Microstructure control of AZ31 alloy by self-inoculation method for semisolid rheocasting

A novel rheocasting process, self-inoculation method （SIM）, was developed for the microstructure control of semisolid wrought Mg alloy. This process involves mixing between liquid alloy and particles of solid alloy （self-inoculants）, subsequently pouring the mixed melt into a special designed multi-stream fluid director. The primary phase with dendritic morphology in the conventionally cast AZ31 alloy has readily transformed into near spherical one in the slurry produced by SIM from melt treatment temperature between 690 ℃ and 710 ℃ and self-inoculants addition of 3%-7%. Achievement of the non-dendritic microstructure at the higher melt treatment temperature requires more self-inoculants addition or decreases in the slope angle of fluid director. Primary phase in the slurry thus produced has attained an ideally globular morphology after isothermal holding at 620 ℃ for 30 s. The increasing holding time leads to decrease of shape factor but the coarsening of particle size. The spheroidization and coarsening evolution process of solid particles during the isothermal holding were analyzed by Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner （LSW） theory.

Microstructure and property of rheocasting AZ91 slurry produced via ultrasonic vibration process

The microstructure and mechanical properties of rheocasting AZ91 magnesium alloy were investigated. The semisolid slurry of this alloy was prepared by ultrasonic vibration （USV） process and then shaped by high pressure diecasting （HPDC）. The results show that fine and spherical a-Mg particles were obtained by USV at the nucleation stage, which was mainly attributed to the cavitation and acoustic streaming induced by the USV. Extending USV treatment time increased the solid volume fraction and average particle size, the shape factors were nearly the same, about 0.7. Excellent semisolid slurry of AZ91 magnesium alloy could be obtained within 6 rain by USV near its liquidus temperature. The rheo-HPDC samples treated by USV for 6 min had the maximum ultimate tensile strength and elongation, which were 248 MPa and 7.4%, respectively. It was also found that the ductile fracture mode prevailed in the rheocasting AZ91 magnesium alloy.

Research progress on microstructure evolution of semi-solid aluminum alloys in ultrasonic field and their rheocasting

The effects of ultrasonic vibration(UV)treatment on microstructure of semi-solid aluminum alloys and the application of UV in rheocasting process are reviewed.Good semi-solid slurry can be produced by high-intensity UV process for aluminum alloys.The microstructures of Al-Si,Al-Mg and Al-Cu alloys produced by rheocasting assisted with UV are compact and with fine grains.The mechanical properties of the UV treated alloys are increased by about 20%-30%.Grain refinement of the alloys is generally considered because of cavitation and acoustic streaming caused by UV.Apart from these mechanisms,a hypothesis of the fuse of dendrite root caused by capillary infiltration in the ultrasonic field,as well as a mechanism of crystallites falling off from the mould-wall and crystal multiplication by mechanical vibration effect in indirect ultrasonic vibration are proposed to explain the microstructure evolution of the alloys.

Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of Al-2024 alloy processed via a rheocasting route

This article reports the effects of stirring speed and T6 heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-2024 alloy synthesized by a rheocasting process. There was a decrease in grain size ofα-Al particles corresponding to an increase in stirring speed. By increasing the stirring speed, however, the globularity of matrix particles first increased and then declined. It was also found that the hardness, compressive strength, and compressive strain increased with the increase of stirring speed. Microstructural studies revealed the presence of nonsoluble Al15（CuFeMn）3Si2 phase in the vicinity of CuAl2 in the rheocast samples. The required time for the solution treatment stage was also influenced by stirring speed;the solution treatment time decreased with the increase in stirring speed. Furthermore, the rheo-cast samples required a longer homogenization period compared to conventionally wrought alloys. Improvements in hardness and compres-sive properties were observed after T6 heat treatment.

Semi-solid A356 alloy slurry for rheocasting prepared by a new process

To obtain the semi-solid slurry with uniform and fine structure morphology that satisfies the requirement of rheocasting process, a new process for preparing semi-solid AI alloy slurry was developed, in which local chilling was combined with low superheat pouring and slight electromagnetic stirring （LSPSEMS）. The morphology and the size of primary a-AI in the A356 alloy slurry prepared with the new process, i.e., LSPSEMS with local chilling, were investigated using MIAPS image analyzing software, and the grain refinement mechanism was discussed. The results indicate that the semi-solid primary phase consists of particle-like or globular-like a-AI, and the morphology and grain size of primary a-AI in the slurry can be markedly improved by the new process. The fine primary a-AI distributes uniformly in the slurry, which satisfies the requirement of rheocasting. Compared with the alloy prepared by LSPSEMS, the average equal-area-circle grain diameter of primary a-AI in semi-solid A356 alloy ingot prepared by the new process is decreased from 85.6μm to 68.8 μm at the central area, 112.6 μm to 77.6 μm at the transition area and is 84.7 μm in the edge area, respectively. The corresponding shape factor of primary a-AI is increased from 0.78 to 0.83, 0.54 to 0.77 and 0.28 to 0.59, respectively. In addition, the pouring temperature could be suitably raised from 620-630℃ of the traditional process to 650℃ using this technique, which is convenient for practical operation. The mechanism of grain refinement, in the new process, is that the local chilling quickens up the temperature decrease in the center of the melt. The nuclei could not grow up in a short time so the finer grains are formed in the melt.

