The present investigation deals with a comprehensive study on the production of aluminum based alloys with the incorporation of different alloying elements and their effect on its electrical conductivity and mechanical properties. Casting of pure aluminum with different concentration and combinations of alloying additives such as cupper (Cu), magnesium (Mg) and silver (Ag) were carried out using a graphite crucible. The as-cast microstructure was modified by hot rolling followed by different heat-treated conditions viz., annealing, normalizing, quenching, and age hardening. The mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the produced heat-treated alloys sheets under various processing conditions were carried out using tensile testing, hardness, and electrical resistivity measurements. It was found that by increasing the alloying elements content, yield strength results increased significantly by more than 250% and 500% for the as rolled and 8 h aged Al-Cu-Mg alloy, respectively. On the other hand, the electrical conductivity reduces slightly with −14.6% and −16.57% for the as rolled and 8 h aged of the same Al-Cu-Mg alloy, respectively. From the last four decades, due to the increase in demand from the electricity transmission lines, copper is being replaced by Al because of its light weight and relatively low cost. In addition, among the engineering conductor materials, aluminum has a very good electrical conductivity due to lower specific gravity (almost in the second rank after copper). The replacing of copper by aluminum for electricity transmission by overhead ACSR (aluminum conductor steel-reinforced) conductors, power cables, etc. has increased all over the world. Moreover, substitution of copper by aluminum also takes place in countries which have enough resources from copper, since it shows a good economical advantage as serious competitor against copper. Practically, by adding alloying elements to pure aluminum, aluminum’s strength can be significantly improved. However, on the other hand a great reduction in the electrical conductivity takes place due to the solute atoms and impurities generated by substitution of alloying elements. Another process affecting the electrical conductivity of aluminum is the heat treatment process, since elements in the solid solution phase represent a higher resistance than non-dissolved elements. That is why it is a great challenge to play with the strength of the pure aluminum in such a way that the decrease in its electrical conductivity will be still acceptable and valid for the selected application.
Methods of pressure treatment of metals based on the action of technological load in the conditions of a localized plastic cell. The main purpose of such methods is that the change in shape at any time is performed only on a fraction of the volume of the workpiece and when moving the deformation center covers the entire volume. These are well-studied and widely used in the production of free forging, rotary forging, rolling, etc. A relatively new method of MP - stamping by rolling, is characterized by a number of positive effects: - reduction of deformation force in comparison with traditional methods in 5-30 times; - the possibility of processing metal in the cold state with the same technological effort as in hot processing; - the equipment corresponds to a high level of labor safety; - reducing the size, weight and cost of equipment; - the possibility of implementing various technological operations. Modern mechanical engineering, instrument making and other metalworking industries widely use and manufacture parts with a large ratio of cross-sectional dimensions, the production of which by existing methods of metal forming is either inefficient or impossible. The most technological are the processes of SHO, in which the workpiece has a tubular or annular shape. Such blanks are well amenable to induction heating, which while providing a high frequency electromagnetic field allows them to be heated quickly and efficiently. This can heat a limited amount of workpiece material. Thus, the use of induction heating in the processes of SHO significantly expands their technological capabilities, which determines the relevance of the chosen topic. The main advantages of induction heating include: transmission of electrical energy does not require contact devices, is carried out directly into the workpiece, which increases the heating rate; due to the possibility of controlling the frequency of the current, the maximum power is released in the limited thickness of the surface layer of the product, which is especially effective when heating the pipe blanks; induction heating can increase productivity and improve working conditions.
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