RUSAL to produce nanostructured aluminium alloys

UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, has begun work on a new production process for making nanostructured aluminium alloys with improved mechanical strength for the electric power industry. The project is being implemented by the Engineering and Technology Centre of UC RUSAL on the premises of the Irkutsk aluminium smelter (IrkAZ).

An experimental extruder will be built in the casthouse of IrkAZ that will utilise intensive plastic deformation to produce nanostructured alloys.

It is estimated that the project will cost in excess of RUR 100 million with over RUR 40 million to be invested by the company. The rest of the money will come from the ‘Priority R&D for the Development of Russia’s Science and Technology in 2014-2020’, a government-sponsored federal initiative. In a contest organised by the Ministry for Education and Science of Russia, UC RUSAL’s ETC was named the winner and awarded the right to carry out applied research aimed at developing the theoretical foundations for making nanostructured aluminium alloys. The project should be implemented by December 2016.

Development of a technology utilising nanostructured aluminium alloys will improve the mechanical strength of electric conductors by a factor of 1.5-2 without any detrimental effect on electric conductivity. The new products will be much in demand in the electric power industry as well as in other sectors.