PECHINEY Rhenalu

By: Mr Henri GERARD (PECHINEY/ATI/Development)

Henri GERARD
PECHINEY Rhenalu/ATI/Development
Issoire Plant
Welding Development Manager
B.P. 42 - 63502 Issoire cedex - France

Tel. No : +33 (0)4 73 55 78 44
Mobile No : +33 (0)6 71 90 82 78
Fax No : +33 (0)4 73 55 51 27
E mail : henri.gerard@pechiney.com
Website: www.pechiney.com

PECHINEY at a glance

The Pechiney Group operates in three core businesses in which it ranks among the global market leaders:

Production of primary aluminium and aluminium products:

PECHINEY Aluminium Metal is the leading European producer and the world's fourth largest producer and converter of aluminium. We also license alumina and aluminium technology, know-how and related equipment. Pechiney Rhenalu and its subsidiaries are one of the leading European producers of flat-rolled aluminium products for transports markets (world co-leader for aerospace aluminium products), industrial applications, construction, household appliances and packaging. Pechiney Aerospace and Pechiney Automotive co-ordinate the commercial, production and technical forces on the corresponding markets.

Production of packaging materials:

PECHINEY Packaging is among the leading world producers of packaging for food, healthcare and beauty.

Ferroalloys and International Trade businesses complete the Group's portfolio.

'The objective is to create value through continuous improvement and selective and profitable growth'
Jean-Pierre Rodier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Group's net sales amounted to 10.7 billion Euros in 2000 with 31,300 employees working in 320 manufacturing and sales facilities in 50 countries.

Fig 1 : Turnover of the main products at Pechiney

R&D at PECHINEY

Pechiney's Research and Development teams invent and develop the Group's products and processes, and then ensure the applications technological leadership. In 2000, 90 million Euros were invested in R&D projects.

The teams are divided between a central laboratory in Voreppe (Isère, France) and seven specialist laboratories (alumina, electrolysis, ferroalloys, tubes & aerosols, flexible packaging Europe, flexible packaging USA) located in France and the USA.

Pechiney has a portfolio of approximately 700 basic patents, which have been extended to several countries (almost 3,500 patents in total).

PECHINEY's Contributions to the EuroStir® Project

Pechiney's contribution to the EuroStir® project deals with the industrialisation of the FSW, in consistency with its main customers. Friction Stir Welding would allow making semi-finished products in shapes and dimensions closer to the final component thus increasing the value of the total supply chain.

Technically, the feasibility of welding very large thick plates has not been fully addressed. The purpose of Pechiney is to develop with other institutions the skills and specifications needed to weld typical wing sub-components in very high strength alloys like AA7449. Large test testing of these large weldments will be performed: R-curve, fatigue crack growth under variable amplitude loading, in site corrosion.

Beside this contribution, Pechiney will contribute with newly developed alloys to the partners of the program in order to keep the project up to date with the latest developments in aircraft programs in terms of aluminium alloys.

Pechiney is considering the investment in a lab scale and an industrial FSW machine in the next 3 years.

Summary of Testing Equipment available at PECHINEY

Pechiney CRV is equipped with up to date mechanical testing facilities including a range of servo-hydraulic machines of 100 to 1000 KN capacity, able to perform constant amplitude and spectrum fatigue. Component testing is possible on a dedicated fatigue machine. Tensile and compression machines are available also. Low and high temperature mechanical testing can be performed.

All types of corrosion tests, including on site marine exposure, are performed within Pechiney CRV. Full scale or lab scale production facilities are available in Pechiney CRV: casting, rolling, extrusion, and thermal treatment. Joining techniques other than FSW are developed within Pechiney CRV. A robot arc welding machine, conventional TIG and MIG welding machines, resistance spot welding machines make an up to date welding workshop which could be completed by the above-mentioned FSW machine.

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