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Analysis of aluminum foil quality defects

Jun. 19, 2024

  1. Aluminum foil bruises
  2. Corrosion
  3. Surface bubbles
  4. Dark surface stripes
  5. Imprints
  6. Oil spots
  7. Incomplete oil removal
  8. Cracked edge
  9. Poor plate shape
  10. Adhesion
  11. Holes
  12. Loose roll
  13. Burrs
  14. Tower shape
  15. Warping edge
  16. Pinholes
  17. End pattern
  18. White stripes
  19. Wrinkles
  20. Aluminum foil bruises
  21. Bright spots
  22. Arrow
  23. Black lines
  24. Bright lines
  25. Drumming
  26. Dark surface color difference
  27. Horizontal stripes
  28. Herringbone pattern
  29. Air channel
  30. Scratches
  31. Non-metallic indentation
  32. Slits
  33. Roller eye

Due to its excellent properties, aluminum foil is widely used in food, beverages, cigarettes, medicines, photographic plates, household daily necessities, etc., and is usually used as its packaging material. Electrolytic capacitor materials; insulation materials for buildings, vehicles, ships, houses, etc. It can also be used as decorative gold and silver wires, wallpapers, and decorative trademarks for various stationery prints and light industrial products.

In recent years, with the characteristics of aluminum foil, more and more are used in industrial production: battery foil, air conditioning foil, medicine foil, etc., which puts more and more stringent requirements on aluminum foil manufacturers. However, various quality defects will occur during the production process. For this reason, the characteristics and causes of various quality defects are sorted out.

Aluminum foil bruises

Aluminum foil bruises refer to the damage caused on the surface or end face of the foil after colliding with other objects during transportation or storage. The bruises are mostly caused by carelessness when packaging aluminum foil.

Corrosion

The surface of the aluminum foil contacts the surrounding medium, and after chemical or electrochemical reactions occur, defects are generated on the surface of the aluminum foil. The corroded surface of the aluminum foil will lose its luster, and gray corrosion products will be produced in severe cases. The corroded aluminum foil will have a great impact on the appearance of the terminal products.

Surface bubbles

Aluminum foil with surface bubble defects will have irregular circular or strip-shaped cavity protrusions on the foil surface; the protrusions have smooth edges, asymmetric two sides, and irregular distribution. The surface bubbles make the force of each point of the aluminum foil strip uneven, which is likely to cause the pull-off and shutdown.

Dark surface stripes

Dark surface stripes mostly appear on double-combined products. The dark surface has obvious light and dark strip patterns along the rolling direction, which affects the appearance.

Causes

  • a) Insufficient grain refinement of the billet.
  • b) Unreasonable intermediate annealing process of the rough material.
  • c) Unreasonable alloy composition of the billet.

Imprints

There are many situations that will cause imprints on the surface of the aluminum foil, such as defects on the surface of the roller or guide roller or dirt such as metal chips, unclean surface of the sleeve or tube core or smooth protrusions in some parts, or foreign matter on the surface of the foil when winding, etc. The surface of the foil with marks usually has single or periodic depressions or protrusions, which are easy to identify.

Oil spots

Common aluminum foil oil stains are formed after annealing, usually in light yellow, brown, or yellow-brown spots.

Incomplete oil removal

To check whether the oil removal is clean, it is usually done after annealing. The degreasing level is tested by brushing water. If the level does not reach the level specified in the brushing water test, the aluminum foil may have oil on it.

Causes

  • a) The amount of oil on the surface of the aluminum foil is too large.
  • b) The porosity of the aluminum foil roll is too low.
  • c) The physical and chemical indicators of the rolling oil are not suitable.
  • d) The annealing process is unreasonable.

Cracked edge

The phenomenon of the longitudinal edge of the aluminum foil surface being broken is called cracked edge. In severe cases, obvious gaps can be seen on the edge.

Poor plate shape

The phenomenon of uneven surface of the foil due to uneven deformation is called poor plate shape. According to the location of the defect, it is divided into middle wave, edge wave, two-rib wave and composite wave. The edge wave is called edge wave, the middle wave is called middle wave, the wave with both is called composite wave, and the wave neither in the middle nor on the edge is called two-rib wave.

