Aston University receives EPSRC grant to improve liquid metal casting

The mathematical method aims to help prevent lightweight aluminium alloys corroding - or oxidating - very quickly when first exposed to air.

The researchers said that, within the transportation sector, steel is gradually being replaced by ‘functionalised energy-efficient lighter alloys’, with the aim of lessening the CO2 emissions of the metallurgy industry, as less fossil fuel is burnt when moving a lighter product.

However, although these replacement lighter parts do not rust like steel, they oxidise very quickly when first exposed to external ambient conditions.

A thin oxide film develops on the surface of the metal once exposed, which under regular usage conditions, ensures the metal will not corrode. However, during the casting process, when the aluminium is still in a molten state, this thin oxide film can be encapsulated into the bulk of the liquid metal flow.

It has been shown that this encapsulation process, which can happen many times over, necessarily leads to the embedding of these oxide films within the main body of the finished product, thus diminishing their quality and lifespan.