Influence of introducing Zr,Ti,Nb and Ce elements on externally solidified crystals and mechanical properties of high-pressure die-casting Al–Si alloy

High pressure die casting(HPDC)AlSi10Mn Mg alloy castings are widely used in the automobile industry.Mg can optimize the mechanical properties of castings through heat treatment,while the release of thermal stress arouses the deformation of large integrated die-castings.Herein,the development of non-heat treatment Al alloys is becoming the hot topic.In addition,HPDC contains externally solidified crystals(ESCs),which are detrimental to the mechanical properties of castings.To achieve high strength and toughness of non-heat treatment die-casting Al-Si alloy,we used AlSi9Mn alloy as matrix with the introduction of Zr,Ti,Nb,and Ce.Their influences on ESCs and mechanical properties were systematically investigated through three-dimensional reconstruction and thermodynamic simulation.Our results reveal that the addition of Ti increased ESCs'size and porosity,while the introduction of Nb refined ESCs and decreased porosity.Meanwhile,large-sized Al_3(Zr,Ti)phases formed and degraded the mechanical properties.Subsequent introduction of Ce resulted in the poisoning effect and reduced mechanical properties.

The effect of slow shot speed and casting pressure on the 3D microstructure of high pressure die casting AE44 magnesium alloy

3D reconstruction and 2D observation were conducted to characterize the microstructure of the castings produced through high pressure die casting with different parameters.Our results indicate that shrinkage pores generally co-existed with externally solidified crystals(ESCs).In specimen produced without fast slow shot speed,big net-shrinkage pores accompanied with ESCs were found in the center of the specimen.When the casting pressurization was introduced,the shrinkage pores gathered to the specimen center and became much less due to the optimization of melt feeding.Much more porosity was found near the gate rather than in the middle of the rod bar,especially gas pores.Thefilling process simulation reveals that the middle position of the bars wasfirstlyfilled and followed by the near gate position accompanied with one intense turbulentflow.

Effects of runner design and pressurization on the microstructure of a high-pressure die cast Mg-3.0Nd-0.3Zn-0.6Zr alloy

To clarify the relationship between externally solidified crystals(ESCs)and other defects,e.g.,defect bands and pores,two dimensional(2D)and three dimensional(3D)characterization methods were adopted to analyze castings produced using a modified ingate system equipped with and without an ESC collector.The reduction of ESCs strongly reduced defect band width and shrinkage pore quantity.By reducing the quantity and size of ESCs,net-shrinkage pores were transformed into isolated island-shrinkage pores.We determined via statistical analysis that the mechanical properties of high pressure die castings were strongly related to the size and fraction of the ESCs rather than porosity volume.The reduction of ESCs also caused tensile transgranular fracture modes to transform into intergranular fracture modes.Additionally,casting pressurization strongly reduced pore morphology,volume,and size.

On the deformation behavior of heterogeneous microstructure and its effect on the mechanical properties of die cast AZ91D magnesium alloy

Both a conventional flow distributer and an improved one with a flow buffer were applied respectively during the high pressure die casting(HPDC)process,and samples of AZ91D magnesium alloy with different microstructure mainly consisting ofα-Mg grains,β-phase and porosities were obtained.According to the grain orientation analysis,the predominant deformation behavior inα-Mg grains was dislocation slip,supplemented by deformation twinning.Dislocation slip was more difficult to occur in the samples with the improved flow distributer on account of the fact that the size ofα-Mg grains in the microstructure was finer and more uniform.During the in situ tensile deformation test,cracks were observed to initiate from gas-shrinkage pore and island-shrinkage,and two main crack propagation mechanisms,porosity growth and coalescence were found accordingly.When the crack was in contact with theβ-phase,it would pass through and fracture the networkβ-phase,whereas bypass the islandβ-phase by detaching it from the surroundingα-Mg grains.Mechanical property tests showed that the samples with relatively more homogeneous microstructure would perform higher mechanical properties,which was the combined effect of matrixα-Mg grains,β-phase,and porosities.

Heat Transfer between Casting and Die during High Pressure Die Casting Process of AM50 Alloy-Modeling and Experimental Results

A method based on die casting experiments and mathematic modeling is presented for the determination of the heat flow density （HFD） and interfacial heat transfer coefficient （IHTC） during the high pressure die casting （HPDC） process.Experiments were carried out using step shape casting and a commercial magnesium alloy,AM50.Temperature profiles were measured and recorded using thermocouples embedded inside the die. Based on these temperature readings,the HFD and IHTC were successfully determined and the calculation results show that the HFD and IHTC at the metal-die interface increases sharply right after the fast phase injection process until approaching their maximum values,after which their values decrease to a much lower level until the dies are opened.Different patterns of heat transfer behavior were found between the die and the casting at different thicknesses.The thinner the casting was,the more quickly the HFD and IHTC reached their steady states.Also,the values for both the HFD and IHTC values were different between die and casting at different thicknesses.

