Effect of wide-spectrum pulsed magnetic field on grain refinement of pure aluminium

A wide-spectrum pulsed magnetic field(WSPMF)was obtained by adjusting the number of current pulses and the pulse interval between adjacent pulses.The effect of WSPMF on the grain refinement of pure aluminium was studied.The distribution of electromagnetic force and flow field in the melt under the WSPMF was simulated to reveal the grain refining mechanism.Results show that the grain refinement is attributed to the combined effect of the melt flow and oscillation under a WSPMF.When the pulse interval is 5 ms,the extreme value of electromagnetic force is the highest,and the size of the crystal nucleus is 0.35 mm.In the case of similar flow rates,the grain size gradually decreases as the pulse interval increases.The range of the harmonic frequency of the magnetic field gradually expands with the increase of the pulse interval,which can provide more energy for nucleation at the solid-liquid interface and promote nucleation.

Effects of hot top pulsed magneto-oscillation on solidification structure of steel ingot

Achieving a uniform structure with few defects in heavy steel ingot is of high commercial importance. In this present work, in order to verify the potential of pulsed magneto-oscillation(PMO) applied in the production of heavy ingot, an induction coil was located at the hot top of the steel ingot to develop a novel technique, named hot top pulsed magneto oscillation(HPMO). The influences of HPMO on the solidification structure, macro segregation and compactness of a cylindrical medium carbon steel ingot with the weight of 160 kg were systematically investigated by optical microscope(OM) and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy original position metal analyzer(LIBSOPA-100). The results show that HPMO not only causes significant grain refinement and promotes the occurrence of columnar to equiaxed transition(CET) but also can homogenize the carbon distribution and enhance the compactness of the steel ingot. Therefore, HPMO technique has the potential to be applied in the production of heavy steel ingots on an industrial scale.

Grain refinement of commercial pure Al treated by Pulsed Magneto-Oscillation on the top surface of melt

Commercial pure Al can be refined by Pulsed Magneto-Oscillation(PMO) treatment applied via a plate induction coil above the top surface of the melt. The proportion of the equiaxed zone area increases with decreasing Height to Diameter(H/D) ratios from 3.5 to1.8 and further to 1.0. Meanwhile, it increases and then decreases with increasing peak current for the three kinds of ingots with H/D ratios of 3.5, 1.8 and 1.0, respectively. However, when the H/D ratio decreases to 0.44, the area proportion of equiaxed zone can reach the maximum value with a lower peak current. FEA software simulation indicates that smaller H/D ratio results in larger current density, electromagnetic force and convection on the top surface of the melt, favoring nucleation and subsequent grain formation. Through evaluating Joule heating effect by PMO, it was found that the proper amount of Joule heating benefits grain refinement. Excessive Joule heating can reduce the size of the equiaxed zone and change the growth morphology of the grains.

Effect of annealing treatment on microstructures and properties of austenite-based Fe-28Mn-9Al-0.8C lightweight steel with addition of Cu

The mechanical properties of an austenite-based Fe-Mn-Al-C lightweight steel were improved by co-precipitation of nanoscale Cu-rich and κ-carbide particles.The Fe-28Mn-9Al-0.8C-(0,3)Cu (wt.%) strips were near-rapidly solidified and annealed in the temperature range from 500 ℃ to 700 ℃.The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the steel under different annealing processes were studied.Microstructural analysis reveals that nanoscale κ-carbides and Cu-rich particles precipitate in the austenite and ferrite of the steel in this annealing temperature range.Co-precipitation of nanoscale Cu-rich particles and κ-carbides provides an obvious increment in the yield strength.At the annealing temperature of 600 ℃,both the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of Fe-28Mn-9Al-0.8C-3Cu (wt.%) steel strip are the highest.The total elongation is 25%,which is obviously higher than that of Cu-free steel strips,for the addition of Cu reduces the large sized κ-carbides precipitated along austenite/ferrite interfaces.When the annealing temperature rises to 700 ℃,the strength and ductility of the two steel strips deteriorate due to the formation of massive intergranular κ-carbides precipitated along austenite/ferrite interfaces.It can be concluded that a proper co-precipitation of Cu-rich particles and κ-carbides would improve the properties of austenite-based Fe-Mn-Al-C steel.

