A continuous production method and production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils

Abstract

The application relates to a continuous preparation method and production equipment of an aluminum-strontium alloy wire coil, and comprises the following steps: S1, raw material preparation: preparing aluminum raw material and strontium raw material according to a strontium content of 3wt%-10wt%; S2, smelting and feeding: melting the aluminum raw material in a smelting furnace, adding the strontium raw material and stirring to obtain an aluminum-strontium alloy melt, transferring the aluminum-strontium alloy melt to a holding and degassing side furnace, and then continuously discharging the aluminum-strontium alloy melt to a horizontal continuous casting system; S3, horizontal continuous casting: preparing a blank coil without a sectional joint through the horizontal continuous casting system; S4, surface treatment: inputting the blank coil into a surface treatment system for surface treatment; and S5, continuous extrusion: inputting the pretreated blank coil into a continuous extrusion system, continuously extruding the blank coil, and winding the wire into an aluminum-strontium alloy wire coil. The method has the beneficial effect that all the processes are integrated into a continuous production line, and the technical problem that the aluminum-strontium alloy is difficult to continuously prepare due to the brittle and hard characteristics is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aluminum-based alloy preparation technology, and in particular to a continuous preparation method and production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils. Background Technology

[0002] Aluminum-strontium alloys are the core modified materials in aluminum-silicon alloy systems. Their quality stability and supply continuity directly determine the operating efficiency of automated aluminum-silicon alloy production lines and the mechanical properties of the products. Aluminum-strontium alloys refine and optimize the microstructure and improve mechanical properties by altering the morphology and distribution of eutectic silicon. With the increasing demands for raw material quality and supply efficiency in automated aluminum-silicon alloy production lines, higher requirements are being placed on the continuous production technology of aluminum-strontium alloy coils. The AlSr4 intermetallic compound in aluminum-strontium alloys is a hard and brittle phase. With increasing strontium content, the alloy's plasticity and toughness decrease significantly, and the elongation is generally low. This brittle and hard characteristic makes it difficult to coil aluminum-strontium alloy billets under conventional processing conditions, limiting the application of horizontal continuous casting processes in this alloy system. Therefore, existing aluminum-strontium alloy coil production mostly adopts a segmented process route of casting rods and horizontal extrusion, rather than a continuous production process. Currently, there are patent applications CN115141945B and CN118406914A related to the preparation of aluminum-strontium alloy coils. However, existing production processes for aluminum-strontium alloy coils still have many technical defects and cannot meet the diverse needs of actual production.

[0003] First, the process adaptability of the melting and casting stage is insufficient. Most existing processes are integrated single-furnace melting and flaring operations. Fluctuations in composition and temperature during the melting process directly affect casting stability, making it impossible to decouple the melting preparation from stable material supply. While some dual-furnace circulation processes attempt to solve the problem of continuous material supply, they involve high equipment investment and redundant processes, making it impossible to achieve long-term, stable flaring and thus difficult to guarantee the stability of continuous production.

[0004] Secondly, the casting process suffers from poor billet adaptability. Due to the brittle and hard characteristics of aluminum-strontium alloys, existing processes struggle to stably produce long, rollable aluminum-strontium alloy billets through horizontal continuous casting. The billets are mostly segmented, making continuous connection between processes impossible and failing to meet the automated processing requirements of continuous extrusion presses. While some processes mention continuous casting, the cast billets still require intermediate processing before entering the extrusion process, failing to achieve truly continuous production across the entire process.

[0005] Third, continuous production cannot be achieved in the forming process. Existing technologies mostly use horizontal extrusion presses to process fixed-length rods, requiring the cast rods to be heated to 300℃-400℃ before being sequentially placed into the extrusion chamber for extrusion. The fixed length is limited, the weight of a single roll is small, and when each rod is extruded to a remaining 10-20mm, the next rod must be placed in for further extrusion, resulting in a large number of joints in the finished product. Frequent machine stops for material changes and high levels of manual intervention during production lead to a high scrap rate, and the composition and properties at the joint locations fluctuate greatly, making it unsuitable for the long-term continuous production requirements of automated aluminum-silicon alloy production lines. Summary of the Invention

[0006] (a) Technical problems to be solved In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a continuous preparation method and production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy coils, which solves the technical problems of poor casting stability caused by the coupling of smelting and feeding processes, the inability to prepare coilable jointless billets, and the need for frequent machine stops to change materials for fixed-length extrusion in the prior art.

