Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia:

N. N. Dovzhenko, Professor of a Chair “Plastic Metal Working”
S. B. Sidelnikov, Professor, Head of the Department “Plastic Metal Working”
I. L. Konstantinov, Assistant Professor of the a Chair “Plastic Metal Working”, e-mail: ilcon@mail.ru

LLC “RUSAL Engineering and Technological Centre”, Krasnoyarsk, Russia:

G. V. Arkhipov, Director of the Project “Energy efficient design of electrolyzers”

The method is conducted and the possibility of obtaining large steel-copper bimetallic blank of rectangular section, intended for use as a cathode rod aluminum cell is studied. The results of the series of experiments to find the temperature, time and deformation parameters of connection technology copper and steel plates of different thicknesses are given. For the purpose of obtaining of steel-copper bimetal, the connected surfaces of blanks made of steel St3 (Ст3) and copper M1 were polished, degreased with acetone, collected in a pack, compressed on hydraulic press and fixed in the compressed state with the screw connection clamps. After this the packet was placed in a muffle furnace and heating modes was varied from 800 to 1050 ^oC at various time of exposure within the furnace. The samples were rolled on a duo-200 mills with smooth rollers or in closed box pass. Rolling is conducted without prior heating of the samples after the heating in the temperature range from 800 to 1050 ^oC. Holding of the compressed package for 30–60 minutes in the temperature range 900–1050 ^oC results in the welding of copper and steel. The resulting composite blank can be subjected without breaking machining for removing the surface layer. The following hot rolling of composites in the section mill pass in the same temperature range has allowed them to deform without fracture of the weld, and the total degree of deformation of blanks adjustment was 10–20%. Test bimetal has shown that shear strength weld samples after diffusion bonding were ~50 MPa, and after rolling increased to 70 MPa. To test the feasibility of the method developed in the laboratory testing was made on the modes of diffusion welding of large samples with sizes of cross-section close to the size of electrolytic cathode rods: steel — 115x230 mm, copper — 12x150 mm. Metallurgical studies weld natural samples and tests have shown compliance with section properties and structure of the weld data obtained in the model samples.

These investigations were carried out by employees of LLC “RUSAL Engineering and Technology Centre” in cooperation with scientists of the Siberian Federal University in the framework of the Federal Target Program “Priority research and development of scientific-technological complex of Russia for 2014–2020” on the theme “Development of aluminum obtaining technology with a reduction of energy consumption in operating electrolyzer at 300–1000 kW/t of aluminum by agreement No. 14.579.21.0032 for subsidies.

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