Patent ID: 6743309
Filing Date: 2004-06-01
Classification: C22F

Abstract:
In a method of casting, hot rolling, and annealing non-heat treatable aluminum alloys having known physical properties, whereby a cast product is directly that rolled to form a hot rolled product, and the hot rolled product is directly annealed to form a final annealed product, the improvement comprising:(a) using latent heat in the hot rolled product while heating the hot rolled product through the use of an infrared heater from an elevated temperature caused by hot rolling to a final annealing temperature to form the final annealed product; and (b) controlling the infrared heating using a control, wherein the control uses a direct measure of the elevated temperature of the hot rolled product and one or more measures of the temperature of the final annealed product after infrared heating is completed, the gauge of hot rolled product being infrared heated, the speed of the hot rolled product as it travels through the infrared heater, and the infrared temperature calculated from known physical properties of the alloy being heated.