Continuous cladding of aluminum strip

Claim 1

A method of continuously cladding aluminum strip, comprising (a) continuously passing a first aluminum strip, and a second aluminum strip substantially aligned longitudinally with said first strip in contact with a major surface thereof, concurrently through a nip between paired rolls of a warm-rolling mill for jointly warm-rolling the first and second strips to bond them together such that said second strip constitutes a cladding on said first strip major surface, said nip defining a pass line of the mill, while (b) continuously advancing the first strip to the nip at a first line speed along a first free path over a first single roll spaced ahead of the nip with the top of said first roll disposed above the pass line of the mill such that said first strip advances upwardly to said first roll and then downwardly to said nip, and while (c) continuously advancing the second strip to the nip at a second line speed different from said first line speed along a second free path (i) from a locality, ahead of said first roll, at which said second strip is spaced away from said first strip, (ii) then around and in contact with a second single roll spaced between said locality and said first roll and (iii) thereafter, in smooth continuous contact with and substantially aligned with said first strip major surface, over said first roll and into said nip, said second strip moving longitudinally relative to said first strip while in contact with said first strip to cause the disruption of any oxide layers on the contacting surfaces of said first strip and said second strip to assure bonding.

Claim 2

A method of continuously cladding aluminum strip, comprising (a) continuously passing a first aluminum strip, and a second aluminum strip substantially aligned longitudinally with said first strip in contact with a major surface thereof, concurrently through a nip between paired rolls of a warm-rolling mill for jointly warm-rolling the first and second strips to bond them together such that said second strip constitutes a cladding on said first strip major surface, said nip defining a pass line of the mill, while (b) continuously advancing the first strip to the nip at a first line speed along a first free path over a first single roll spaced ahead of the nip with the top of said first roll disposed above the pass line of the mill such that said first strip advances upwardly to said first roll and then downwardly to said nip, and while (c) continuously advancing the second strip to the nip at a second line speed different from said first line speed along a second free path (i) from a locality, ahead of said first roll, at which said second strip is spaced away from said first strip, (ii) then around and in contact with a second single roll spaced between said locality and said first roll and (iii) thereafter, in smooth continuous contact with and substantially aligned with said first strip major surface, over said first roll and into said nip, said second strip moving longitudinally relative to said first strip while in contact with said first strip to cause the disruption of any oxide layers on the contacting surfaces of said first strip and said second strip to assure bonding.