Adhesion

It is not easy to open a single sheet of aluminum foil roll. When multiple sheets are opened, they are in a hardened state. The free falling length of the product cannot meet the standard requirements. In severe cases, a single sheet cannot be opened. The adhesion of aluminum foil will seriously affect product production.

Holes

The surface of the foil is prone to holes.

Causes

  • a) The surface of the roller is damaged.
  • b) Cracks are formed after foreign objects fall off during the production process.
  • c) There are defects such as serious scratches on the surface of the incoming material.
  • d) Excessive pressure leads to uneven deformation.

Loose roll

Due to loose winding during slitting, when the foil is held vertically along the tube core direction, the foil moves between layers. When the foil is pressed with fingers, local depression may occur.

Causes

  • a) The tension is too small or uneven during slitting.
  • b) The slitting speed is too fast.
  • c) The pressure of the slitting and flattening roller is too low.

Burrs

After shearing, there are burrs of varying sizes on the edge of the foil.

Causes

  • a) The shear blade is not sharp.
  • b) Improper lubrication of the shear blade.
  • c) Improper adjustment of the shear blade gap and overlap.

Misalignment

The irregular displacement between the layers of the end surface of the aluminum foil roll causes the end surface to be uneven.

Causes

a) The incoming material shape is poor.
b) Improper adjustment of the winding tension.
c) Improper adjustment of the flattening roller.
d) Abnormal centering system during winding.
e) Too fast speed during rolling or slitting.

Tower shape

The displacement between the layers of the end surface of the aluminum foil causes a tower-shaped offset, which is called a tower shape. The tower shape is a special case of misalignment, and the side looks like a spire.

Causes

  • a) The incoming material shape is not good.
  • b) The centering adjustment system is abnormal during winding.
  • c) The flattening roller system is in poor condition or improperly adjusted.
  • d) Improper adjustment of the winding tension.

Warping edge

The phenomenon of the aluminum foil roll curling up at both ends or one end is called warping edge. Its characteristic is that the aluminum foil roll edge curls up. You can touch it with your hand and you will feel obvious bumps and depressions.

Causes

  • a) The pass processing rate is too high.
  • b) The rolling oil is unevenly distributed.
  • c) The shear blade is improperly adjusted.
  • d) The plate shape is poor.

Pinholes

Irregular small holes visible on the surface of the aluminum foil facing the light. For the production of aluminum foil packaging materials, the pinhole problem will affect the sealing.

Causes

  • a) The blank has internal structural defects.
  • b) The surface roughness of the roller is too high or the surface of the roller is defective.
  • c) The rolling oil is not clean enough.
  • d) The surface of the incoming material is scratched.
  • e) Improper rolling process parameters.
  • f) The production environment is not clean.

End pattern

Looking at the end of the aluminum foil locally or on the whole roll, the tube core has a radial pattern along the wall thickness, and there is a slight wave on the edge of the aluminum foil after unwinding.

Causes

  • a) Improper adjustment of the knife groove or shear blade.
  • b) Poor plate shape at the coiling point (waves).

White stripes

White stripes on the surface of the aluminum foil with different widths or intervals along the rolling direction. Generally, they appear on the lower surface of the corresponding cast-rolled strip. The stripes are mostly concentrated in the middle and two ribs of the aluminum foil. As the aluminum foil is rolled and thinned, the stripes tend to become more severe.

Causes

  • a) Ti/B segregation and deposition of cast-rolled billets.
  • b) The cooling of the middle and two ribs of the cast-rolled strip is poor, and the crystallization lag causes the structure of this position to be different from that of other positions.
  • c) The cooling intensity of the casting roll is uneven, resulting in component segregation and uneven grains.

Wrinkles

Small, longitudinal or oblique local protrusions, one or several smooth grooves on the surface of the aluminum foil.

Causes

  • a) Excessive reduction, resulting in uneven deformation during rolling or insufficient tension during coiling.
  • b) Improper roller shape control or too low rolling pressure.
  • c) Uneven billet thickness, poor plate shape or ridges.
  • d) The winding shaft is not accurate enough and the sleeve is not round.
  • e) Improper pressure control of the flattening roller.

Aluminum foil bruises

Longitudinal or transverse wrinkles on the surface of the aluminum foil roll that cannot be flattened.

