The feedstock: aluminium

Abstract

The rapid growth in the scale of rolling mill operations made possible since World War II by the introduction of Direct Chill (DC) casting is described. The corresponding development of liquid metal preparation and casting practices to provide the large piece weights requiredfor the present high-powered strip mills are outlined. Improved methods of metal degassing andfiltration for the production of increasingly higher feedstock quality are reviewed, and particular reference is made to the importance of cast structure to specific end products such as deep drawing and anodic qualities. Apart from DC casting, there is a small but growing proportion of aluminium produced by continuous strip casting systems and although the methods are, at present, limited in their product range, their economic advantages ensure their continued development.