Advanced Materials Processing Laboratory

Northeastern University

Enhancement of aluminum alloy forgings through rapid preheating of billets (ORNL)

Objectives

Developing a hybrid infrared billet heating system that will result in an order of magnitude finer grain size in aluminum alloy forgings.Identifying the mechanisms and the improvement in mechanical properties of rapid preheating rates of billets.

Advantages of high-density infrared (HDI) system

- Rapid heating rates in excess of 500 °C/s.
- Rapid power-level changes.                                                  
- Rapid cooling rates.
- Controllable temperature-gradient processing.

HDI facility in Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Microstructure of conventionally heated, forged and T-6 heat treated aluminum.