Effects of temperature and time on three-dimensional microstructural evolution of semi-solid 2A14 aluminum alloy during short process preparation of semi-solid billets

To shorten the preparation process of semi-solid billets,semi-solid billets of 2A14 aluminum alloy were prepared by wrought aluminum directly semi-solid isothermal treatment(WADSSIT)process.Three-dimension(3D)combined microstructure evolution,namely transverse direction(TD)surface,rolling direction(RD)surface,and normal direction(ND)surface,was studied.Effects of temperature and holding time on average grain size and average shape factor were investigated.The results showed that the optimum conditions for preparation of 2A14 semi-solid billets by this process were 615℃ and 20 min(average grain size of 124μm and shape factor of 0.81).Electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)observations indicated that the microstructure was completely recrystallized when it was heated to 600℃.Grain size was increased with the increase of temperature and grew up slowly with the holding time prolonging.Roundness was increased with increase of holding time but was not sensitive to temperature.

Microstructure of AZ91D magnesium alloy semi-solid billets prepared by SIMA method from chips

AZ91D magnesium alloy chips were adopted to prepare semi-solid billets.The chips were subjected to a series ofisothermal treatments for various holding times at 783?843 K after being compressed into billet at 523 K.The semi-solid microstructure of AZ91D magnesium alloy containing spherical solid particles was studied.The effects of reheating temperature and holding time on microstructures were investigated.And the semi-solid forming mechanism was discussed.The result shows that semi-solid billets with highly spheroidal and homogeneous grains can be prepared from chips by strain induced melt activation(SIMA) method.Meanwhile,it is found that increasing the heating temperature can accelerate the spheroidizing process and reduce the solid volume fraction.With the increase of the holding time,the solid particles become more globular,the grains grow slowly and the solid volume fraction slightly changes.At the same time,owing to the decrease ofinterfacial energy,the intragranular liquid phases form by the diffusion of solute atoms,the grain boundaries melt and grains separate from each other during the isothermal treatment.The grains gradually spheroidize and begin to merge with a further increase of the holding time.It is considered that the semi-solid forming process includes three stages:the recrystallization and the growth of grain stage,the semi-solid microstructure forming stage controlled by the diffusion of solute,and the spheroidization of solid particle stage controlled by the liquid-solid interface tension.

Direct preparation of semi-solid billets by the semi-solid isothermal heat treatment for commercial cold-rolled ZL104 aluminum alloy

Semi-solid isothermal heat treatment was proposed to directly process cold-rolled ZL104 aluminum alloys and obtain semi-solid bil-lets.The effects of two process parameters,namely,temperature and processing time,on the microstructure and hardness of the resulting bil-lets were also experimentally examined.Average grain size(AGS)increased and the shape factor(SF)of the grain improved as the process temperature increased.The SF of the grain also increased with increasing processing time,and the AGS was augmented when the processing time was prolonged from 5 to 20 min at 570℃.The hardness of the aluminum alloy decreased because of the increase in AGS with increasing temperature and processing time.The optimal temperature and time for the preparation of semi-solid ZL104 aluminum alloys were 570℃and 5 min,respectively.Under optimal process parameters,the AGS,SF,and hardness of the resulting alloy were 35.88μm,0.81,and 55.24 MPa,respectively.The Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner relationship was analyzed to determine the coarsening rate constant at 570℃,and a rate constant of 1357.2μm3/s was obtained.

Multi-physical fields distribution in billet during helical electromagnetic stirring:A numerical simulation research

Electromagnetic stirring is one of the widely applied techniques to modify the quality of casting billets.Different from conventional rotate stirring,the helical stirring is more professional in assisting multi-dimensional flow of molten metal and eliminating solidification defects.In this study,the single-winding helical stirring(SWHS)was introduced,offering advantages such as smaller volume and lower electromagnetic shielding compared to traditional helical stirring methods.Following a comprehensive numerical simulation,the stirring parameters of SWHS were adjusted to yoke inclination angle of 43°and frequency of 12 Hz.The higher electromagnetic force and flow velocity in drawing direction,as well as the lower temperature gradient induced by the SWHS,are positive factors for homogeneous solidification of billet.The experimental results on Al-8%Si alloy and 0.4%C-1.1%Mn steel demonstrate that compared to rotate stirring,the SWHS process can induce better billet quality and is more effective in accelerating the equiaxed expansion and reducing element segregation.The SWHS process can enhance the equiaxed ratio of the billet by 58.3%and reduce segregation degree of carbon element by 10.97%.Consequently,SWHS holds great promise as a potential approach for improving the quality of continuous casting billets.