Effect of cooling rate and forced convection on as-cast structure of 2205 duplex stainless steel

To forecast the as-cast structure and ferrite-austenite phase ratio of 2205 duplex stainless steel(DSS), the effects of cooling rate and forced convection were observed in a high-vacuum resistance furnace in which the forced convection was created by the rotation of the crucible. The as-cast structure of all 2205 DSS samples is full equiaxed grains, and the microstructure consists of a great amount of desirable intra-granular austenite inside the continuous ferrite grain matrix, besides Widmanstatten austenite and grain boundary austenite. The ferrite grain size decreases gradually with the increase in the cooling rates(20 to 60 oC·min-1) or the forced convection, while the ferrite grains of the samples solidified with a strong convection are barely changed when the cooling rate is below 50 oC·min-1. Moreover, a small grain size is beneficial for the austenite formation but the influence is not very obvious under the cooling rates in the range of 5 to 50 oC·min-1. Compared with grain size, the cooling rate has a greater influence on the final ferrite content. A model based on the experimental results is established to predict the ferrite content, which could be approximated by δ(%) = 20.5·exp(c/80.0) + 0.34 d +34.1, where cis the cooling rate in oC·min-1 and d is the grain size in mm. By using this model, the dependence of the final ferrite content on cooling rate and grain size is well described.

Solidification characteristics of Fe-Ni peritectic al oy thin strips under a near-rapid solidification condition

This paper is an experimental investigation of the structure evolution and the solute distribution of 2 mm thick strips of Fe-(2.6, 4.2, 4.7, 7.9wt.%)Ni peritectic alloy under a near-rapid solidification condition, which were in the regions of δ-ferrite single-phase, hypo-peritectic, hyper-peritectic and γ-austenite single-phase, respectively. The highest area ratio of equiaxed grain zone in the hyper-peritectic of Fe-4.7wt.%Ni alloy strip was observed, while other strips were mainly columnar grains. The lowest micro-segregation was obtained in the Fe-7.9wt.%Ni alloy strip, while micro-segregation in the Fe-4.7wt.%Ni alloy was the highest. As opposed to the microsegregation, the macro-segregation of all the Fe-Ni strips was suppressed due to the rapid solidification rate. Finally, the structure formation mechanism of Fe-Ni alloy strips was analyzed.

Preparation and nucleation of spherical metallic droplet

The preparation and solidification of metallic droplets attract more and more attention for their signifi cance in both engineering and scientifi c fi elds. In this paper, the preparation and characterization of Snbased alloy droplets using different methods such as atomization and consumable electrode direct current arc(CDCA) technique are reviewed. The morphology and structure of these droplets were determined by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The solidifi cation behavior of single droplet was systematically studied by means of scanning calorimetry(DSC), and the nucleation kinetics was also calculated. In particular, the development of fast scanning calorimetry(FSC) made it possible to investigate the evolution of undercooling under ultrafast but controllable heating and cooling conditions. The combination of CDCA technique and FSC measurements opens up a new door for quantitative studies on droplet solidifi cation, which is accessible to demonstrate some theories by experiments.

An accelerated aging assisted by electric current in a Fe-Mn-Al-C low-density steel

An aging method assisted by electric current was applied to a Fe-18Mn-9Al-1C(wt.%)low-density steel.It improves the microstructure and therefore significantly increases both the yield strength and ductility of the steel.This current-assisted aging method can increase the yield strength by 178 MPa and elongation by 1.16 times in only 0.5 min at 450℃.However,the yield strength is increased only 90 MPa by the traditional aging method(heat conduction)at 450℃ for 180 min,and the elongation is even decreased from 42.0%to 31.6%.The obvious improvement in yield strength by the current-assisted aging for a short time is resulted from the fact that the current-assisted aging promotes a rapid precipitation of nano-scaleκ-carbides inγ-austenite by reducing the thermodynamic barrier and accelerating the atomic diffusion.This work demonstrates that this current-assisted aging method is significantly time saving and cost-effective for low-density steels,with potential for various industrial applications.

