The largest specification high-strength and high-toughness aluminum alloy round casting rod in the country has been successfully developed by Xinjiang Zhonghe.

On July 5, the largest φ1400mm 2 series high-strength and high-toughness aluminum alloy round casting rod in China was successfully trial-produced at the Xinjiang Zhonghe Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Xinjiang Zhonghe") new materials industrial park located in the Ganquanbao Economic and Technological Development Zone of Urumqi, Xinjiang. The product's overall low magnification grain size reaches level 2, leading the industry. This product will be an important application blank for the ring-forged components of future new model launch vehicles.

The aerospace industry is a strategic high-tech industry of the country. In the 1990s, Xinjiang Zhonghe integrated into the aerospace industrial supply chain system with a strong sense of historical mission and social responsibility, supplying high-purity aluminum and alloy series products for a long time, ensuring the lightweight application of aerospace raw materials. With the implementation of major technological engineering strategies in China's aerospace sector, the development of large aluminum alloy ring-forged components, which are core components of launch vehicle tanks, has become particularly urgent.

At the end of 2018, relying on the advanced aluminum alloy melting technology of China Nonferrous Metal Industry's Research Institute Group Co., Ltd. and the high-purity aluminum industry advantages of Xinjiang Zhonghe, they jointly developed 2 series and 7 series large-scale high-strength and high-toughness aluminum alloy casting rod products for the national major equipment manufacturing field. As of now, Xinjiang Zhonghe can stably produce casting rod products of various specifications from φ90mm to φ880mm, including multiple alloy grades such as 2219 and 7050, with overall low magnification grain sizes all reaching above level 1. Some related products have achieved import substitution, making outstanding contributions to the autonomy and controllability of the industrial chain and supply chain.

It is reported that the successful trial production of the domestic largest φ1400mm high-strength and high-toughness aluminum alloy round casting rod has characteristics such as high specific strength, good mechanical properties at low and high temperatures, high fracture toughness, and good stress corrosion resistance, making it suitable for structural components and high-strength welded parts working at high temperatures of 315°C. This marks the gradual expansion of Xinjiang Zhonghe's layout in the field of advanced structural materials, with the production process of high-alloy products reaching a leading level in the country, laying a solid technical foundation for expanding the development space of the aerospace industry and enhancing the overall level of aerospace technology applications.

Chen Changke, the deputy general manager of Xinjiang Zhonghe, told the author that the "Development of Ultra-Large Specification Aluminum Alloy Casting Blanks for Aerospace" project, in cooperation with China Nonferrous Metal Industry's Research Institute Group, represents the highest level of casting, forging, and heat treatment processes for large specification aluminum alloy rods in the country. The φ1400mm specification 2219 aluminum alloy developed in this project serves as a guarantee for major national technological equipment. The company has precisely controlled every detail indicator in the preparation phase, including scheme formulation, tooling design, and process execution, and has developed a detailed and complete trial production plan to ensure stable production lines and product quality, providing reliable material support for national aerospace. In the future, the company will also focus on the direction of major national scientific research planning, driven by market demand, continue to increase technological innovation efforts, leverage the industrial chain advantages of high-purity aluminum preparation technology, achieve import substitution in more application areas, and realize autonomy and controllability around the domestic large circulation. It will closely integrate advanced production capacity with cloud computing, big data, and industrial internet to achieve new business formats, create new momentum, and make positive contributions to achieving the overall economic development goals and high-quality transformation of the Xinjiang region.