Steam exhaust ports are located around a perimeter of a direct chill casting pit, at various locations from below the top of the pit to the pit bottom to rapidly remove steam from the casting pit with addition of dry excess air. Gas introduction ports are also located around a perimeter of the casting pit and configured to introduce an inert gas into the casting pit interior.

An object of the present invention is to provide an aluminum alloy foil for an electrode current collector and a manufacturing method thereof, the foil having a high strength and high strength after a drying process after the application of the active material while keeping a high electrical conductivity. Disclosed is a method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy foil for electrode current collector, including: forming by continuous casting an aluminum alloy sheet containing 0.03 to 1.0% of Fe, 0.01 to 0.2% of Si, 0.0001 to 0.2% of Cu, with the rest being Al and unavoidable impurities, performing cold rolling to the aluminum alloy sheet at a cold rolling reduction of 80% or lower, and performing heat treatment at 550 to 620 C. for 1 to 15 hours.

A continuous casting and rolling line for casting, rolling, and otherwise preparing metal strip can produce distributable metal strip without requiring cold rolling or the use of a solution heat treatment line. A metal strip can be continuously cast from a continuous casting device and coiled into a metal coil, optionally after being subjected to post-casting quenching. This intermediate coil can be stored until ready for hot rolling. The as-cast metal strip can undergo reheating prior to hot rolling, either during coil storage or immediately prior to hot rolling. The heated metal strip can be cooled to a rolling temperature and hot rolled through one or more roll stands. The rolled metal strip can optionally be reheated and quenched prior to coiling for delivery. This final coiled metal strip can be of the desired gauge and have the desired physical characteristics for distribution to a manufacturing facility.

An induction furnace comprising a upper furnace vessel; an induction coil positioned below the upper furnace vessel; and a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil and communicably connected to the upper furnace vessel, wherein the positioning of the melt-containing vessel inside the induction coil defines a gap between an outside surface of the melt-containing vessel and an inside surface of the induction coil. A system for direct-chill casting comprising at least one an induction furnace; at least one in-line filter operable to remove impurities in molten metal; at least one gas source coupled to a feed port associated with the gas; and at least one device for solidifying metal by casting. A method of cooling an induction furnace comprising introducing a gas into a gap between an induction coil and a melt-containing vessel positioned inside the induction coil; and circulating the gas through the gap.

A molten metal conveyor having a receptor plate in contact with molten metal during transport of the molten metal. The receptor plate extends from an entrance where molten metal enters onto the receptor plate to an exit where molten metal exits the receptor plate. The molten metal conveyor has at least one vibrational energy source which supplies vibrational energy directly to the receptor plate in contact with molten metal. A corresponding method for forming a metal product includes providing molten metal onto a molten conveyor; cooling the molten metal by control of a cooling medium flowing through a cooling passage in the or attached to the conveyor; and coupling vibrational energy directly into a receptor plate in contact with the molten metal on the conveyor.

A method for casting that includes a.) determining a diameter (D) of a cross section of a product to be cast in meter (m), b.) determining an intended steady-state casting speed (V) of the product to be cast using direct chill casting in meter per second (m/s), c.) determining a Si content (cSi) in percent by weight based on the total weight of a melt (wt-%) for the melt to be used for casting the cast product, d.) preparing a melt comprising Zn: 5.30 to 5.9 wt-%, Mg: 2.07 to 3.3 wt-%, Cu: 1.2 to 1.45 wt-%, Fe: 0 to 0.5 wt-%, Si: according to cSi, impurities up to 0.2 wt-% each and 0.5 wt-% in total, and balance aluminium, and e.) casting the melt into the cast product having the intended diameter (D) using direct chill casting, wherein the casting is carried out using the intended steady-state casting speed (V).

A continuous casting and rolling line for casting, rolling, and otherwise preparing metal strip can produce distributable metal strip without requiring cold rolling or the use of a solution heat treatment line. A metal strip can be continuously cast from a continuous casting device and coiled into a metal coil, optionally after being subjected to post-casting quenching. This intermediate coil can be stored until ready for hot rolling. The as-cast metal strip can undergo reheating prior to hot rolling, either during coil storage or immediately prior to hot rolling. The heated metal strip can be cooled to a rolling temperature and hot rolled through one or more roll stands. The rolled metal strip can optionally be reheated and quenched prior to coiling for delivery. This final coiled metal strip can be of the desired gauge and have the desired physical characteristics for distribution to a manufacturing facility.

Aluminum alloy sheet for battery lid use having suitable strength and excellent in formability and work softenability, which aluminum alloy sheet for battery lid use enabling formation of an integrated explosion-proof valve with little variation in operating pressure and excellent in cyclic fatigue resistance, and a method of production of the same are provided, the aluminum alloy sheet for battery lid use for forming an integrated explosion-proof valve having a component composition containing Fe: 1.05 to 1.50 mass %, Mn: 0.15 to 0.70 mass %, Ti: 0.002 to 0.15 mass %, and B: less than 0.04 mass %, having a balance of Al and impurities, having an Fe/Mn ratio restricted to 1.8 to 7.0, restricting, as impurities, Si to less than 0.40 mass %, Cu to less than 0.03 mass %, Mg to less than 0.05 mass %, and V to less than 0.03 mass %, having a tensile strength of 95 MPa or more, having a value of elongation of 40% or more, having a recrystallized structure, having a value of (TS95TS80) of less than 3 MPa when defining a tensile strength after cold rolling by a rolling reduction of 80% as TS80 and defining a tensile strength after cold rolling by a rolling reduction of 95% as TS95, and having a value of elongation after cold rolling by a rolling reduction of 90% of 5.0% or more. Furthermore, an average grain size of the recrystallized grains of the recrystallized structure is preferably 15 to 30 m.

Systems and methods for making aluminum alloy products are described including those that decrease the tendency for hot tearing or shrinkage porosity to occur during casting by introducing forced convection during the casting process. The forced convection may result in formation of high circularity grains during the solidification process, thereby increasing the permeability of the liquid aluminum alloy and decreasing the tendency for hot tearing or shrinkage porosity to occur.

The present invention is directed to a 6xxx series aluminum alloy composition, comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of (by weight %) of 0.5-1.5% Si, 0.1-0.7% Cu, 0.5-1.5% Mg, 0.3-1.2% Zn, 0.05-0.35% Cr and allowable impurities of 0.8% Fe, 0.8% Mn, 0.15% Zr, 0.15% Ti, with other elements restricted as unavoidable impurities limited to 0.05% each and 0.15% total with the balance being aluminum. This 6xxx series aluminum alloy is capable of being produced with high amounts of post-consumer recycled material which significantly reduces environmental impact from producing this material, while still meeting and in most cases exceeding material attribute requirements for general engineering applications.