ASAAP – Advancing Sustainable Aluminum through Adaptive Processing

Project Description

ASAAP – Advancing Sustainable Aluminum by Adaptive Processing addresses the question of how secondary aluminum alloys can be reliably processed into high-quality materials despite increased levels of impurity and residual elements. Against the backdrop of increasing demands for resource efficiency, a circular economy, and CO₂ reduction, the use of recycled materials in aluminum processing is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, fluctuating chemical compositions and elevated levels of individual elements can influence the microstructure, formability, and subsequent material properties.

The goal of the project is therefore not only to adjust the alloy composition but, above all, to specifically refine the process control along the manufacturing route. Through coordinated heat treatments, forming steps, and analytical methods, the project aims to identify process windows that allow even recycling-based aluminum alloys to be processed reliably.

In this project, the Chair of Materials Science and Testing is specifically investigating the relationship between alloy composition, cast microstructure, and homogenization conditions. The focus is on how temperature-time cycles during high-temperature annealing influence microstructure development and what conditions are necessary to create a suitable foundation for subsequent process steps such as hot rolling, cold rolling, and forming. In this way, the LMW contributes to the development of robust process strategies for sustainable aluminum materials.

Key Areas of the Project

• Investigation of secondary aluminum alloys with elevated levels of accompanying and residual elements

• Analysis of the relationship between chemical composition, as-cast microstructure, and process behavior

• Development of suitable homogenization strategies using tailored temperature-time cycles

• Evaluation of microstructural development before and after heat treatment

• Examination of relevant phases, precipitates, and microstructural components for further processing

• Derivation of suitable process windows for subsequent forming and rolling processes

• Integration of experimental material characterization with simulation-based methods

• Contribution to the industrial applicability of recycled aluminum materials

• Support for sustainable aluminum cycles through adaptive process control

ASAAP is funded by the European Union and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Together with Speira, Matplus, Mubea, and the Institute for Plastic Forming at RWTH Aachen University, the Chair of Materials Science and Testing at the University of Siegen is working on adaptive process chains for a sustainable aluminum circular economy. The partners combine industrial implementation, materials digitization, forming technology, materials characterization, and application-specific validation.