Isothermal coarsening of primary particles during rheocasting

The isothermal coarsening behavior of primary solid particles in A356 aluminum alloy semi-solid slurry produced by angular oscillation (AO) technique was investigated.The comparison between the calculation and experimental results shows good quantitative agreement with Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory.The results show that the variation in shape factor and solid fraction is not significant,the average particle size increases with increasing holding time at the expense of the particle density.Ostwald repining is most likely the predominant growth mechanism in the AO-treated semi-solid slurry during rheocasting.The differences of coarsening occurred in rheocasting and partial re-melting process were also discussed.

Suitability of lost cores in rheocasting process

When treated in pressure die casting processes the semi-solid aluminum alloys demand resilient cores which can bear the stress occurring during filling and the final pressure phase.The design of permanent cores is highly restricted in order to maintain removability.Lost cores provide the possibility of complex,undercut geometrical shapes which is mandatory for a variety of casting components.However,eligible materials which show appropriate resilience and proper decomposition properties at the same time,and in the upper echelon of cost-effectiveness,are seldom known.With the semi-solid process suited between HPDC and GDC regarding the core stress,several common and economically efficient lost core systems could be used.A selection of potentially suitable materials was identified and tested.The range of testing comprises widespread sand core-systems(amin-pur-coldbox and CO2-water-glass) as well as materials less commonly used,namely salt,plastic and zinc.Different types of conditioning are applied to enhance the surface properties.The mechanical properties of the sand cores are enhanced by different heat treatment methods during curing.The cores are tested producing a research component cast on a HPDC machine with semi-solid A356 slurry fabricated in the cooling channel process.The cast component was analyzed regarding shape stability,core removability and surface as well as the structure quality.The results show the importance of the surface conditioning for the sand-cores while salt and zinc produce good parts comparable to the reference steel core quality.

Microstructure evolution behavior of AlSi9Cu3 alloy during rheocasting

The experimental and analytical approaches were taken to investigate the non-dendritic microstructure formation and evolution of AlSi9Cu3 alloy during rheocasting.The results show that the globular primary α(Al) particles free of entrapped eutectic form after rheocasting for 3 s,and could be morphologically stabilized during subsequent growth.The fine and globular particles underwent a coarsening process under quiescently continuous cooling in which the particle density decreases,the solid fraction increases,the average particle size increases with the increase of solidification time at a rate that closely followed the classical Ostwald ripening.

Mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of rheocast A356 semi-solid slurry prepared by annular electromagnetic stirring

Nowadays,having an effective technique in preparing semi-solid slurries for rheocasting process seems to be an essential requirement.In this study,semi-solid slurry of A356 aluminum alloy was prepared by three-phase annular electromagnetic stirring(A-EMS)technique under different conditions.The effects of stirring current,pouring temperature and stirring time on microstructural evolution,mean particle size,shape factor and solid fraction were investigated.The rheocasting process was carried out by using a drop weight setup and to inject the prepared semi-solid slurry in optimal conditions into the step-die cavity.The filling behavior and mechanical properties of parts were studied.Microstructural evolution showed that the best semi-solid slurry which had fine spherical particles with the average size of~27μm and a shape factor of~0.8 was achieved at the stirring current of 70 A,melt pouring temperature of 670℃,and stirring time of 30 s.Under these conditions,the step-die cavity was completely filled at die preheating temperature of 470℃.The hardness increases by decreasing step thickness as well as die preheating temperature.Moreover,the tensile properties are improved at lower die preheating temperatures.The fracture surface,which consists of a complex topography,indicates a typical ductile fracture.

