A Resource-Saving Automatic Control System for the Aluminum Ingots Homogenization Development

The article discusses a system development for automatically controlling the cooling of aluminum ingots in a chamber. Casting ingots into a cooled mold leads to the formation of a nonequilibrium structure, residual stresses, micropores. To eliminate these defects, homogenization annealing is carried out, an important stage after which is cooling the ingots with a slow cooling rate to prevent quenching. A mathematical model of cooling ingots by air has been developed, which allows one to determine the cooling mode for ingots of various diameters and the total cooling time. The mathematical model made it possible to analytically study the ingots cooling depending on various operational and design factors - the speed of cooling air, the ingots diameter, and the height of the channel. Using a mathematical model of cooling and an analytical study, an automatic control system in the chamber was developed. The introduction of such a system can improve the products quality, reduce the rejects amount, reduce energy consumption, thereby increasing the high-quality products volume.