[0007] (II) Technical Solution To achieve the above objectives, the main technical solutions adopted by the present invention include: In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a continuous preparation method for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils, wherein the mass percentage of strontium in the prepared aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils is 3wt%-10wt%, comprising the following steps: S1. Raw material preparation: Prepare the corresponding aluminum and strontium raw materials according to the ratio of 3wt%-10wt% strontium content, and transport the aluminum raw materials to the smelting furnace. S2. Melting and feeding: Aluminum raw materials are melted and heated in a melting furnace, strontium raw materials are added and stirred, and aluminum-strontium alloy melt is obtained after refining and slag removal. Then, the aluminum-strontium alloy melt is transferred to a heat-preserving and degassing side furnace. The heat-preserving and degassing side furnace is kept at a constant temperature and degassing and slag removal are continued. Then, it is continuously discharged into the horizontal continuous casting system for continuous feeding. S3, Horizontal Continuous Casting: The aluminum-strontium alloy melt is processed by a horizontal continuous casting system to prepare billet coils without segmented joints; S4. Surface treatment: Input the blank roll output from the previous step into the surface treatment system for surface treatment to obtain a pre-treated blank roll with a smooth surface. S5. Continuous extrusion: The pre-processed billet roll output from the previous step is input into the continuous extrusion system, and continuous seamless aluminum-strontium alloy wire is produced by continuous extrusion, and the wire is wound into an aluminum-strontium alloy coil.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S2, aluminum raw material is melted in a melting furnace and heated to 850°C-900°C, strontium raw material is added and stirred for 20-40 minutes; The heat-insulating and degassing side furnace maintains a constant temperature of 800℃-850℃. During the smelting process, granular refining agent is injected into the aluminum-strontium alloy melt using argon gas as a carrier to remove gas and slag.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S3, the aluminum-strontium alloy melt is subjected to crystallization cooling and continuous traction in sequence to prepare a rollable aluminum-strontium alloy billet without segmented joints, which is then rolled into a billet roll by a rolling device. The diameter of the aluminum-strontium alloy billet is 16mm-35mm.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the billet roll is sequentially uncoiled, continuously machined to remove surface oxide scale and casting defects, ultrasonically cleaned to remove surface residual impurities, hot air dried and rewound to form a pretreated billet roll. In step S5, the pre-treated billet roll is unwound and continuously extruded in sequence to produce a continuous, jointless aluminum-strontium alloy wire.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the ultrasonic cleaning temperature is 60℃-70℃, the cleaning time is 25s-35s, and the hot air drying temperature is 100℃-120℃. In step S5, the extrusion speed of continuous extrusion is 4m / min-5m / min.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S1, the aluminum raw material is industrial aluminum liquid or aluminum ingot.

[0013] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a production equipment for implementing the above-mentioned preparation method, comprising a melting and casting system, a horizontal continuous casting system, a surface treatment system, and a continuous extrusion system sequentially connected along the upstream to downstream direction of the production line; The melting and casting system includes a melting furnace and a heat-holding and degassing side furnace arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The melting furnace is used to melt raw materials and refine and remove slag to prepare aluminum-strontium alloy melt. The heat-holding and degassing side furnace is used to receive the aluminum-strontium alloy melt, perform constant temperature heat holding and degassing refining deep purification treatment on the aluminum-strontium alloy melt, and continuously feed it to the horizontal continuous casting unit. The horizontal continuous casting system is used to form the aluminum-strontium alloy melt from the heat-preserving and degassing side furnace into a continuous billet through horizontal continuous casting, and then roll the continuous billet into a billet roll for output. The input end of the surface treatment system is connected to the output end of the billet roll of the horizontal continuous casting system. It is used to receive the billet roll and perform uncoiling, surface oxide scale removal and straightening treatment on the billet roll to obtain a pre-treated billet with a smooth surface. The pre-treated billet is then re-coiled into a pre-treated billet roll and output. The input end of the continuous extrusion system is connected to the output end of the pre-treated blank roll of the surface treatment system. It is used to receive the pre-treated blank roll and unwind and continuously extrude and deform the pre-treated blank roll to obtain continuous seamless aluminum-strontium alloy wire, and then wind the wire into an aluminum-strontium alloy coil.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the smelting furnace is provided with a removable inner liner; The heat-insulating and degassing side furnace is connected to the horizontal continuous casting system through a sealed transfer pipeline, the outer wall of which is provided with a heat-insulating layer.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal continuous casting system includes an annular crystallizer, a continuous traction device, and a coiling device arranged sequentially along the upstream to downstream direction of the production line; The annular crystallizer is used to cool and crystallize the aluminum-strontium alloy melt; the continuous traction device is used to apply continuous traction force to the billet passing through the annular crystallizer to stretch out a continuous billet; the coiling device is used to bend and coil the continuous billet into a billet roll.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the surface treatment system includes an unwinding unit, a continuous railcar device, an ultrasonic cleaning device, a hot air drying device, and a rewinding device arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The continuous extrusion system includes an uncoiling and feeding unit, a continuous extruder, a cooling water tank, a dryer, and a rewinder, arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line.

[0017] (III) Beneficial Effects The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The continuous preparation method and production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils of this invention decouple the smelting preparation and stable material supply processes, ensuring the continuous stability of the casting process. This invention adopts a dual-furnace layout of a smelting furnace and a holding and degassing side furnace. After the smelting furnace independently completes the raw material smelting and refining slag removal, the aluminum-strontium alloy melt is transferred to the holding and degassing side furnace for independent constant temperature holding and continuous degassing and slag removal. This achieves physical separation and functional decoupling of the smelting process and the material supply process, avoiding the direct impact of composition and temperature fluctuations during the smelting process on casting stability in single-furnace integrated operations. The holding and degassing side furnace can continuously and stably supply melt to the horizontal continuous casting system, providing a uniform and stable melt source for continuous casting.

