Recycling of Aluminum from Fibre Metal Laminates

• Published in: Shanghai jiao tong da xue xue bao 2012-06, Vol.17 (3), p.263-267
• Main Author: 祝国梁 肖艳萍 杨永祥 王俊 孙宝德
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2024铝合金; Alloy systems; Aluminum base alloys; Architecture; Computer Science; Cryolite; Electrical Engineering; Engineering; Flux; Life Sciences; Materials Science; Metal scrap; Recycling; Refining; Scrap; 合金成分; 精炼过程; 纤维金属层板; 组成部分; 质量分数; 金回收; 金属收得率
• ISSN: 1007-1172; 1995-8188
• DOI: 10.1007/s12204-012-1265-1

Recycling of aluminum alloy scrap obtained from delaminated fibre metal laminates （FMLs） was studied through high temperature refining in the presence of a salt flux. The aluminum alloy scrap contains approximately mass fraction w（Cu） = 4.4%, w（Mg） = 1.1% and w（Mn） = 0.6% （2024 aluminum alloy）. The main objective of this research is to obtain a high metal yield, while maintaining its original alloy compositions. The work focuses on the metal yield and quality of recycled A1 alloy under different refining conditions. The NaCI-KC1 salt system was selected as the major components of flux in the A1 alloy recycling. Two different flux compositions were employed at NaC1 to KC1 mass ratios of 44：56 and 70：30 respectively, based on either the euteetic composition, or the European preference. Different additives were introduced into the NaCI-KC1 system to study the effect of flux component on recycling result. Although burning and oxidation loss of the alloying elements during re-melting and refining take place as the drawbacks of conventional refining process, the problems can be solved to a large extent by using an appropriate salt flux. Experimental results indicate that Mg in the alloy gets lost when adding cryolite in the NaCI-KC1 salt system, though the metal yield can reach as high as 98%. However, by adding w（MgF2） = 5% into the NaCI-KC1 salt system （instead of using cryolite） all alloying elements were well controlled to its original composition with a metal yield of almost 98%.