I-Corps: Mechanistic solid-state welding model for materially efficient metal extrusions

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种可持续的制造工艺，以减少越来越多地用于电动汽车、机械和建筑中的轻金属挤压件的成本和上市时间。这一发展有可能使挤压机的利润率翻一番，使美国制造商更具竞争力，并最终为全球挤压机行业每年节省约40亿美元。拟议的工艺可能会加速采用高效的挤压设计，从而使车辆更轻，运输造成的污染更少。此外，通过将传统挤压过程中产生的废料减少25%-50%，这一工艺可能会使美国制造业在环境上更可持续。如果成功，这将提高能源效率，减少美国工业的碳足迹。此外，为该技术开发的固态焊接基础科学可能会为其他连接技术的发展提供指导，以防止不良焊缝的形成。这个I-Corps项目基于机械固态焊接模型、挤压模拟和设计新的轻金属挤压工具和坯料形状的算法的开发。这一发展可能会减少铝和镁组件直接挤压时产生的废钢。目前，大约四分之一的挤压材料无法制成最终产品，在制造过程中被报废。制造废料的一个来源是去除在连续挤压的金属方坯之间形成的薄弱的固态焊缝。所提出的技术控制最终横向焊缝的几何形状，以及当其通过挤压模具时在展开界面上的变形条件。这进而决定了界面氧化物碎裂、界面处的法向接触应力和剪切接触应力，以及随后的焊接强度。这项技术旨在缩短焊缝(减少必须移除的型材数量)并增加焊缝的强度(在许多非关键应用中无需移除焊缝)。早期对铝坯的物理试验和模拟表明，新技术可以将挤压废料的产生减少至少25%。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a sustainable manufacturing process that reduces the costs and time to market for light metal extrusions increasingly used in electric vehicles, machinery, and buildings. This development has the potential to double an extruder’s profit margin, make U.S. manufacturers more competitive, and ultimately save the global industry around $4 billion per year. The proposed process may accelerate the adoption of efficient extrusion designs, leading to lighter vehicles and less pollution from transport. In addition, this process may make U.S. manufacturing more environmentally sustainable by reducing the scrap that is generated in conventional extrusion by 25-50%. If successful, this will increase the energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of U.S. industry. Furthermore, the underlying science on solid-state welding developed for this technology may inform the development of other joining technologies to prevent undesirable welds from forming.This I-Corps project is based on the development of mechanistic solid-state welding models, extrusion simulations, and algorithms for designing new light metal extrusion tools and billet shapes. This development may reduce the scrap generated in direct extrusion of aluminum and magnesium components. Currently, around one-quarter of the extruded material fails to make it to a final product and is scrapped within the manufacturing process. One source of manufacturing scrap is the removal of the weak, solid-state weld that forms between consecutively extruded metal billets. The proposed technology controls the geometry of the final transverse weld and the deformation conditions across the evolving interface as it passes through the extrusion die. This in turn determines the interface oxide fragmentation, normal and shear contact stresses at the interface, and subsequently the weld strength. This technology is designed to shorten the weld (reducing the quantity of the profile that must be removed) and increase the weld’s strength (negating the need to remove the weld in many non-critical applications). Early physical trials and simulations on aluminum billets indicate that the new technology may reduce the generation of extrusion scrap by at least 25%.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.