Dry sliding wear behavior of rheocast hypereutectic Al-Si alloys with different Fe contents

The effect of iron content on wear behavior of hypereutectic Al?17Si?2Cu?1Ni alloy produced by rheocasting process was investigated. The dry sliding wear tests were carried out with a pin-on-disk wear tester. The results show that the wear rate of the rheocast alloy is lower than that of the alloy produced by conventional casting process under the same applied load. The fine particle-likeδ-Al4(Fe,Mn)Si2 and polygonalα-Al15(Fe,Mn)3Si2 phases help to improve the wear resistance of rheocast alloys. As the volume fraction of fine Fe-bearing compounds increases, the wear rate of the rheocast alloy decreases. Moreover, the wear rate of rheocast alloy increases with the increase of applied load from 50 to 200 N. For the rheocast alloy with 3% Fe, oxidation wear is the main mechanism at low applied load (50 N). At higher applied loads, a combination of delamination and oxidation wear is the dominant wear mechanism.

Evolution of microstructure in semi-solid slurries of rheocast aluminum alloy

Semi-solid metal processing is being developed in die casting applications to give several cost benefits. To efficiently apply this emerging technology, it is important to understand the evolution of microstructure in semi-solid slurries for the control of the theological behavior in semi-solid state. An experimental apparatus was developed which can capture the grain structure at different times at early stages to understand how the semi-solid structure evolves. In this technique, semi-solid slurry was produced by injecting fine gas bubbles into the melt through a graphite diffuser during solidification. Then, a copper quenching mold was used to draw some semi-solid slurry into a thin channel. The semi-solid slurry was then rapidly frozen in the channel giving the microstructure of the slurry at the desired time. Samples of semi-solid 356 aluminum alloy were taken at different gas injection times of 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 35, 40, and 45 s. Analysis of the microstructure suggests that the fragmentation by remelting mechanism should be responsible for the formation of globular structure in this rheocasting process.

Industrial development of gas induced semi-solid process

The gas induced semi-solid(GISS) is a rheocasting process that produces semi-solid slurry by applying fine gas bubble injection through a graphite diffuser.The process is developed to be used in the die casting industry.To apply the GISS process with a die casting process,a GISS maker unit is designed and attached to a conventional die casting machine with little modifications.The commercial parts are developed and produced by the GISS die casting process.The GISS die casting shows the feasibility to produce industrial parts with aluminum 7075 and A356 with lower porosity than liquid die casting.

Research and development of gas induced semi-solid process for industrial applications

Several rheocasting processes are developed or applied worldwide in the metal forming industry.One of the new rheocasting processes is the gas induced semi-solid(GISS) process.The GISS process utilizes the principle of rapid heat extraction and vigorous local extraction using the injection of fine gas bubbles through a graphite diffuser.Several forming processes such as die casting,squeeze casting,gravity casting,and rheo-extrusion of the semi-solid slurries prepared by the GISS process have also been conducted.The GISS process is capable of processing various alloys including cast aluminum alloys,die casting aluminum alloys,wrought aluminum alloys,and zinc alloys.The GISS process is currently developed to be used commercially in the industry with the focus on forming semi-solid slurries containing low fractions solid(< 0.25) into parts.The research and development activities of the GISS process were discussed and the status of the industrial developments of this process was reported.

Feasibility of semi-solid die casting of ADC12 aluminum alloy

The feasibility of semi-solid die casting of ADC12 aluminum alloy was studied. The effects of plunger speed, gate thickness, and solid fraction of the slurry on the defects were determined. The defects investigated are gas and shrinkage porosity. In the experiments, semi-solid slurry was prepared by the gas-induced semi-solid （GISS） technique. Then, the slurry was transferred to the shot sleeve and injected into the die. The die and shot sleeve temperatures were kept at 180 ℃ and 250 ℃, respectively. The results show that the samples produced by the GISS die casting give little porosity, no blister and uniform microstructure. From all the results, it can be concluded that the GISS process is feasible to apply in the ADC12 aluminum die casting process. In addition, the GISS process can give improved properties such as decreased porosity and increased microstructure uniformity.

Preparation of semi-solid aluminum alloy slurry poured through a water-cooled serpentine channel

A water-cooled serpentine channel pouring process was invented to produce semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy slurry for rheocast ing, and the effects of pouring temperature and circulating cooling water flux on the microstmcture of the slurry were investigated. The results show that at the pouring temperature of 640-680~C and the circulating cooling water flux of 0.9 m3/h, the semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy slurry with spherical primary a（A1） grains can be obtained, whose shape factors are between 0.78 and 0.86 and the grain diameter can reach 48-68 ~am. When the pouring temperatures are at 660-680~C, only a very thin solidified shell remains inside the serpentine channel and can be removed easily. When the serpentine channel is cooled with circulating water, the microstructure of the semi-solid slurry can be improved, and the serpentine channel is quickly cooled to room temperature after the completion of one pouring. In terms of the productivity of the special equipment, the water-cooled serpentine channel is economical and efficient.

