur les deux modèles de pontons nouveau et actuel. Les simulations effectuées ont montré que les deux pontons (ancien et nouveau) ont des comportements similaires. Deux cas de chargement ont été analysés, le premier représente un déplacement des pontons sur l’eau et le deuxième impose une torsion sur les structures des deux pontons. Les valeurs des déplacements obtenues pour le premier cas de chargement sont de 1.195 mm et 1.357 mm pour l’ancien et le nouveau ponton respectivement. Pour le deuxième cas de chargement les déplacements sont de 15.18 mm dans le cas du ponton actuel et 13.43 mm pour le nouveau modèle. De plus les contraintes correspondantes à ces déplacements sont très faibles par rapport à la limite élastique de l’aluminium. La valeur maximale obtenue pour tous les tests est de 65 MPa pour le ponton actuel dans le cas de torsion et de 50 MPa pour le nouveau ponton dans les mêmes conditions. Les simulations numériques ne peuvent pas montrer tous les détails de la structure, comme les clips des nouvelles extrusions qui forment le plancher de ponton. Pour tester ces parties il fallait effectuer des essais pratiques en fatigue et en statique sur des sections partielles de 4 extrusions du plancher du nouveau ponton. D’après les tests statiques, on a pu déterminer les configurations des clips qui permettent aux sections partielles de résister à la force appliquée, et de rester assemblées. Ce sont les clips partiels ou complets qui offrent cette résistance. Après les tests statiques, les tests en fatigue ont déterminé que les sections partielles résistent à une force locale de 2 250 N (500 lb) pendant 1 500 000 cycles ce qui équivaut à environ 3500 lbs de charge répartie sur l’ensemble du ponton. Enfin des essais sur l’eau sont réalisés sur un prototype du nouveau ponton. Aucun bris n’est parvenu au niveau des clips et l’analyse des données regroupées durant les tests permet de valider que la structure du nouveau ponton est résistante.

Uppsatsen behandlar bullerdämpning vid kap på ProfilGruppen Extrusions AB i Åseda. Problemen med ljudnivån beror bland annat på stomljudet som alstras av kapen i de långa profilerna. För att sänka ljudnivån har fastklampningskonstruktioner tagits fram som dämpar stomljudet och förslag på vidare åtgärder rapporterats. Försök och jämförande mätningar av ljudnivån har utförts för att få ett bra underlag att utvärdera. Resultaten av försöken med viskoelastisk plast som dämpelement visar en viss dämpning. Dämpningen kan med all sannolikhet bli större med användning av tjockare dämpelement. / This project is about noise reduction of a cross cut saw at ProfilGruppen Extrusions AB, Åseda. The problems with the sound level depend on the structure-borne sound that generates in the long profiles. To lower the sound level have press clamp constructions been developed which reduce and further attends have been suggested. Attempts and comperative measurings of the sound level have been evaluated. The results of the comperative measurings with viscoelastic plastic as damping element display certain damping. The damping can in all probability become larger using a thicker damping element.

<p>Uppsatsen behandlar bullerdämpning vid kap på ProfilGruppen Extrusions AB i Åseda. Problemen med ljudnivån beror bland annat på stomljudet som alstras av kapen i de långa profilerna. För att sänka ljudnivån har fastklampningskonstruktioner tagits fram som dämpar stomljudet och förslag på vidare åtgärder rapporterats.</p><p>Försök och jämförande mätningar av ljudnivån har utförts för att få ett bra underlag att utvärdera. Resultaten av försöken med viskoelastisk plast som dämpelement visar en viss dämpning. Dämpningen kan med all sannolikhet bli större med användning av tjockare dämpelement.</p> / <p>This project is about noise reduction of a cross cut saw at ProfilGruppen Extrusions AB, Åseda. The problems with the sound level depend on the structure-borne sound that generates in the long profiles. To lower the sound level have press clamp constructions been developed which reduce and further attends have been suggested.</p><p>Attempts and comperative measurings of the sound level have been evaluated. The results of the comperative measurings with viscoelastic plastic as damping element display certain damping. The damping can in all probability become larger using a thicker damping element.</p>

Submitted by Bruna Rodrigues (bruna92rodrigues@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-09-21T14:11:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRDC.pdf: 7324446 bytes, checksum: 5e04b539c5f14da2f1e2fb0184498eb9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-21T18:26:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRDC.pdf: 7324446 bytes, checksum: 5e04b539c5f14da2f1e2fb0184498eb9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-21T18:26:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRDC.pdf: 7324446 bytes, checksum: 5e04b539c5f14da2f1e2fb0184498eb9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-21T18:26:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRDC.pdf: 7324446 bytes, checksum: 5e04b539c5f14da2f1e2fb0184498eb9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-28 / Não recebi financiamento / The homogenizing heat treatment of aluminium billets has direct influence on extrusion process productivity, surface quality and mechanical properties of extruded shapes. The homogenizing process parameters that impacts on metallurgical properties of 6063 alloys are: temperature, time and cooling rate. The maximum recommended homogenizing temperature for 6063 alloy is 590ºC. The minimum homogenizing time is 2,25h. The minimum cooling rate recommended is 400ºC/h. As for extrusion logs homogenizing process of 6063 6” diameter at Sapa Aluminium Brasil the furnace is a process bottleneck for logs production, this work has investigated about the possibility of time reducing without negative impacts on billet metallurgical properties and without detrimental impacts on productivity of extrusion process and quality of its products. This investigation was done by billet metallographic analysis, cold and hot mechanical tests and extrusion/anodizing trials for different homogenizing time conditions. The results have shown that the time reducing did not cause negative impacts for metallurgical neither for mechanical properties and because of that no detrimental effects for extrusion performance and surface finish and anodized quality was observed. Hence, was possible to decrease 20 minutes on homogenizing time and gain 14,5% of productivity on heat treatment process. / O tratamento térmico de homogeneização de tarugos de alumínio tem influência direta na produtividade do processo de extrusão, na qualidade superficial e nas propriedades mecânicas dos perfis extrudados. As variáveis do tratamento térmico da liga 6063 que influem na qualidade metalúrgica são: temperatura, tempo e taxa de resfriamento. Para liga 6063, a máxima temperatura recomendada de homogeneização é de 590ºC. O tempo mínimo para a homogeneização é de 2,25h. A taxa de resfriamento mínima recomendada é 400ºC/h. Como para o tratamento térmico de tarugos de 6” há um gargalo no forno de homogeneização da Sapa Aluminium Brasil, investigouse neste trabalho possibilidades de redução de tempo no processo de homogeneização evitando impactos negativos na qualidade metalúrgica dos tarugos e/ou na performance dos tarugos no processo de extrusão. Tal investigação foi feita através de análises metalográficas, ensaios mecânicos a frio (dureza e tração) e a quente (torção) e testes práticos no processo de extrusão/anodização para amostras retiradas de tarugos homogeneizados em diferentes condições de tempo de homogeneização. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a redução no tempo de homogeneização não impactou negativamente na qualidade metalúrgica dos tarugos e nem em suas propriedades mecânicas a frio e que as pequenas variações ocorridas mantiveram-se dentro dos limites de especificação e não reduziram a performance do processo de extrusão bem como as propriedades mecânicas e qualidade superficial dos perfis extrudados. Com isso, foi possível reduzir 20 minutos no tempo de tratamento térmico de homogeneização e gerar um ganho de produtividade de 14,5% no processo.