To improve robustness of mechanical properties of semi-solid cast A356 alloy using taguchi design method

Mechanical properties of semi-solid casting are dependent on multiple processing parameters,and improper processing parameters will not only reduce mean data but also increase variations.The present study investigated the impact of parameters in slurry preparation and heat treatment on the yield strength and ductility of T6 heat-treated A356 Al-Si alloy using rapid slurry forming(RSF)semi-solid casting.The focus was primarily on the robustness of mechanical properties based on Taguchi design method.By analyzing signal-to-noise ratio and minimum value calculated from-3S,the optimum slurry preparation parameters and heat treatment parameters were determined to be no quench,enthalpy exchange material(EEM)temperature of 140℃,EEM-to-melt ratio of 6mass%,stirring time of 18 s,solution heat treated at 520℃ for 2 h,and ageing heat treated at 190℃ for 6 h.In a small batch validation,the-3S yield strength and-3S elongation reach 256.1 MPa and 5.03% respectively,showing a satisfactory robustness.The hardness and microstructure of heat-treated samples with the best and worst properties were characterized to gain insight into the underlying mechanisms affecting the mean value and variations of mechanical properties.

Microstructure evolution of Ti_(48)Zr_(27)Cu_(6)Nb_(5)Be_(14)amorphous alloy after semi-solid isothermal treatment

The as-cast amorphous Ti_(48)Zr_(27)Cu_(6)Nb_(5)Be_(14)composites,comprising in situ formedβ-Ti ductile crystalline precipitates,were prepared by water cooled copper mold suction casting.Then,the semi-solid composites were obtained after the as-cast composites were treated by semi-solid isothermal treatment.The microstructure evolution and kinetics of the composites were examined.Results show that the microstructures of both the as-cast and semi-solid composites comprise ofβ-Ti crystal phases and amorphous matrix phases.Before and after treatment,the crystals evolve from fine granular or fine dendritic crystals to coarse crystals.As the treatment temperature increasing or the time prolonging,the average crystal size gradually increases and the surface morphology of the crystals gradually becomes regular.By studying the microstructural evolution and dynamics during the isothermal treatment process,it is found that the final morphology ofβ-Ti crystals is influenced by the isothermal treatment temperature and time(t),and theβ-Ti evolution rate increases with an increase in treatment temperature.In addition,a linear relationship was observed between the size of cubicβ-Ti crystals(D^(3))and t;the growth kinetics factor K is 3.8μm^(3)·s^(-1).As the K value closes to 4μm^(3)·s^(-1),it is inferred the morphology evolution ofβ-Ti crystals is a coarsening behavior controlled by the diffusion of solute elements.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ61 magnesium alloy parts achieved by thixo-extruding semisolid billets prepared by new SIMA

New strain induced melt activation（new SIMA） method was employed to prepare high-quality semisolid billet of AZ61 magnesium alloy.Optical microscopy and tensile test were used to study the microstructure and mechanical properties of the thixo-extruded component.The results showed that the optimal process parameters for achieving the complete filling status involved the applied pressure of 784 MPa,the pressure holding time of 90 s and the die temperature of 450 ℃.Compared to semisolid isothermal treatment,high mechanical properties such as the tensile strength of 300.5 MPa and elongation of 22% and fine microstructure were obtained in the thixo-extruded parts.With increasing the isothermal temperature and holding time,the tensile strength and elongation were increased firstly and then decreased.When the press pass was increased from 1 to 4,the tensile strength and elongation of the thixo-extruded parts were greatly enhanced and microstructure was refined obviously.

Horizontal continuous casting process under electromagnetic field for preparing AA3003/AA4045 clad composite hollow billets

A modified horizontal continuous casting process under the electromagnetic field was proposed for preparing AA3003/ AA4045 clad composite hollow billets. To investigate the effect of electromagnetic field on this process, a comprehensive three-dimensional model was developed. Two cases with and without electromagnetic field were compared using the simulations. When rotating electromagnetic stirring is applied, the flow pattern of fluid melt is greatly modified; the mushy zone becomes much wider, the temperature profile becomes more uniform, and the solid fraction decreases for both the external and internal alloy melt layers. These modifications are beneficial for the formation of a bimetal interface and fine and uniform grain structure of the clad composite hollow billet. Experiments conducted using the same electrical and casting parameters as the simulations verify that under the electromagnetic field the microstructure of the clad composite hollow billet becomes fine and the diffusion of the elements at the interface is promoted.

