Rheological characterization of A201 aluminum alloy

The thermodynamic characterization as well as the rheological characterization of the A201 alloy were conducted.Thermodynamic simulations (CALPHAD method) and calorimetric experiments were performed to determine the solidus and liquidus temperatures, the melting range and the sensitivity of the solid fraction at the thixoforming temperatures.The rheology of aluminium alloy A201 was examined using a high temperature Searle rheometer.The flow behaviour was analyzed with concentric cylinders of graphite to avoid chemical interactions with the liquid or semi-solid aluminium.The rotational body was grooved to prevent a phenomenon called wall slippage.Continuous cooling experiment was used to observe the shear rate effects on the flow behaviour.It can be seen that the viscosity level decreases at higher shear rates.Shear rate jump experiment was carried out to evaluate the steady state flow curve within the analyzed shear rate range from 60 s-1 to 260 s-1.It is found that the power law indexes are-1.35 and-1.49 for 35% and 45% solid fraction, respectively.Finally, some mechanical property data of as-cast and as-thixoformed A201 alloy are included indicating the potential for high strength applications.

Microstructural Evolution of Solid-solution-treated Zn-22Al in the Semisolid State

The effect of solid-solution-treatment on the semisolid microstructure of Zn-22Al with developed dendrites was investigated. Forming Zn-22Al products by semisolid metal processing offers significant advantages, such as reductions in macro-segregation, porosity and forming costs. Thermal and rnicrostructural analyses of the formed Zn-22Al alloy were performed by differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. The changes in the microstructures and phase transformation in response to various solid- solution-treatments were analysed. In this study, as-cast samples were held isothermally at 330 ℃ for 0.5- 5 h and then partially remelted at a semisolid temperature of 438 ℃ for 1 h to produce a solid-globular grain structure in a liquid matrix. A non-dendritic semisolid microstructure could not be obtained when the traditionally cast Zn 22Al alloy with developed dendrites was subjected directly to partial remelting. After solid-solution-treatment at 330 ℃, the black interdendritic eutectics were dissolved, and the dendritic structures gradually transformed into uniform β structures when the treatment time was increased. The coarsened and merged dendrites were separated as a result of penetration by the liquid phase and melting of the residual eutectic at sites along the former grain boundaries. The microstructure of the solid-solution- treated sample transformed into a small globular structure; the best shape factor of 0.9, corresponding to a particle size of 40 ± 16 μm, is achieved when the sample was treated for 3 h followed by direct partial remelting into its semisolid zone.