Distribution pattern of acoustic and streaming field during multi-source ultrasonic melt treatment process

The ultrasonic melt treatment(UMT)is widely used in the fields of casting and metallurgy.However,there are certain drawbacks associated with the conventional process of single-source ultrasonic(SSU)treatment,such as the fast attenuation of energy and limited range of effectiveness.In this study,the propagation models of SSU and four-source ultrasonic(FSU)in Al melt were respectively established,and the distribution patterns of acoustic and streaming field during the ultrasonic treatment process were investigated by numerical simulation and physical experiments.The simulated results show that the effective cavitation zone is mainly located in a small spherical region surrounding the end of ultrasonic horn during the SSU treatment process.When the FSU is applied,the effective cavitation zone is obviously expanded in the melt.It increases at first and then decreases with increasing the vibration-source spacing(Lv)from 30 mm to 100 mm.Especially,when the Lv is 80 mm,the area of effective cavitation zone reaches the largest,indicating the best effect of cavitation.Moreover,the acoustic streaming level and flow pattern in the melt also change with the increase of Lv.When the Lv is 80 mm,both the average flow rate and maximum flow rate of the melt reach the highest,and the flow structure is more stable and uniform,with the typical morphological characteristics of angular vortex,thus significantly expanding the range of acoustic streaming.The accuracy of the simulation results was verified by physical experiments of glycerol aqueous solution and tracer particles.

Effects of heat treatment on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Mg-6Zn-1.4Y-0.6Zr alloy

To investigate the effects of solution temperature and the decomposition of I-phase on the microstructure, phase composition and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-6Zn-1.4Y-0.6Zr alloy, solution treatment at 440 oC, 460 oC and 480 oC and further aging treatment were conducted on the alloy. The results indicate that the net-like intermetallic compounds(mainly I-phase) dissolve into the α-Mg matrix gradually with the increase of solution temperature from 440 oC to 480 oC. Besides, the I-phase decomposes completely at 480 oC, with the formation of fine W-phase(thermal stable phase) and Mg_7Zn_3 phase. In addition, a great number of fine and dispersive Mg-Zn binary phases precipitate in the α-Mg matrix during the aging treatment. Due to the increase of solute atoms and the precipitation of strengthening phases, such as W-phase and Mg-Zn phases, the optimal strength is obtained after solution treatment at 460 oC for 8 h and aged at 200 oC for 16 h. The yield strength(YS), ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and elongation are 208 MPa, 257 MPa and 3.8%, respectively. Compared with the as-cast alloy, the increments of YS and UTS are 117% and 58%, respectively, while the decrement of elongation is 46%.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Mg-12Zn-2Y alloy containing quasicrystal phase fabricated by different casting processes

Although icosahedral quasicrystal phase(denoted as I-phase)has been verified as an outstanding reinforcing phase,the mechanical properties of quasicrystal-reinforced Mg-Zn-Y alloys fabricated by traditional casting processes are still unsatisfactory due to the serious segregation of intermetallic compounds.In this study,the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-12Zn-2Y alloy fabricated by different casting processes,including permanent mold casting,squeeze casting and rheo-squeeze casting with ultrasonic vibration,were systematically investigated and compared.The results show that massive,large-sized I-phase and Mg7Zn3 phase gather together in the permanent mold cast sample,while the squeeze casting process leads to the transformation of I-phase into fine lamellar morphology and the amount of Mg7Zn3 decreases.As to the rheo-squeeze casting process,when the ultrasonic vibration is exerted with power from 800 W to 1,600 W,theα-Mg grains are refined and spheroidized to a large extent,and the lamellar spacing of the eutectic structure is significantly reduced,accompanied by some tiny granular I-phase scattering in theα-Mg matrix.However,when the ultrasonic power continuously increases to 2,400 W,the eutectic structure becomes coarse.The best mechanical properties of the rheo-squeeze cast alloy are obtained when the ultrasonic power is 1,600 W.The microhardness,yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation are 79.9 HV,140 MPa,236 MPa,and 3.25%,which are 44.1%,26.1%,25.5%,132.1%respectively higher than the corresponding values of the squeeze casting sample,and are 47.6%,44.3%,69.8%,and 253.3%respectively higher than the corresponding values of the permanent mold casting sample.

Numerical simulation and optimization of shell mould casting process for leaf spring bracket

Although the shell mould casting process has a wide range of application in many fields,the prediction of casting defects is still a problem.In the present work,a typical leaf spring bracket casting of ZG310-570 was fabricated by shell mold casting.The finite element model and ProCAST software were utilized for simulating the filling and solidification processes of the casting;and the formation mechanism of the gas pore,and shrinkage porosity defects were analyzed.The results indicate that the gas pore and shrinkage porosity defects are formed due to air entrapment,insufficient feeding and non-sequential solidification.Subsequently,through changing the position of risers,adding a connecting channel between the risers,and setting blind risers at the U-shaped brackets,an optimized gating and feeding system was established to improve the quality of the casting.After optimization,the gas pore and shrinkage porosity defects of the leaf spring bracket casting are effectively eliminated.The experiment results with the optimized casting process are in good agreement with the numerical simulation,which verifies the validity of the finite element model in the shell mould casting.