[0018] This invention incorporates an independent, continuous degassing and slag removal section within the heat-insulating degassing furnace. This section performs online deep purification of the transferred aluminum-strontium alloy melt, effectively removing gases and non-metallic inclusions and significantly improving melt cleanliness. Combined with the rapid solidification characteristics of horizontal continuous casting, this substantially reduces the internal porosity and inclusion content of the final wire coil product, providing a core guarantee for the preparation of high-quality aluminum-strontium alloy products.

[0019] This invention, based on a strontium content range of 3wt%-10wt%, utilizes a horizontal continuous casting method to directly cast a deeply purified aluminum-strontium alloy melt into a continuous billet. This billet is rollable and seamless, solving the technical problem that traditional semi-continuous casting or die casting processes can only produce fixed-length segmented billets. The continuous billet not only facilitates flexible roll-to-roll connections and continuous input between processes but also allows for seamless connection to subsequent continuous extrusion processes, providing a fundamental guarantee for the billet's shape to ensure continuous operation of the entire production line without shutdown. Simultaneously, this process eliminates the cutting losses, splicing waste, and downtime for material changes associated with traditional fixed-length billets, increasing raw material utilization to over 98%.

[0020] This invention directly feeds surface-treated continuous billets into a continuous extrusion press for continuous extrusion deformation, eliminating the frequent shutdowns and billet replacements required in traditional horizontal extrusion processes. This achieves fully continuous extrusion forming from billet to wire. The resulting aluminum-strontium alloy wire is a continuous, jointless structure. When wound into coils, a single coil can weigh over 100 kg, and the entire coil is jointless. This eliminates the risk of performance fluctuations caused by component segregation and uneven microstructure at joint locations, and meets the stringent requirements of downstream automated aluminum-silicon alloy production lines for continuous raw material supply and long-term quality stability. Compared to fixed-length rods produced by traditional horizontal extrusion presses, this invention completely solves the core pain points of short lengths, numerous joints, frequent material changes, high scrap rates, excessive manual intervention, and large performance fluctuations at joints. Production efficiency is increased by over 30%, and the scrap rate is reduced by over 80%.

[0021] This invention utilizes the strong shearing and rapid cooling effects of continuous extrusion deformation to produce fine and dispersed AlSr4 intermetallic compounds in the product, with oxygen content controllable below 0.015%. It exhibits rapid degradation and dissolution, stable performance, and no batch-to-batch fluctuations, fully meeting the degradation requirements for automated production of high-end aluminum-silicon alloys. The AlSr4 intermetallic compounds in aluminum-strontium alloys are considered hard and brittle, making it difficult to prepare coilable billets using horizontal continuous casting, let alone achieve fully continuous production. This invention overcomes this technical bias by decoupling the smelting and feeding processes, using horizontal continuous casting to prepare coilable cast rods, surface treatment, and a systematic process design. It connects horizontal continuous casting and continuous extrusion processes in series for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coil production, achieving fully continuous production from melt to coil, overcoming the technical challenge of continuous production of aluminum-strontium alloys due to their brittle and hard characteristics.

[0022] This invention organically integrates various processes into a continuous production line. The melting, casting, surface treatment, and extrusion systems are flexibly connected roll to roll using rollable blanks, avoiding the efficiency losses and quality degradation caused by repeated loading, unloading, transfer, and storage between independent processes in traditional segmented processes. The entire preparation process requires no frequent manual intervention and can operate continuously and stably for extended periods. While significantly improving production efficiency and reducing scrap rates, it ensures a high degree of consistency and repeatability in the quality of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils both within and between batches. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the melting and casting system and the horizontal continuous casting system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the surface treatment system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of the continuous extrusion system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a photograph of the φ9.5mm Al-5Sr alloy wire coil prepared in Example 2 of the present invention; Figure 5 The image shows a φ21mm aluminum-strontium alloy billet prepared in Example 2 of this invention; where a is a physical image of the aluminum-strontium alloy billet; and b is a metallographic image of the aluminum-strontium alloy billet. Figure 6 The image shows an Al-10Sr alloy wire coil with a diameter of φ9.5mm prepared in Example 3 of this invention; wherein, a is a physical image of the Al-10Sr alloy wire coil; and b is a metallographic image of the Al-10Sr alloy wire coil.

[0024] [Explanation of Labels in the Attached Image] 1: Melting and casting system; 11: Melting furnace; 111: Inner liner; 12: Insulating and degassing side furnace; 2: Horizontal continuous casting system; 21: Annular crystallizer; 22: Continuous traction device; 23: Coiling device; 3: Surface treatment system; 31: Uncoiling unit; 311: First pay-off frame; 312: Traction machine; 313: Horizontal and vertical straightening machine; 32: Continuous wagon device; 33: Ultrasonic cleaning device; 34: Hot air drying device; 35: Rewinding device; 4: Continuous extrusion system; 41: Uncoiling and feeding unit; 411: Second pay-off frame; 412: Traction straightening machine; 42: Continuous extrusion press; 43: Cooling water tank; 44: Dryer; 45: Meter counting device; 46: Winding machine; 5: Sealed transfer pipeline. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To better explain and facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] While exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the invention can be understood more clearly and thoroughly, and that the scope of the invention can be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art.