Melt flow,solidification structures,and defects in 316 L steel strips produced by vertical centrifugal casting

Vertical centrifugal casting can significantly enhance the filling capability of molten metals,enabling the production of complex thin-walled castings at near-rapid cooling rates.In this study,the melt flow,solidification structures,and defects in 316 L steel cast strips with a geometry of 80 mm×60 mm×2.5 mm produced by vertical centrifugal casting were numerically and experimentally analyzed under different rotation speeds.With gradually increasing the rotation speed from 150 r/min to 900 r/min,the simulated results showed the shortest filling time and minimum porosity volume in the cast strip at a rotation speed of 600 r/min.Since a strong turbulent flow was generated by the rotation of the mold cavity during the filling process,experimental results showed that a“non-dendritic”structure was obtained in 316 L cast strip when centrifugal force was involved,whereas the typical dendritic structure was observed in the reference sample without rotation.Most areas of the cast strip exhibited one-dimensional cooling,but three-sided cooling appeared near the side of the cast strip.Moreover,the pores and cracks in the 316 L strips were detected by computed tomography scanning and analyzed with the corresponding numerical simulations.Results indicated the existence of an optimal rotational speed for producing cast strips with minimal casting defects.This study provides a better understanding of the filling and solidification processes of strips produced by vertical centrifugal casting.

nfluences of superheat and cooling intensity on macrostructure and macrosegregation of duplex stainless steel studied by thermal simulation

The influences of superheat and cooling intensity on macrostructure and macrosegregation of one new kind duplex stainless steel(DSS)were studied.Thermal simulation equipment was applied to prepare samples,which could reproduce the industrial processes of DSS manufactured by a vertical continuous slab caster.Macrostructure and macrosegregation were analyzed using the digital single lens reflex and laser-induced breakdown spectroscope(LIBSOPA-200),respectively.The percentage of both chill zone and center equiaxed zone increases with the superheat decreasing,while that of the columnar zone decreases.There is only equiaxed grain existing as the superheat is 10 and 20℃.The lower the superheat is,the coarser the gain size is.High cooling intensity in mold could remarkably decrease the chill zone length and refine the grains in chill zone and center equiaxed zone.The influences of cooling intensity on macrosegregation are greater than those of superheat.The macrosegregation of Si,Mn and Cr is slightly dependent on superheat,while that of Cu,Mo and Ni changes greatly with superheat increasing.

Distributions of Electromagnetic Fields and Forced Flow and Their Relevance to the Grain Refinement in Al–Si Alloy Under the Application of Pulsed Magneto-Oscillation

Distributions of electromagnetic fields and induced forced flow inside a metal melt are crucial to understand the grain refinement of the metal driven by pulsed magneto-oscillation(PMO).In the present study,PMO-induced electromagnetic fields and forced flow in Ga-20 wt%In-12 wt%Sn liquid metal have been systematically investigated by performing numerical simulations and corresponding experimental measurements.The numerical simulations have been confirmed by magnetic and melt flow measurements.According to the simulated distribution of electromagnetic fields under the application of PMO,the strongest magnetic field,electric eddy current and Lorentz force with inward radial direction inside the melt are concentrated adjacent the sidewall of cylindrical melt at the cross section of middle height of coil.As a result,a global forced flow throughout the whole cylindrical column filled with Ga-20 wt%In-12 wt%Snmelt is initiated with a flow structure of two pair of symmetric vortexring.The PMO-induced electromagnetic fields and forced flow in Al-7 wt%Si melt have been numerically simulated.The contribution of electromagnetic fields and forced flow to the grain refinement of Al-7 wt%Sialloy under the application of PMO is discussed.It indicates that the forced flow may play a key role in the grain size reduction.

