About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Electrode Technology for Aluminum Production
|
| Presentation Title |
Experimental Investigation of the Thermo-Chemo-Mechanical Behavior of a PAH-Free Ramming Paste During Baking |
| Author(s) |
Janick Bouchard-Perron, Daniel Marceau, Duygu Kocaefe, Simon-Olivier Tremblay, Antoine Godefroy |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Janick Bouchard-Perron |
| Abstract Scope |
Ramming paste plays a crucial role in aluminum reduction cells by confining the cathodic plane, directly impacting the cell’s efficiency, lifespan, and overall performance. The start-up phase is particularly critical, as the paste undergoes thermal, chemical, and mechanical transformations during baking. This paper presents the methodology used to characterize the evolution of thermo-chemo-mechanical behavior of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)-free ramming paste during baking. A model based on the mass loss of the ramming paste during baking is proposed to evaluate the baking level of the paste, showing a dependency on the heating rate, which influences the release of volatiles and the binder transformation. Experimental results include the evolution of mechanical properties as well as the expansion/shrinkage evolution during baking. These findings are under implementation in a thermo-electro-mechanical ¼ cell finite element model to predict the quality of the cathodic plane’s confinement during the start-up phase. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Light Metals |
| Keywords |
Other, Characterization, Mechanical Properties |