Clad Sheet Cladding Layout for Controlled Scrap Composition
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of clad sheet products, particularly brazing sheets, faces challenges in controlling the composition of scrap material, especially when cladding layers contain high amounts of alloying elements or flux materials, making recycling complicated and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The method involves rolling a core layer with cladding layers that include centre sections and edge sections made of different materials, allowing for controlled removal of edge sections during rolling to minimize scrap and optimize material composition, with the edge sections being cut off to form part of the unavoidable scrap, thereby reducing the amount of low-value scrap and simplifying recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cladding layers are made of alloys with high amounts of alloying elements (such as Si in braze claddings and Zn in sacrificial claddings), then the functional performance of the clad sheet is improved, but the complexity and difficulty of scrap recycling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cladding layer is divided into two distinct segments: a centre section made of material with high alloying elements (Si, Zn) for functional performance, and edge sections made of material with lower alloying elements for easier recycling. This segmentation allows the high-performance material to be used only where needed (centre), while the edge material can be easily separated and recycled independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cladding layer are assigned different material compositions tailored to their specific requirements. The centre section uses high-alloying material for optimal brazing or sacrificial performance, while the edge sections use lower-alloying material that is easier to recycle and less problematic for scrap processing.
2Reliability
If extensive material is removed to create a liner bed, then the Alclad structure is achieved, but the amount of material waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cladding plate is pre-formed with the centre section and edge sections of different materials before being attached to the core. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for extensive material removal during manufacturing, as the liner bed structure is already in place through the differential material composition.
Solution Approach 2:
The edge sections, made of material with lower alloying elements, are designed to be cut off and removed during manufacturing. However, because they are made of more recyclable material, their removal represents a more efficient use of resources compared to removing high-alloying material, and the removed portions can be more easily recovered and recycled.
3Manufacturing precision
If edge sections are cut off during or after rolling, then the scrap composition is controlled, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cladding is segmented into centre and edge sections with different materials, enabling the edge sections to be cut off as separate scrap streams. This segmentation provides control over scrap composition without requiring complex manufacturing equipment, as the material differentiation is achieved during cladding plate fabrication rather than during the rolling process.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a method for the manufacturing of a clad sheet product comprising a core layer (6) and at least one cladding layer, the method comprising rolling an assembly of a core layer and at least one cladding layer and reducing the thickness to a desired gauge, the core layer being made of an aluminium alloy, the at least one cladding layer comprising a centre section (2) and at least two edge sections (4, 5) positioned at opposite sides of the centre section (2) along the edges of the at least one cladding layer, the centre section being made of a material being an aluminium alloy or a composite material comprising a matrix of aluminium or an aluminium alloy, the edge sections along (4, 5) the edges being made of a material different from the material of the centre section, wherein the edge sections (4, 5) are cut off during or after the rolling. The invention further concerns a cladding plate useful in the method.