Improving the Solidified Structure by Optimization of Coil Configuration in Pulsed Magneto-Oscillation

Using both numerical and experimental methods, we studied the effect of coil configuration of pulsed magneto-oscillation(PMO) on distribution of electromagnetic field, flow field and solidification structure with the same pulse current parameters in Al ingots. We designed and constructed three types of coils: surface pulsed magneto-oscillation, hot-top pulsed magneto-oscillation(HPMO) and combined pulsed magneto-oscillation(CPMO). PMO treatment refined the solidification structure in all the ingots. The configuration of the PMO, however, introduced differences in magnetic field intensity, electromagnetic force, Joule heat, flow field, equiaxed grain zone, grain size and growth direction of columnar grains. The largest equiaxed grain zone was found in CPMO treated ingot, and the smallest grain size was found in both HPMO and CPMO treated ingots. Numerical simulation indicated that difference in electromagnetic field and flow field resulted in differences in solidification structure. HPMO is more advantageous over others for large ingot production.

Effect of cooling rate on microstructure and inclusion in non-quenched and tempered steel during horizontal directional solidification

In order to investigate the relationship between microstructure and MnS inclusion in non-quenched and tempered steel, and cooling rate during horizontal directional solidification, 49MnVS steel was used to conduct the experiments with a selfdesigned device. The mathematical effect of cooling rate on dendritic arm spacing and mean diameter of MnS particles (dMnS) were determined by using linear regression method. The results show that the length of dendrite from solid–liquid interface to end-solidification decreased with increasing the withdrawal velocity (#). dMnS has a similar value in the area of the steady directional solidification;the value of dMnS was 4.1, 3.6, 3.3, 2.8 and 2.3 lm at withdrawal velocity of 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 lm/s, respectively. dMnS increased with reducing # or RC (interface cooling rate). MnS precipitated in the gaps between dendrites and was influenced by secondary dendritic arm spacing. Besides, a new concept of the ‘Precipitation Unit Space’(PUS) was proposed and the relationships between dMnS, VPUS (volume of PUS) and RC were obtained.

Phase precipitation and isothermal crystallization kinetics of FeZrB amorphous alloy

The crystallization process of Fe_(78)Zr_7B_(15)(at%) amorphous ribbon was investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD),differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The fully amorphous structure of as-quenched(Aq) ribbons was confirmed by XRD pattern.The saturation magnetization(M_s) and Curie temperature of the Aq ribbon were measured as 124.3(A·m^2)/kg and 305 ℃ with vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM), respectively.When the ribbons was annealed at 550 ℃ near the first onset temperature(T_(x1) = 564.9 ℃),the M_s was increased by 17%,which was caused by the formation of a dual phase structure.The isothermal crystallization kinetics and crystallization mechanism of primary α-Fe phase in the dual phase structure were studied by Arrhenius and Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equations respectively. The results showed that the crystallization of α-Fe phase was a diffusion-controlled surface nucleation growth process, and the nucleation rate decreased with longer crystallization time.

Hot tearing susceptibility of Fe-20.96Cr-2.13Ni-0.15N-4.76Mn-0.01Mo duplex stainless steel

The hot tearing susceptibility of a Fe-20.96Cr-2.13Ni-0.15N-4.76Mn-0.01 Mo duplex stainless steel was investigated using method of constrained solidification shrinkage in one dimension.An apparatus for realtime measuring the contraction stress and temperature during solidification was developed,which can achieve the in-situ observation of melting and solidification and avoid the large temperature gradient of casting under the condition of pouring.The results show that the contraction stress increases significantly when the core temperature of casting reaches the liquidus temperature.The contraction stress is released when the core temperature of casting reaches 1456°C.At this temperature,the hot tearing susceptibility of duplex stainless steel is the largest.With decreasing the core temperature to 1363°C,the slope of contraction stress increases,which is related to the ferrite-to-austenite transformation.