Efects of low frequency electromagnetic ield on surface quality, microstructure and hot-tearing tendency of semi-continuous casting ZK60 magnesium alloy billets

The low frequency electromagnetic field was applied during direct chill(DC) semi-continuous casting of the ZK60 magnesium alloy billets. Effects of low frequency electromagnetic field on surface quality, microstructure and hot-tearing tendency of Φ500 mm ZK60 magnesium alloy billets were investigated. The results showed that with the application of the low frequency electromagnetic field, the surface quality of the ZK60 magnesium alloy billets is markedly improved and the depth of cold fold is decreased. The microstructure of the billets is also significantly refined. Besides, the distribution of the grain size is relatively uniform from the billet surface towards its center, where the average grain size is 42 μm at surface and 50 μm at center. It also shows that the hot-tearing tendency of DC semi-continuous casting ZK60 magnesium alloy billets is significantly reduced under low frequency electromagnetic field.

Optimization approach hydroforming car beam billets based grey system theory

Perfect combination of structural size parameters of the hydroforming billets is essential to obtain even wall thicknesses of the car beam. Finite element （ FE ） analysis on hydroforming car beam was carried out, and the results were optimized according to multiple quality objectives by the grey system theory. With bending angle, bending radius and hight difference along the axis direction as variables, orthogonal FE analyses were conducted and the minimum and maximum wall thicknes ses of the billets with different sizes were obtained. Taking the minimum and maximum wall thick nesses as two references, the correlation coefficient between the data for reference and those for comparison by the grey system theory reduced multi objectives to a single quality objective, and the average correlation level of every billet facilitated the optimization of size parameters for hydroform ing car beam. The trial production showed that the optimization approach satisfied the need of hy droforming car beams.

Effect of clad ratio on interfacial microstructure and properties of cladding billets via direct-chill casting process

Numerical simulation and experiments were introduced to develop AA4045/AA3003 cladding billets with different clad-ratios. The temperature fields, microstructures and mechanical properties near interface were investigated in detail. The results show that cladding billets with different clad-ratios were fabricated successfully. Si and Mn elements diffused across the bonding interface and formed diffusion layer. With the increase of clad-layer thickness, the interfacial region transforms from semisolid-solid state to liquid-solid state and the diffusion layer increased from 10 to 25 μm. The hardness at interface is higher than that of AA3003 side but lower than that of the other side. The bonding strength increased with the clad-layer thickness, attributing to solution strengthening due to elements diffusion. The cladding billets were extruded into clad pipe by indirect extrusion process after homogenization. The clad pipe remained the interfacial characteristics of as-cast cladding billet and the heredity of clad-ratio during deformation was testified.

Mathematical model of solidification for round CC billets

A coupled mathematical model was established to simulate the whole solidification process of round billet continuous casting for wheel steel using piecewise linear functions of heat flux density in the mold, the secondary cooling zone and the with- drawing-straightening zone. The calculated results were consistent with the measured data showing that the model accords with the practice. The surface temperature and the solidified shell thickness of round billets are more strongly influenced by casting speed than by casting temperature. The holding zones have effect on surface temperature, which is more obvious for the 450 mm round billet. The relation between casting temperature/speed and solidification end is expressed as a linear function. The solidification end is located after straightening machine.

Preparation of semi-solid billet of magnesium alloy and its thixoforming

Preparation of semi-solid billet of magnesium alloy and thixoforming was investigated by applying equal channel angularextrusion to magnesium alloy.The results show that mechanical properties of AZ91D alloy at room temperature,such as yieldstrength(YS),ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation,are enhanced greatly by four-pass equal channel angularextrusion(ECAE)at 573 K and microstructure of AZ91D alloy is refined to the average grain size of 20μm.Through using ECAE asstrain induced step in SIMA and completing melt activated step by semi-solid isothermal treatment,semi-solid billet with finespheroidal grains of 25μm can be prepared successfully.Compared with common SIMA,thixoformed satellite angle framecomponents using semi-solid billet prepared by new SIMA have higher mechanical properties at room temperature and hightemperature of 373 K.

Preparation of AZ91D magnesium alloy semi-solid billet by new strain induced melt activated method

New strain induced melt activated (new SIMA) method for preparing AZ91D magnesium alloy semi-solid billet is introduced by applying equal channel angular extrusion into strain induced step in SIMA method, by which semi-solid billet with fine spheroidal grains and average grain size of 18 μm can be prepared. Furthermore, average grain size of semi-solid billet is reduced with increasing extrusion pass of AZ91D magnesium alloy obtained in ECAE process. By using semi-solid billet prepared by new SIMA, thixoforged magazine plates component with high mechanical properties such as yield strength of 201.4 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 321.8 MPa and elongation of 15.3%, can be obtained.

