Mechanical and microstructural characterization of aluminum melted with alternative method
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Mechanical and microstructural characterization of aluminum melted with alternative method F. Severiano1 · J. Flores Méndez2,3 · M. Salazar‑Villanueva4 Received: 3 November 2019 / Accepted: 31 March 2020 / Published online: 10 April 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Aluminum is one of the most utilized metals in food, aeronautical, automotive, and architectural industries, due to its intrinsic properties. For this reason, it is important to explore new methods to reuse it. This study was performed to analyze the mechanical and structural properties of aluminum obtained with a homemade oven composed with easily accessible materials. Due to the lack of data about the characteristics of these kinds of materials, its possible applications are unknown. The structural characterization was carried out through optic and electronic microscopy and mechanical testing. The chemical composition was analyzed with energy dispersive spectroscopy. Microscopy images show the presence of cavities in the samples besides the evidence of problems in the solidification phase. The composition analysis shows the presence of Carbon and Magnesium. The mechanical testing showed that the Al obtained had elastic modules and less elongation when compared to commercial Al, which limited the possible uses of this kind of aluminum. Keywords Aluminum · Melting · Homemade oven · Alternative method
1 Introduction Metals are essential, valuable and versatile materials due to their high potential to be recycled and reused. Metals can be used to manufacture cars, airplanes, domestic items such as cutlery, crockery, and even in packaging. For these reasons, scrap metal is valuable for recycling operations. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), steel, aluminum, copper, silver, brass, and gold are the most recycled materials on the planet. The most important stage of the Metal Recycling Process is melting. Scrap metal is melted in a large furnace. A considerable amount of energy is used in this stage. Still, the energy required to melt and recycle metals is much less than the energy that is needed to produce metals from their natural state.
Nowadays, the access to information has opened the possibility of accessing new technologies in many branches of science, a clear example is the capacity of melting metals with low cost techniques. This opens the possibility of reusing metals for aluminum with homemade ovens and without the need for gas or electricity. These ovens used to melt metals can be built with easily accessible materials and at low cost. Among these materials, we can find bricks or ceramic containers which have inherent characteristics (high fusion points, high resistance, low thermal conductivity, etc.), which let them implement some melting processes. Aluminum is the third most common element in the earth. It is a silvery light metal [1]. Technological breakthroughs at the end of the nineteenth century finally allowed aluminum to be melted cheaply, and the price
* F. Severiano, [email protected]
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