[0027] Example 1 like Figures 1-3 As shown, this embodiment provides a production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils. The production equipment includes a melting and casting system 1, a horizontal continuous casting system 2, a surface treatment system 3, and a continuous extrusion system 4, which are sequentially connected along the upstream to downstream direction of the production line.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, the melting and casting system 1 includes a melting furnace 11 and a heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The melting furnace 11 is used to melt raw materials and refine and remove slag to prepare aluminum-strontium alloy melt. The heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 is used to receive the aluminum-strontium alloy melt, perform constant temperature heat holding and degassing refining deep purification treatment on the aluminum-strontium alloy melt, and continuously supply it to the horizontal continuous casting unit. The horizontal continuous casting system 2 is used to form the aluminum-strontium alloy melt from the heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 into continuous billets through horizontal continuous casting, and then coil the continuous billets into billet coils for output. The input end of the surface treatment system 3 is connected to the billet coil output end of the horizontal continuous casting system 2. It is used to receive the billet coils and perform uncoiling, surface oxide scale removal and straightening treatment on the billet coils to obtain pre-treated billets with a smooth surface, and then re-coil the pre-treated billets into pre-treated billet coils for output. The input end of the continuous extrusion system 4 is connected to the output end of the pre-treated billet coil of the surface treatment system 3. It is used to receive the pre-treated billet coil and unwind and continuously extrude and deform it to obtain continuous, jointless aluminum-strontium alloy wire. The wire is then wound into an aluminum-strontium alloy coil. This invention adopts a dual-furnace layout of a melting furnace 11 and a heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12. After the melting furnace 11 independently completes the raw material melting and refining and slag removal, the aluminum-strontium alloy melt is transferred to the heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 for independent constant temperature heat holding and continuous degassing and slag removal. This realizes the physical separation and functional decoupling of the melting process and the feeding process, avoiding the direct impact of the composition and temperature fluctuations of the melting process on the casting stability in single-furnace integrated operation. The heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 can continuously and stably discharge to the horizontal continuous casting system 2, providing a source of melt with uniform quality and stable supply for continuous casting. By organically integrating all processes into a continuous production line, the melting, casting, surface treatment, and extrusion systems achieve flexible roll-to-roll connections through rollable billets. This avoids the efficiency losses and quality degradation caused by repeated loading, unloading, transfer, and storage between independent processes in traditional segmented processes. The entire preparation process requires no frequent manual intervention and can operate continuously and stably for extended periods. While significantly improving production efficiency and reducing scrap rates, it ensures a high degree of consistency and repeatability in the quality of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils both within and between batches.

[0029] Among them, the horizontal continuous casting system 2, the rod surface treatment system 3, and the continuous extrusion system 4 are independent modular units that can be flexibly arranged according to the factory space conditions and production flow planning, without the need for mandatory integrated linear installation. Since the systems are flexibly connected by rollable ultra-long aluminum-strontium alloy billets, they form a continuous production line in terms of process, and can be arranged independently in separate workshops according to the actual factory conditions. This layout method not only ensures continuous production throughout the entire process, but also avoids the stringent requirements on factory length and structure of traditional integrated equipment, significantly improving site adaptability.

[0030] Preferably, the melting furnace 11 is equipped with a titanium alloy bell jar, an electromagnetic stirring device, and a refining and slag removal device. The titanium alloy bell jar is used to press strontium into the aluminum melt, preventing strontium from directly contacting air and causing it to burn off. The electromagnetic stirring device is used to forcibly homogenize the melt, ensuring that strontium is evenly distributed within the aluminum melt. The refining and slag removal device is used to inject a refining agent into the melt to achieve degassing and slag removal. These devices work together to complete the melting of aluminum raw materials and the alloying preparation of the aluminum-strontium alloy melt.

[0031] Preferably, the smelting furnace 11 is equipped with a removable inner liner 111. When the inner liner 111 of the smelting furnace 11 is worn or requires maintenance, the inner liner 111 can be quickly disassembled and replaced, which greatly shortens the maintenance downtime. During the maintenance process, the melt remaining in the heat preservation and degassing side furnace 12 can ensure the continuous operation of the casting process, with no interruption in production and no waste loss, thus ensuring the continuous operation of the smelting process.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the melting furnace 11 is a medium-frequency induction melting furnace 11.

[0033] Preferably, the heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 is an electrically heated heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12, equipped with an electric heating temperature control system, an online refining, degassing, and slag removal device, and a melt level closed-loop control system. The heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 receives the aluminum-strontium alloy melt prepared by the melting furnace 11 and maintains a constant temperature of 800℃-850℃ through the electric heating temperature control system. An independent online refining, degassing, and slag removal device is installed in the heat-holding and degassing side furnace 12 to perform online deep purification of the transferred aluminum-strontium alloy melt, effectively removing gases and non-metallic inclusions from the melt and significantly improving the cleanliness of the melt. A continuous and stable discharge without fluctuations is achieved to the horizontal continuous casting system 2 through the melt level closed-loop control system. This effectively isolates the influence of melting process fluctuations on the casting process, providing a core guarantee for continuous production throughout the entire process.

