ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 6 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS Constellium concluded its “ISA3” R&D project, initiated in 2021 to enhance automotive lightweighting. Renault Group, ESI Group, the Institut de Soudure, and the University of Lorraine contributed to the research. A major outcome of ISA3 is a lightweight aluminum door, co-developed with Renault, using Constellium’s uni-alloy 6xxx products. constellium.com. MORE ACCURATE FATIGUE LIFE PREDICTION FOR METALS A team of researchers from Pusan National University, South Korea, developed a method to more accurately predict the fatigue life of magnesium alloys by integrating machine learning with energy-based physical modeling. The model was built using a large dataset of hysteresis loops—the stress-strain behaviors observed during repeated loading and unloading of the material— collected from low-cycle fatigue tests of the AZ31 magnesium alloy. Instead of predicting fatigue life directly, the neural network estimates hysteresis loops for the material under different conditions. By reconstructing these loops, it can more accurately assess how the material’s energy is dissipated during each cycle of loading and unloading, which is directly related to how quickly fatigue will accumulate. Then, the physics-based model converts these stress cycle predictions into a reliable estimate of the number of cycles to failure, or the fatigue life of the alloy. With the advent of this new approach, manufacturers could soon benefit from greater predictive reliability when working with magnesium alloys, enabling safer, lighter, and more cost-effective designs in high-stakes environments. The model offers a more streamlined and accurate approach to the fatigue life prediction of MAKING HIGH-VALUE ALLOYS WITH METAL SCRAP Researchers at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Wash., found a way to directly transform and upgrade metal scrap into high-performance, high-value alloys without the need for conventional melting processes. They demonstrated that upcycled aluminum from industrial waste streams performs on par with identical materials produced from primary aluminum, indicating that this approach can provide a low-cost pathway to bringing more high-quality recycled metal products to the marketplace. The innovative solid phase alloying process converts aluminum scrap blended with copper, zinc, and magnesium into a precisely designed high-strength aluminum alloy product in a matter of minutes, compared to the days required to produce the same product utilizing conventional melting, casting, and extrusion. The research team used a PNNL-patented technique called Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion, or ShAPE, to achieve their results. They say that the findings should be reproducible with other solid phase manufacturing processes. The team used both mechanical testing and advanced imagery to examine the internal structure of the upcycled materials produced by solid phase alloying. Their results showed that the ShAPE upcycled alloy is 200% stronger and has increased ultimate tensile strength when compared with conventional recycled aluminum. The solid phase alloying process could be used to create custom metal wire alloys for various 3D printing technologies, the researchers say. pnnl.gov. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Cleveland, acquired Stelco Holdings Inc., Hamilton, Ontario, expanding Cliffs’ presence in Canada as the top flat-rolled steel producer. Stelco will continue operations as a subsidiary of Cliffs, preserving Stelco’s name and Canadian legacy. clevelandcliffs.com. BRIEFS New aluminum car door achieves 14% weight reduction. Courtesy of Constellium. An innovative solid phase alloying process eliminates the costly and energy-intensive melting, casting, and extrusion process currently used in aluminum recycling. Courtesy of PNNL.
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