Determination of Interfacial Heat Transfer Behavior at the Metal/Shot Sleeve of High Pressure Die Casting Process of AZ91D Alloy

The interfacial heat transfer behavior at the metalJshot sleeve interface in the high pressure die casting （HPDC） process of AZ91D alloy is carefully investigated. Based on the temperature measurements along the shot sleeve, inverse method has been developed to determine the interfacial heat transfer coefficient in the shot sleeve. Under static condition, Interracial heat transfer coefficient （IHTC） peak values are 11.9, 7,3, 8.33kWm-2K-1 at pouring zone （S2）, middle zone （S5）, and end zone （510）, respectively. During the casting process, the IHTC curve displays a second peak of 6.1 kWm-2 K-1 at middle zone during the casting process at a slow speed of 0.3 ms 1 Subsequently, when the high speed started, the IHTC curve reached a second peal〈 of 12.9 kW m-2K-1 at end zone. Furthermore, under different slow casting speeds, both the calculated initial temperature （TIDs） and the maximum temperature （Tsimax） of shot sleeve surface first decrease from 0.1 ms-1 to 0.3 ms-1, but increase again from 0.3 ms-1 to 0.6 ms-1. This result agrees with the experimental results obtained in a series of ＂plate-shape＂ casting experiments under different slow speeds, which reveals that the amount of ESCs decreases to the minimum values at 0.3 m s-1 and increase again with the increasing casting slow speed.

Microstructure Characteristics of the Eutectics of Die Cast AM60B Magnesium Alloy

Under the cold-chamber high pressure die casting （HPDC） process, samples were produced with AM60B magnesium alloy to investigate the microstructure characteristics of the eutectics, especially focusing on the constitution, morphology and distribution of the eutectics over cross section of the castings. Attentions were also paid to study the effect of heat treatment on the eutectics in the die castings. Based on experimental analysis using optical microscopy （OM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）, it was determined that fully divorced eutectics consisting of c^-Mg and l%MglzA112 appeared at the grain boundary of the primary c^-Mg in the as-cast microstructure. Islands and networks of β-Mg17Al12 phase were observed in the central region of the castings, while the β-Mg17Al12 phase revealed a more dispersed and granular morphology on the surface layer. The two phases ratio β/α in the central region of the castings was approximately 10%, which was higher than that on the surface layer. Besides, the defect bands contained a higher percentage of the eutectics than the adjacent regions. After aging treatment （T6）, only α-Mg phase was detected by XRD in the AM60B magnesium alloy, though a small amount of precipitated β-MgITAI12 phase was observed at the grain boundary. In contrast to the microstructure of die cast AZ91D magnesium alloy under the same T0 heat treatment, no discontinuous precipitation of the β-MgITAI12 phase was observed in AMO0B magnesium alloy die castings.

A three-dimensional cellular automaton model for simulation of dendritic growth of magnesium alloy

A numerical model based on the cellular automaton method for the three-dimensional simulation of dendritic growth of magnesium alloy was developed. The growth ki- netics was calculated from the complete solution of the transport equations. By con- structing a three-dimensional anisotropy model with the cubic CA cells, simulation of dendritic growth of magnesium alloy with six-fold symmetry in the basal plane was achieved. The model was applied to simulate the equiaxed dendritic growth and columnar dendritic growth under directional solidification, and its capability was addressed by comparing the simulated results to experimental results and those in the previously published works. Meanwhile, the three-dimensional simulated results were also compared with that of in two dimensions, offering a deep insight into the microstructure formation of magnesium alloy during solidification.

Characterization of the Protective Surface Films Formed on Molten AZ91D Magnesium Alloy in SO_2/Air Atmospheres in a Sealed Furnace

Surface films that formed on molten AZ91D magnesium alloy in S02/air cover gases at 680 ℃ in a sealed furnace were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. It is revealed that the film formed on molten AZ91D alloy surface in cover gas with high air content can prevent the molten AZ91D alloy from oxidation and ignition. The surface film contained three elements, namely magnesium, oxygen and sulfur, and was mainly composed of MgO and MgS. The properties of the film depended on air content in the cover gas and holding time. Thermodynamic calculation showed that MgSO4 was the stable phase, and it was concluded that the formation of MgS04 was important for the formation of the protective surface film in S02/air atmospheres.