[0034] Preferably, the heat-insulating and degassing side furnace 12 is connected to the horizontal continuous casting system 2 via a sealed transfer pipeline 5, the outer wall of which is provided with an insulation layer. The sealed transfer pipeline 5 is used to seal and transport the deeply purified aluminum-strontium alloy melt from the heat-insulating and degassing side furnace 12 to the horizontal continuous casting system 2, preventing secondary oxidation and hydrogen absorption during the transfer process due to contact with outside air. The insulation layer reduces the temperature drop of the melt during transport, ensuring a constant temperature of the melt entering the crystallizer, thereby guaranteeing the stable operation of the casting process.

[0035] like Figure 1As shown, the horizontal continuous casting system 2 includes an annular crystallizer 21, a continuous traction device 22, and a coiling device 23 arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. Specifically, the annular crystallizer 21 is used to cool and crystallize the aluminum-strontium alloy melt, the continuous traction device 22 is used to apply continuous traction force to the billet passing through the annular crystallizer 21 to stretch it into a continuous billet, and the coiling device 23 is used to bend and coil the continuous billet into a billet coil. Through the horizontal continuous casting system 2, the deeply purified aluminum-strontium alloy melt is directly cast into a continuous billet. This billet can be rolled up without segmented joints, solving the technical problem that traditional semi-continuous casting or die casting processes can only produce fixed-length segmented billets. The continuous billet not only facilitates flexible roll-to-roll transfer between processes, but also allows for seamless connection to subsequent continuous extrusion processes, providing a fundamental guarantee for the billet shape to achieve continuous operation of the entire production line without stopping. At the same time, this process eliminates the cutting loss, waste material connection, and downtime for material change of traditional fixed-length billets, and the raw material utilization rate can be increased to over 98%.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the annular crystallizer 21 is a foamed copper oil-lubricated annular crystallizer. The inner wall of the foamed copper oil-lubricated annular crystallizer is made of foamed copper material. The high thermal conductivity of foamed copper ensures rapid primary cooling of the aluminum-strontium alloy melt by the crystallizer, allowing the melt to quickly form an initial solidified shell of sufficient thickness within the crystallizer. A secondary water-cooling device is provided at the outlet of the foamed copper oil-lubricated annular crystallizer. After the billet is shaped by primary crystallization in the crystallizer, it immediately enters the secondary water-cooling device for gradient cooling after leaving the crystallizer. Through the synergistic cooperation of the primary rapid cooling within the crystallizer and the secondary gradient cooling at the crystallizer outlet, it is ensured that the billet has a sufficient solidified shell thickness to withstand continuous traction force when it exits the crystallizer, while effectively avoiding hot cracks and central shrinkage defects caused by excessively rapid cooling, thereby obtaining a continuous billet without joints with excellent surface quality and dense internal structure.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, the surface treatment system 3 includes an uncoiling unit 31, a continuous rolling device 32, an ultrasonic cleaning device 33, a hot air drying device 34, and a rewinding device 35 arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The uncoiling unit 31 carries and releases the billet roll; the continuous rolling device 32 continuously cuts the released billet to remove oxide scale and casting defect layers from the billet surface; the ultrasonic cleaning device 33 ultrasonically cleans the billet after rolling to remove residual cutting fluid and metal debris; the hot air drying device 34 dries the cleaned billet; and the rewinding device 35 rewinds the surface-treated billet into a pre-treated billet roll for transfer to the continuous extrusion system 4.

[0038] Specifically, the uncoiling unit 31 includes a first unwinding frame 311, a traction machine 312, and a horizontal straightener 313 arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The first unwinding frame 311 is used to carry and actively release the billet coil, the traction machine 312 is used to provide traction power for the continuous movement of the billet, and the horizontal straightener 313 is used to straighten the billet in both horizontal and vertical directions, eliminating the bending and twisting deformation of the billet during winding and unwinding, and ensuring that the billet enters the continuous wagon device 32 straight and stably.

[0039] like Figure 3 As shown, the continuous extrusion system 4 includes an uncoiling feeding unit 41, a continuous extruder 42, a cooling water tank 43, a dryer 44, and a winding machine 46 arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The uncoiling feeding unit 41 carries and conveys the billet treated by the surface treatment system 3. The continuous extruder 42 continuously extrudes and deforms the billet to obtain continuous, jointless aluminum-strontium alloy wire. The cooling water tank 43 is located at the outlet of the continuous extruder 42 and is used for online cooling of the extruded wire. The dryer 44 dries the cooled wire, and the winding machine 46 continuously winds the dried wire into aluminum-strontium alloy coils. Feeding the surface-treated continuous billet into the continuous extruder 42 for continuous extrusion deformation eliminates the frequent shutdowns and billet replacements required in traditional horizontal extrusion processes, achieving fully continuous extrusion forming from billet to wire. The resulting aluminum-strontium alloy wire is a continuous, jointless structure. When wound into coils, a single coil can weigh over 100 kg, and the entire coil is jointless. This eliminates the risk of performance fluctuations caused by component segregation and uneven microstructure at joint locations, and meets the stringent requirements of downstream automated aluminum-silicon alloy production lines for continuous raw material supply and long-term quality stability. Compared to fixed-length rods produced by traditional horizontal extrusion presses, this completely solves the core pain points of short lengths, numerous joints, frequent material changes, high scrap rates, excessive manual intervention, and large performance fluctuations at joints. Production efficiency is increased by over 30%, and the scrap rate is reduced by over 80%.

