Patent ID: 7550028

Claim:
A method for melting scrap of an aluminum alloy containing lithium, comprising: (i) providing scrap containing aluminum-lithium-type alloys; (ii) preparing an initial liquid metal bed of a first composition in a smelting oven; (iii) loading the scrap onto the initial liquid metal bed so as to create, at the surface of the liquid metal bed, a floating layer of the scrap with a controlled thickness of between 300 mm and 1500 mm, the floating layer preventing oxidation of the liquid metal bed by the ambient air, the floating layer being partially melted by contact with the metal bed so as to obtain a liquid metal bath having a second composition, which can be the same as or different from the first composition, a lithium content of the second composition of the metal bath being between 0.1 wt. % to 2.5 wt. %; and (iv) removing the liquid metal from the second composition of the liquid metal bath.