Bright spots

The uneven bright spots on the dark surface of the aluminum foil during double rolling are called bright spots.

Causes

  • a) The surface of the foil is rough and uneven before double rolling or there are defects such as roller marks and transverse waves.
  • b) The surface of the roller is rough and uneven.
  • c) The double oil index is not suitable.
  • d) The thickness difference between the upper and lower aluminum foils is too large during double rolling.

Arrow

A certain number of layers on the end surface of the aluminum foil roll are bulged from the inside to the outside at the same place, and the bulge gradually decreases from the inside to the outside or from the outside to the inside.

Causes

  • a) The winding tension is small at the beginning and large at the end.
  • b) The sleeve or tube core has low precision.
  • c) After the belt breaks during the production process, the tension is improperly used.

Black lines

Dark lines that are continuous in the longitudinal direction on the surface of the aluminum foil, and the color difference between the location where the lines are produced and other locations is obvious.

Bright lines

Similar to dark lines, bright lines are continuous in the longitudinal direction on the surface of the aluminum foil, and the color difference between the location where the lines are produced and other locations is obvious.

Causes

  • a) There are serious bright lines on the surface of the incoming material.
  • b) The roller cleaner is not operating normally, scratching the roller.
  • c) When the rolling mill is running, foreign objects scratch the roller.

Drumming

The surface of the aluminum foil is vertically convex in strips, and there is a clear sense of convexity and concavity when touched by hand. Sometimes it disappears after removing the outer layer of aluminum foil, and sometimes it runs through the entire roll of aluminum foil.

Causes

  • a) Poor control of the aluminum foil shape.
  • b) There are bright lines on the surface of the aluminum foil.
  • c) The annealing cooling speed is too fast.
  • d) The surface of the flattening roller is uneven.

Dark surface color difference

The surface of the aluminum foil is vertically convex in strips, and there is a clear sense of convexity and concavity when touched by hand. Sometimes it disappears after removing the outer layer of aluminum foil, and sometimes it runs through the entire roll of aluminum foil.

Horizontal stripes

The surface of aluminum foil has regular horizontal fine stripes, which are generally white and have no bumps. Sometimes they are local to the coil and sometimes they cover the entire surface, which also affects the appearance.

Causes

  • a) There are horizontal stripes on the surface of the rolled raw material.
  • b) The rolling pass pressure is too large.
  • c) The roughness of the roller is unreasonable.
  • d) The physical and chemical indicators of the rolling oil are unreasonable.
  • e) The grinding quality of the roller is poor and there are stripes on the surface.

Herringbone pattern

The regular herringbone pattern on the surface of the foil is generally white, with obvious color difference on the surface, but very smooth.

Causes

  • a) The rolling pass pressure is too large, and the metal flows slowly between the rollers due to excessive friction, resulting in slippage.
  • b) The roller shape is not good and the temperature is uneven.
  • c) The roughness of the roller is unreasonable.
  • d) The physical and chemical indicators of the rolling oil are unreasonable.
  • e) The grinding quality of the roller is poor and there are stripes on the surface.

Air channel

Due to the high hydrogen content of the melt, the aluminum foil is crushed in strips along the rolling direction during the rolling process, with a certain width.

Scratches

The scars distributed in bundles (or groups) on the surface of the foil caused by the relative sliding between the edges and faces, or between faces after the contact between the materials.

The intermittent or continuous groove-like scars on the surface of the foil. Generally, they are caused when a sharp object contacts the surface of the foil and slides relative to it.

Non-metallic indentation

Non-metallic inclusions are pressed into the surface of the foil, and the surface shows obvious yellow-black defects in the form of dots or long strips, which can be seen more clearly.

Slits

The phenomenon of aluminum foil naturally cracking in the longitudinal direction after rolling.

Causes

  • a) The tension is too small during rolling.
  • b) The incoming material has a poor shape.
  • c) Improper roller shape control.
  • d) There are air channels in the billet.
  • e) Folding on the inlet side or folding of the incoming material.

Roller eye

Small holes with rolling marks appear periodically on the surface of aluminum foil. Some of them are in the form of a mesh and are generally larger than pinholes.

Causes

  • a) Roller eye on the surface of the incoming material.
  • b) During the rolling process, foreign matter damages the roller.
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