[0040] Specifically, the uncoiling and feeding unit 41 includes a second pay-off frame 411 and a traction straightener 412 arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The second pay-off frame 411 is used to carry and actively release the pre-treated billet coil, and the traction straightener 412 is used to provide traction force for the continuous movement of the billet and to straighten the billet to ensure that the billet enters the continuous extruder 42 in a straight state.

[0041] Preferably, a metering device 45 is provided between the dryer 44 and the winding machine 46. The metering device 45 is used to measure the length of the wire before winding, so as to achieve fixed-length winding or provide accurate length data for subsequent production.

[0042] Example 2 This embodiment provides a continuous preparation method for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils. Using the production equipment in Example 1, Al-5Sr alloy wire coils (φ9.5mm, strontium content 5wt%) are prepared, specifically including the following steps: S1. Raw material preparation: Prepare 51kg of pure strontium metal (mass fraction of 99.5%) in aluminum cans and 950kg of industrial aluminum liquid, and transport them to smelting furnace 11 through insulated pipelines.

[0043] S2. Melting and Feeding: Industrial aluminum liquid is introduced into melting furnace 11 and heated to 850°C. Metallic strontium is uniformly pressed into the depth of the aluminum liquid using a titanium alloy bell jar. During the feeding process, an electromagnetic stirring device is activated simultaneously for stirring. After the strontium is completely melted, the temperature is raised to 900°C and stirring is continued for 30 minutes. At the same time, an environmentally friendly sodium-free granular refining agent is sprayed into the aluminum-strontium alloy melt using argon as a carrier to degas and remove slag, resulting in a uniformly composed aluminum-strontium alloy melt. Then, the qualified aluminum-strontium alloy melt is transferred to the heat-preserving and degassing side furnace 12, which is kept at a constant temperature of 850°C. The online degassing and slag removal device is activated simultaneously for deep purification. The melt is continuously and steadily discharged to the horizontal continuous casting unit through the liquid level control system. During the discharge process, melting furnace 11 simultaneously starts melting the next batch of melt. After passing inspection, the melt is transferred to the heat-preserving and degassing side furnace 12, achieving uninterrupted production.

[0044] S3. Horizontal Continuous Casting: The aluminum-strontium alloy melt is processed through the horizontal continuous casting system 2, undergoing primary crystallization in a foamed copper oil-lubricated ring crystallizer and secondary water-cooling gradient cooling. A continuous traction device 22 pulls the melt at a constant speed to produce ultra-long aluminum-strontium alloy billets with a diameter of φ21mm, which are flexible and jointless. These billets are then coiled by the coiling device 23 to form rolls with a weight suitable for subsequent processes. See Al-5Sr aluminum-strontium alloy billet example. Figure 5 .

[0045] S4. Surface treatment: Input the billet roll output from the previous step into the surface treatment system 3 for surface treatment. The process includes uncoiling, continuous rolling to remove surface oxide scale and casting defects, and ultrasonic cleaning to remove residual impurities. The ultrasonic cleaning temperature is 60℃ and the cleaning time is 30s. Then, hot air drying is performed at a temperature of 120℃. Finally, the billet roll is re-coiled to form a pre-treated billet roll.

[0046] S5. Continuous Extrusion: The pre-treated billet coil from the previous step is input into the continuous extrusion system 4, where it is sequentially uncoiled and continuously extruded at a speed of 5 m / min. The continuous extrusion produces a Φ9.5mm, continuous, jointless Al-5Sr alloy wire coil with a single coil weight of 150 kg. See the image for the finished Al-5Sr alloy wire coil. Figure 4 .

[0047] Testing revealed that the Al-5Sr alloy wire coil prepared in this embodiment exhibited high cleanliness, with an oxygen content ≤0.012%, a strontium composition deviation ≤±0.1wt%, and fine, dispersed AlSr4 intermetallic compounds. The resulting wire coil was jointless and had a large single-coil weight. When integrated into an intelligent aluminum-silicon alloy production line, the frequency of material changes was reduced by 90% compared to traditional fixed-length rods, enabling continuous automated production for over 72 hours without performance fluctuations or production interruptions.

[0048] Example 3 This embodiment provides a continuous preparation method for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils. Using the production equipment in Example 1, Al-10Sr alloy wire coils (φ9.5mm, strontium content 10wt%) are prepared, specifically including the following steps: S1. Raw material preparation: Prepare 102kg of pure strontium metal (mass fraction of 99.5%) in aluminum cans and 900kg of industrial aluminum liquid, and transport them to smelting furnace 11 through insulated pipelines.

