Lightweight multi-layer composite metal sheet products for the automotive industry

本提案旨在探索为汽车工业生产一种新的轻质多层复合金属板产品。这种多层产品是轻金属合金、铝和镁板的组合，内部有(或没有)一层薄薄的轻钢(HSHD)，将用于汽车白车身结构，以提供耐撞性强度，同时减轻重量。使用水平单带连铸(HSBC)工艺和在线轧制，我们将两个合金流铸造和融合在一起，以便部分混合快速凝固的熔体，然后进行在线轧制。在移动的水冷金属衬底上快速冷却薄板，多合金液体将被输送到该衬底上，这将消除使用铝合金的直流铸造所遇到的反向宏观偏析效应。铸造镁薄板的过程将消除在必须减小镁厚度时遇到的轧制困难。我们将开发一种新的喂料系统，以便连续喂入两种液态金属合金：铝基，然后是镁基，然后依次输送到皮带上。考虑到浮力效应，我们建议我们应该在双层产品的第一次尝试中使用一层薄的铝层，上面覆盖一层镁层。然后我们将尝试铸造三层，HSHD钢/镁/铝薄板产品，并测试其完整性。在凝固过程中，上部的镁表面将受到保护，以防氧化。CFD(计算流体动力学)计算将使用我们的SGI 288核心高性能计算机集群来执行，预测液态金属流动如何与皮带快速等速运动，以形成薄的复合薄板产品。新的复合材料性能将输入福特汽车公司的集成计算材料工程(ICME)数据库，以及我们对微观结构和性能的建模，用于比较和验证。该项目的成果预计将为加拿大的汽车工业带来新的产品/技术，并为其提供必要的HQP。

The present proposal aims to explore the production of a new lightweight multi-composite metal sheet product for the automotive industry. The multi-layer product, as a combination of light metal alloys, aluminum and magnesium sheets, with (or without) an interior thin sheet of light-weighted steel (HSHD), is to be used for auto body-in-white construction, so as to provide strength for crashworthiness with simultaneous light weighting. Using the Horizontal Single Belt Casting (HSBC) process with in-line rolling, we will cast and meld two alloy streams together, so as to partially intermix the rapidly freezing molten alloys, followed by in-line rolling. The rapid cooling of the thin sheet on the moving water cooled metal substrate, onto which the multi-alloy liquids would be delivered, will eliminate the inverse macro-segregation effects encountered using the DC casting with aluminum alloys. The process of casting a thin sheet of magnesium will eliminate rolling difficulties encountered when magnesium thicknesses have to be reduced. We will develop a new feeding system, so as to sequentially feed two streams of liquid metal alloys; aluminum-based, then magnesium-based, onto the belt, one following the other. Taking into account buoyancy effects, we propose that a thin aluminum layer, topped with a magnesium layer should be our first attempt at a two-layer product. We will then attempt to cast a three layers, a HSHD steel/Mg/Al sheet product, and test its integrity. The upper, magnesium surface will be protected from oxidation, during solidification. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) calculations will be performed using our SGI 288 core, High Performance Computer Cluster, predicting the way in which the liquid metal flows become rapidly iso-kinetic with the belt, to form a thin composite sheet product. The new composite properties will be fed into the Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) database of the Ford Motor Company, together with our modelling of the microstructure and properties, for comparison, and for validation. The outcome of this project is expected to bring a new product/technology to Canada's automotive industry, and to provide it with the necessary HQP.**************