NSERC/Rio Tinto Alcan Industrial Research Chair in Metallurgy of Innovative Aluminium Transformation

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Canada annually produces and exports a great amount of primary aluminum metal but also imports a large tonnage of finished aluminum products. Transforming a significant portion of this exported primary aluminum into value-added products would inject a major drive into the national and regional economy. A synergy between universities and industries concerning the research, development and application of aluminum transformation technologies is an essential avenue for achieving this goal. UQAC's long-term commitment in the field of aluminum, combined with the strong industrial support by Rio Tinto Alcan and other regional enterprises around the "Aluminum Valley", constitute a sound basis to continue supporting activities in aluminum transformation for many years to come. The present Chair has made significant contributions to the Canadian aluminum communities both in research and education, and has built a critical mass of R&D resources in the field of aluminum metallurgy. The information and know-how gained from the Chair's research projects help the aluminum industry, particularly in the Québec and Saguenay regions, in adopting innovative transformation technologies and developing new products and market. After the success of the first mandate, the renewed Chair will continue to work on innovative transformation technologies to promote more value-added aluminum products and industrial diversification. After extensive consulting with our industrial partners, the renewed Chair program focuses on four areas of the research: 1) impact of impurities on the microstructure and downstream properties of aluminum cast products; 2) thermomechanical processing of value-added products; 3) advanced aluminum materials and processing; and 4) heat treatment of special aluminum cast alloys. The long-term objectives of the proposed program are i) to advance the knowledge of aluminum metallurgy and its emerging transformation technologies, and ii) to train highly qualified metallurgists and material engineers for the Canadian aluminum and its related industries.