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.

Analysis of inhomogeneity of solidified microstructure of continuous casting copper tubular billet based on factor analysis

The horizontal continuous casting process,the initial step in TP2 copper tubular processing,directly determines the microstructure and properties of copper tubular.However,the process parameters of the continuous casting characterize time variation,multiple disturbances and strong coupling.As a consequence,their influence on a casting billet is difficult to be determined.Due to the above issues,the common factor and special factor analysis of the factor analysis model were used in this study,and the casting experiment and billet metallographic experiment were carried out to diagnose and analyze the reason of the microstructure inhomogeneity.The multiple process parameters were studied and classified using common factor analysis,2 the cast billets with abnormal microstructures were identified by GT^(2) statistics,and the most important factors affecting the microstructural homogeneity were found by special factor analysis.The calculated and experimental results show that the principal parameters influencing the inhomogeneity of solidified microstructure are the primary inlet water pressure and the primary outlet water temperature.According to the consequence of the above investigation,the inhomogeneity of the copper billet microstructure can be effectively improved when the process parameters are controlled and adjusted.

Microstructure characteristics and thermodynamic properties of A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites prepared by semi-solid vacuum stirring suction casting

A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites were prepared using a semi-solid vacuum stirring suction casting method.The microstructures,mechanical properties,and thermal conductivities of the composites fabricated under different suction casting processes were compared.Additionally,the microstructural evolution characteristics and performance enhancement mechanism of the A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites were discussed.The results demonstrate that suction casting at 610°C with a low solid phase ratio can significantly enhance the material density and reduce the agglomeration of SiCp.The A357-SiC_(p)/A357 interface is clear and straight with good bonding.With an increase in the suction casting temperature,the bending resistance and thermal conductivity of the A357-SiC_(p)/A357 layered composites exhibit a trend of significantly increase at first and then slowly decrease owing to casting defects,interface bonding,and SiCp distribution.Compared with SiCp/A357 composites,the bending strength,deflection,and thermal conductivity of the A357-SiCp/A357 layered composites increase from 257 MPa,1.07 mm,and 155.72 W·(m·K)^(-1) to 298 MPa,2.1 mm,and 169.86 W·(m·K)^(-1),respectively.This study provides a reference for improving the rheological casting of aluminum matrix layered composites.

方坯直轧工艺下连铸坯温度场均匀性及切坯工艺优化

对方坯直轧工艺下连铸坯温度场和初生晶粒演化进行数值模拟,并根据计算结果对连铸坯切坯顺序进行优化。结果表明:随着连铸拉速的提高,连铸方坯表面温度和心表温差逐渐增大,心部等轴晶区也逐渐扩大;拉速对连铸坯初生晶粒取向的影响较小;连铸坯定尺对铸坯头尾温差的影响较大,在拉速不变的情况下,连铸坯定尺每增加1 m,头尾温差增大约10.5℃。方坯直轧工艺生产采用非定尺切坯策略,可以有效减小连铸拉速波动对出坯生产节奏的影响。

20钢/316L复合管固液复合制坯工艺研究

双金属复合管在石油运输行业中应用前景广阔,结合性能是考察复合管是否合格的重要指标之一。为了能在轧制成形过程中得到高品质的复合管材,在复合管制坯过程中要求实现界面处的冶金复合。以20钢和316L为原材料,基于结合温度及元素扩散情况,采用固液复合方式,并且结合界面的温度模型及通过Pro CAST软件模拟,获得了外模最佳预热温度为1050—1100℃。通过现场试制界面处实现了冶金复合,在最佳温度范围既保证了固态20钢和液态316L之间能达到冶金复合,又能使元素有充分的扩散时间而增强了界面结合强度,同时又可以防止因元素过渡扩散而导致316L腐蚀性能下降。该方法为后续复合管连轧提供了优良的管坯,可实现高品质复合管的现场生产。

鞍钢8m弧半径小方坯连铸机提速实践

针对8 m弧半径小方坯铸机拉速低不能满足生产要求的问题,分析了影响铸机提速的主要原因,采取了增加结晶器长度,更新结晶器供水泵,更新二冷水嘴,增大二冷管径以及优化系统温度等措施,铸机拉速由2.8 m/min提高到3.5 m/min,铸坯质量合格率达到99.95%,实现了小方坯铸机高速稳定生产。