Microstructure and properties of rheo-diecast Al-20Si-2Cu-1Ni-0.4Mg alloy with direct ultrasonic vibration process

The microstructure and properties of Al-20Si-2Cu-1Ni-0.4Mg alloy fabricated with semi-solid rheo-diecasting process were studied.A newly developed direct ultrasonic vibration process(DUV process) was used in the preparation of the semi-solid slurry of this alloy.The results show that the primary Si particles in this alloy is about 20 μm in size under DUV for 90 s in the semi-solid temperature range,compared to about 30 μm in the alloy without DUV.It is discovered that the primary Si particles distribute more homogeneously and have regular shape,but have lower volume fraction after DUV.The tensile strength at room temperature is about 310 MPa,and the tensile strength and elongation of the semi-solid die castings are increased by 34% and 45%,respectively,compared with the traditional liquid die castings.The high-temperature tensile strength at 300 ℃ of this high Si aluminum alloy reaches 167 MPa,and the coefficient of thermal expansion is 17.37×10-6/℃ between 25 and 300 ℃.This indicates that this high Si content Al-Si alloy produced with the DUV process is suitable to be used in the manufacture of pistons or other heat-resistant parts.

Microstructural characteristics of thixoforged A356 alloy in mushy state

Tensile properties of a thixoforged A356 alloy were measured and compared with those of rheocast and gravity cast alloys with the same composition.In the thixoforging process,A356 rheocast alloy produced by stirring method was reheated to 600 °C or 610 °C,held for 10 min,and then 50% deformation was applied.Microstructure,tensile properties and fracture surfaces of produced specimens were then investigated.Results obtained show that tensile strength,yield strength and elongation-to-failure of thixoforged samples formed at lower temperature are higher than those of samples formed at higher temperature.By increasing temperature,in the case of thixoforged samples,tensile fracture path is changed from trans-primary alpha phase to inter-primary alpha phase.Differences observed in the tensile fracture path and improvement in the mechanical properties due to thixoforging process is attributed to microstructural changes as well as morphological aspects of silicon phase.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF ZL201 ALLOY OBTAINED BY NEAR-LIQUIDUS ELECTROMAGNETIC CASTING

The microstructures of ZL201 alloy slurry prepared by near-liquidus electromagnetic casting （NLEMC）, electromagnetic casting（EMC）, and near-liquidus casting（NLC） were investigated by means of electron microscopy and image analysis. Mechanical properties of as-cast alloys were determined. The results show that the NLEMC induces a fine, uniform, and equiaxed grain structure with a mean equal-area-circle grain diameter of 32.8μm. The as-cast aUoy has a hardness of HV122.8 and a tensite strength of 368MPa. Both of them are betterthan those of the alloys prepared by EMC and by NLC. The mechanism of grain refinement in the NLEMC alloy slurry was discussed.

Effect of semi-solid processing on microstructure and mechanical properties of 5052 aluminum alloy

The microstructure and mechanical properties of rheocasted 5052 aluminum alloy were investigated.The semi-solid slurry of this alloy was prepared by ultrasonic vibration(USV) process and then shaped by gravity casting(GC) and high press diecasting(HPDC).The experimental results indicate that fine and globular primary α(Al) particles are distributed uniformly in the rheocasting samples.The tensile strength and elongation of the rheo-GC sample are 191 MPa and 7.5%,respectively.Compared with the conventional GC samples,they increase by 22.4% and 82.9% respectively.The tensile strength and elongation of the rheo-HPDC samples reach 225 MPa and 8.6%,respectively,and they are 14.8% and 75.5% higher than those of the conventional HPDC samples,respectively.It is also found that the ductile fracture mode prevails in the rheocasting samples.

Effects of primary phase morphology on mechanical properties of Al-Si-Mg-Fe alloy in semi-solid slurry casting process

The gas induced semi-solid(GISS) process was developed to create semi-solid slurry with fine and uniform globular structure.The combination of local rapid heat extraction and vigorous agitation by the injection of fine inert gas bubbles through a graphite diffuser in molten metal held at a temperature above its liquidus temperature changes the morphology of primary α(Al) from coarse dendritic to rosette-like and finally to fine globular.The GISS process produced semi-solid slurry at low solid fractions and then formed the slurry by a squeeze casting process to produce casting parts.The effects of primary phase morphology on the mechanical properties of Al-Si-Mg-Fe alloy were investigated.The results show that the ultimate tensile strength and elongation are affected by the shape factor and particle size of the primary α(Al).