[0049] S2. Melting and feeding: Industrial aluminum liquid is introduced into melting furnace 11 and heated to 860°C. After the strontium is completely melted, the temperature is raised to 900°C and stirred continuously for 30 minutes. The side furnace 12 is kept at a constant temperature of 820°C for heat preservation and degassing.

[0050] S3, Horizontal Continuous Casting: Produces ultra-long aluminum-strontium alloy billets with a diameter of φ22mm, which are flexible and have no segmented joints.

[0051] S4. Surface treatment: The ultrasonic cleaning temperature is 65℃ and the cleaning time is 25s.

[0052] S5. Continuous Extrusion: The extrusion speed is 4m / min, continuously extruding to produce Al-10Sr alloy wire coils with a diameter of 9.5mm, continuous and uninterrupted, with a single coil weight of 120Kg. See Al-10Sr alloy wire coils for details. Figure 6 .

[0053] The remaining steps are the same as in Example 2.

[0054] Testing revealed that the Al-10Sr alloy wire coil prepared in this embodiment is seamless, has a mirror-like surface cleanliness, an oxygen content ≤0.015%, a strontium composition deviation ≤±0.15wt%, and exhibits significant AlSr4 intermetallic compound refinement, with compositional uniformity exceeding national standards. Compared to traditional horizontal extrusion fixed-length products, the material change frequency is reduced by over 85%, and the scrap rate is reduced by 82%, perfectly meeting the long-term automated production requirements of high-end aluminum-silicon alloy intelligent production lines.

[0055] Comparative Example 1 Al-5Sr alloy wire was prepared using a traditional horizontal extrusion process as a comparative experiment in Example 2 of this invention.

[0056] S1. Preparation of casting rod: According to the target strontium content of 5wt%, industrial pure aluminum ingots (purity ≥99.7%) and aluminum-strontium master alloy are mixed. The aluminum raw materials are added to the melting furnace to melt and the temperature is raised to 870℃. The strontium source is added and stirred for 30 minutes. After refining and slag removal, the casting rod is cast into a diameter of 80mm.

[0057] S2. Preheating of casting rods: Cut the casting rods into fixed-length bars of about 600mm each, put them into a box-type resistance furnace and heat them to 350℃, and keep them at that temperature for 2 hours.

[0058] S3. Horizontal Extrusion: Preheated bars of a specified length are fed one by one into a horizontal extrusion press for extrusion at a speed of approximately 2 m / min. When each bar has about 15 mm of material remaining, the remaining material head is manually removed, and the next preheated bar is added to continue extrusion, producing aluminum-strontium alloy wire with a diameter of 9.5 mm. After cooling, the wire is wound up in coils of approximately 25 kg each, with multiple extrusion joints within each coil.

[0059] Test results: The test results of the Al-5Sr alloy wires prepared in Example 2 and Comparative Example 1 are shown in Table 1.

[0060] Table 1 Test Results

[0061] As shown in Table 1: In traditional horizontal extrusion processes, each bar needs to be stopped when it reaches approximately 15mm of remaining material, the residual material head needs to be removed, and then the next bar can be inserted. A single coil of wire, weighing approximately 25kg, contains 3-5 extrusion joints. Compositional segregation and uneven microstructure at these joints result in multiple weak points within each coil. Downstream aluminum-silicon alloy production lines require 3-5 shutdowns per coil for material replacement, severely limiting the operational efficiency of automated production lines.

[0062] In horizontal extrusion, the bar stock needs to be fed into the extruder in segments, making continuous and stable feeding impossible. The extrusion speed is limited by manual material changing operations, resulting in low production efficiency (approximately 2 m / min). Furthermore, the residual material head (approximately 15 mm) at the end of each bar stock cannot be utilized, leading to a high cumulative scrap rate (15%-18%) and significant material waste.

[0063] Traditional processes result in AlSr4 phases with an average particle size of 55-65 μm and uneven distribution in the matrix, affecting the modification and dissolution rate and modification effect of aluminum-strontium alloys. High oxygen content (≥300 ppm) easily introduces porosity defects into downstream aluminum-silicon alloy melts. Large strontium composition deviations (±0.25 wt%) lead to poor batch-to-batch quality stability, making it difficult to meet the stringent requirements of high-end automated aluminum-silicon alloy production lines for long-term raw material quality stability. This invention, through a systematic combination of horizontal continuous casting and continuous extrusion processes, significantly improves all of the above indicators and enables continuous production of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils from melting to winding.

