Upcycling of aluminum Twitch scrap via Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE)

Journal Article · Sat Jul 19 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Manufacturing Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mfglet.2025.06.209· OSTI ID:3006406

Taysom, Brandon Scott ^[1]; Milligan, Brian K. ^[1]; Roosendaal, Timothy J. ^[1]; Schuessler, Benjamin J. ^[1]; Clark, Mieka R. ^[2]; Lemmon, Teresa L. ^[1]; Whalen, Scott A. ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
2. Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, MI (United States)

Aluminum is publicly perceived as recyclable, but mixed alloys and impurities in aluminum scrap require dilution via energy-intensive primary aluminum or downcycling to low-quality castings. In this study, cast billets of shredded aluminum scrap (Twitch) were blended with pre-consumer AA 6061, extruded into tubes via Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE), and aged to T1 and T6 tempers. Microscopy reveals that ShAPE refined and distributed the deleterious AlFeSi phases. Furthermore, the Twitch extrusions had tensile properties comparable to AA 6061 yet without homogenizing or adding primary aluminum. Energy savings were 85% compared to conventional extrusion of primary aluminum alloys.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 3006406
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA--208883
• Journal Information: Manufacturing Letters, Journal Name: Manufacturing Letters Vol. 45; ISSN 2213-8463
• Publisher: Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ShAPE
aluminum
extrusion
recycling
twitch
upcycling