HOW IT'S MADE: Aluminum

the raw material from which aluminum is made is found in many tropical areas here on the island of Jamaica the aluminum ore known as bauxite lies close to the surface in the rich red earth that is within easy reach of giant shovels and waiting trucks to handle the vast quantities of bauxite a railroad system was built Harbor facilities were established and a substantial fleet of or ships contracted for to carry the bauxite to the United States refining plants have been built near sea and inland ports to save shipping costs here the bauxite undergoes an intricate chemical process first the bauxite is mixed with water lime and soda ash then it is wet ground blended with a solution of caustic soda and transferred to digester tanks under steam pressure the alumina dissolves out of the bauxite forming sodium aluminate the impurities remain in solid form and the sodium aluminate is separated from them in a series of tanks in which the heavier impurities settle the relatively clear liquid is drawn off the top and piped to filter presses which remove the finer impurities suspended in the liquid then in six story high tanks the solution of sodium aluminate is agitated by compressed air and seeded with aluminum trihydrate this encourages the formation of aluminum hydroxide crystals which precipitate to the bottom of the tanks next the crystals are thoroughly washed and heated to 2,000 degree temperatures in long rotary kilns this drives off the free and combined water and the result is a white powder aluminum oxide known as alumina the alumina is shipped in trade Lord lots to Kaiser aluminum's reduction plants for processing to metallic aluminum the reduction process requires vast amounts of electrical energy that can come from hydroelectric power from using coal or by using natural gas as a fuel source but regardless of the power source of electrical energy the reduction process is the same the alumina is put into an electrolytic bath of molten cryolite into which a carbon electrode is suspended a molecule of alumina is made up of three atoms of oxygen holding fast to two atoms of metallic aluminum electrical energy frees the aluminum atoms from the oxygen atoms and the molten aluminum sinks to the bottom of the bath periodically the molten aluminum is siphoned from the pots placed in holding furnaces and poured into ingots this primary aluminum in the form of ingots you ship to customers either in pure or alloy form the fabricating process begins with alloy blooms which after being reheated are passed through the rolling mills the blooms are subjected to millions of pounds of pressure to decrease their size and alter the molecular structure of the metal to increase its strength and durability [Music] in the manufacture of wire ingots of workable length are processed in the continuous rod mill the fully automatic process is completed by a series of reductions [Music] [Applause] or customers who need wire of smaller size the rod is fed into machines and flow through a series of dies a decreasing diameter which lengthen and reduce the metal by drawing until the desired size is obtained in addition the plant makes many specialized types of wire and cable products including aluminum cable steel reinforced for high tension lines known as a CSR and Paul aluminum cable known as a AC triplex service drop combines to polyethylene covered wires wound about a bare ground line filling the need for a lower-cost simpler to install link between power lines in the nation's homes and buildings at modern extrusion plants like this one located near Baltimore Maryland designs and shapes like these are extruded through dyes experienced designers are available to customers to make dyes that meet the most exacting specifications the dye makers know from long experience that the most careful execution of design is essential to properly control the flow of metal through the die [Music] the extrusion process begins with billets specially alloyed and cast for the specific need pressure exerted by the extrusion press squeezes the workable metal through the die like toothpicks in this case forming an i-beam for a truck trailer chassis in one simple operation the workability of aluminum and the simplicity of the extrusion process make possible almost numberless designs including window frames decorative molding furniture tubing storefronts structural members for transportation equipment and buildings huge ingots are subjected to tremendous pressures in the rolling process [Music] driven by thousands of horsepower the rolls compressed the ingot and after several passes it is reduced from its original thickness of 13 inches to 3 inches and it's length is increased from 9 to 30 feet as the rolling process continues the slab is reduced from 3 inches down to 7/8 of an inch in thickness and its length is increased from 30 to 125 feet the slab then moves into a huge 5 stand continuous mill actually it is 5 Mills working in tandem to reduce the 7/8 inch slab down to sheets of 1/10 of an inch in a single pass observing this tremendous mill in action one can't help but sense that here in this massive complexity is a symbol of the strength of the American private enterprise system operated by a highly skilled workers but mostly equipment is made possible through investment by thousands of stockholders men and women who believe that our American economic system can continue to produce more things for more people efficiently and without weights the sheet streams out of the five stand mill and on to the roll-up machine where it is coiled at high tension into large tight rolls ready for further processing [Music] some sheet is cut into circular sections to make washing machine tons blanks are stamped from aluminum sheet to make products like pots and pans some sheet may be slit into workable widths for fabricators of heat exchangers or refrigerator trains and liners some coil sheet is further processed at foil mills in West Virginia and California it is rolled into foil of various gauges for packaging building insulation and electronic components whether it's foil for decorative purposes or flat sheets for the fuselages of jet planes close inspection and quality control are observed in every plant over every process for example applying micrometer keeps sheet gauge within the most minut of tolerances ultrasonic waves scan the heavy plate in phillips for internal flaws should any exists be revealed on the electronic screen and the alloy content of the metal itself is analyzed by direct reading spectrograph for all the quant ammeter these quality control procedures help sustain the high standards which fabricators and the public have always associated with aluminum products Kaiser aluminum works constantly with fabricators to solve technical problems and to develop new and better uses for aluminum such as this tank to contain liquid hydrogen at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit which takes full advantage of aluminum's lightweight weldability and increased strength under extreme cold agriculture has already benefited from new aluminum products rolling-stock made of this light durable metal helps railroads to increase payloads and cut maintenance costs in the construction industry glass fiber wall panels sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum give three times the insulation of eight inches of masonry lightweight strong corrosion resistant culverts are an example of aluminum's contribution to modern a highway construction aluminum engine blocks are being used in the automotive industry as well as an aluminum wheel and brake drum cast in one piece not only will aluminum continue to improve and replace existing components in the automobile industry it is certain to find more uses in all our daily lives you

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Keywords: aluminum, industry, alloys, extrusion, fabricate, machining, forge, engineering, technology, mechanical, materials, manufacture, foundry, welding, melt, forming, shop, machines, blacksmith, metals, physics, chemistry, metallurgy, formula, structure, science, history, culture, electricity, gas, USA, America, video, new, TV, make, build, facts, info, Education, clip, use, about

Id: t4HAzfhWtqE

Length: 10min 25sec (625 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 18 2018