[0064] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0065] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0066] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0067] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that they are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," or "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," or "beneath" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0068] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0069] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make modifications, alterations, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A continuous preparation method for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils, characterized in that, The strontium mass percentage in the prepared aluminum-strontium alloy wire coil is 3wt%-10wt%, and the process includes the following steps: S1. Raw material preparation: Prepare the corresponding aluminum and strontium raw materials according to the ratio of 3wt%-10wt% strontium content, and transport the aluminum raw materials to the smelting furnace. S2. Melting and feeding: Aluminum raw materials are melted and heated in a melting furnace, strontium raw materials are added and stirred, and aluminum-strontium alloy melt is obtained after refining and slag removal. Then, the aluminum-strontium alloy melt is transferred to a heat-preserving and degassing side furnace. The heat-preserving and degassing side furnace is kept at a constant temperature and degassing and slag removal are continued. Then, it is continuously discharged into the horizontal continuous casting system for continuous feeding. S3, Horizontal Continuous Casting: The aluminum-strontium alloy melt is processed by a horizontal continuous casting system to prepare billet coils without segmented joints; S4. Surface treatment: Input the blank roll output from the previous step into the surface treatment system for surface treatment to obtain a pre-treated blank roll with a smooth surface. S5. Continuous extrusion: The pre-processed billet roll output from the previous step is input into the continuous extrusion system, and continuous seamless aluminum-strontium alloy wire is produced by continuous extrusion, and the wire is wound into an aluminum-strontium alloy coil.

2. The continuous preparation method of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, aluminum raw materials are melted in a smelting furnace and heated to 850℃-900℃, strontium raw materials are added and stirred for 20min-40min; The heat-insulating and degassing side furnace maintains a constant temperature of 800℃-850℃. During the smelting process, granular refining agent is injected into the aluminum-strontium alloy melt using argon gas as a carrier to remove gas and slag.

3. The continuous preparation method of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, the aluminum-strontium alloy melt is subjected to crystallization cooling and continuous traction in sequence to prepare a rollable aluminum-strontium alloy billet without segmented joints, which is then rolled into a billet roll by a rolling device. The diameter of the aluminum-strontium alloy billet is 16mm-35mm.

4. The continuous preparation method of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the billet roll is sequentially uncoiled, continuously machined to remove surface oxide scale and casting defects, ultrasonically cleaned to remove residual impurities on the surface, hot air dried, and recoiled to form a pretreated billet roll. In step S5, the pre-treated billet roll is unwound and continuously extruded in sequence to produce a continuous, jointless aluminum-strontium alloy wire.

5. The continuous preparation method of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coil as described in claim 4, characterized in that, In step S4, the ultrasonic cleaning temperature is 60℃-70℃, the cleaning time is 25s-35s, and the hot air drying temperature is 100℃-120℃. In step S5, the extrusion speed of continuous extrusion is 4m / min-5m / min.

6. The continuous preparation method of aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, the aluminum raw material is industrial aluminum liquid or aluminum ingot.

7. A production apparatus for implementing the preparation method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, It includes a melting and casting system (1), a horizontal continuous casting system (2), a surface treatment system (3), and a continuous extrusion system (4) that are sequentially connected from upstream to downstream of the production line. The melting and casting system (1) includes a melting furnace (11) and a heat-preserving and degassing side furnace (12) arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The melting furnace (11) is used to melt raw materials and refine and remove slag to prepare aluminum-strontium alloy melt. The heat-preserving and degassing side furnace (12) is used to receive the aluminum-strontium alloy melt, perform constant temperature heat preservation and degassing refining deep purification treatment on the aluminum-strontium alloy melt, and continuously supply materials to the horizontal continuous casting unit. The horizontal continuous casting system (2) is used to form the aluminum-strontium alloy melt from the heat preservation and degassing side furnace (12) into a continuous billet by horizontal continuous casting, and then roll the continuous billet into a billet roll for output. The input end of the surface treatment system (3) is connected to the output end of the billet roll of the horizontal continuous casting system (2), and is used to receive the billet roll and perform uncoiling, surface oxide scale cleaning and straightening treatment on the billet roll to obtain a pre-treated billet with a smooth surface, and output the pre-treated billet after rewinding it into a pre-treated billet roll. The input end of the continuous extrusion system (4) is connected to the output end of the pre-treated blank roll of the surface treatment system (3), and is used to receive the pre-treated blank roll and unwind and continuously extrude the pre-treated blank roll to obtain continuous jointless aluminum-strontium alloy wire, and to wind the wire into an aluminum-strontium alloy coil.

8. The continuous production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The smelting furnace (11) is equipped with a removable inner liner (111). The heat-insulating and degassing side furnace (12) is connected to the horizontal continuous casting system (2) through a closed transfer pipeline (5), and the outer wall of the closed transfer pipeline (5) is provided with a heat-insulating layer.

9. The continuous production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The horizontal continuous casting system (2) includes an annular crystallizer (21), a continuous traction device (22) and a coiling device (23) arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The annular crystallizer (21) is used to cool and crystallize the aluminum-strontium alloy melt; the continuous traction device (22) is used to apply continuous traction force to the billet passing through the annular crystallizer (21) to stretch out the continuous billet; the coiling device (23) is used to bend and coil the continuous billet into a billet roll.

10. The continuous production equipment for aluminum-strontium alloy wire coils as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The surface treatment system (3) includes an unwinding unit (31), a continuous railcar device (32), an ultrasonic cleaning device (33), a hot air drying device (34), and a rewinding device (35) arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line. The continuous extrusion system (4) includes an uncoiling feeding unit (41), a continuous extruder (42), a cooling water tank (43), a dryer (44), and a rewinder (46) arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream of the production line.

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