Dry wear behavior of rheo-casting Al-16Si-4Cu-0.5Mg alloy

Dry wear behavior of the rheo-casting Al-16Si-4Cu-0.5Mg alloy was investigated by micro-scratch and dry sliding weartests. Analyses of the microstructure, scratch grooves, wear tracks, worn surfaces and wear debris of the alloy were carried out byoptical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The microstructural analysis showed that via rheo-processing, the primary Siwas refined and rounded, eutectics dispersed more homogenously, and even the skeleton AlFeMnSi phase was fragmented into facetshape. Micro-scratch test showed that the microstructural refinement resulted in better wear resistance. Dry sliding wear test revealedthat the rheo-processed sample exhibit obviously superior wear resistance because of the microstructure improvement. The dominantmechanism in mild wear condition is abrasion, but it turned to adhesion and oxidation in high applied load and fast sliding velocityconditions.

Microstructure and properties of high silicon aluminum alloy with 2% Fe prepared by rheo-casting

The morphology changes of both Fe-containing intermetallic compounds and the primary Si phase of Al-20Si-2Fe- 2Cu-0.4Mg-1.0Ni-0.5Mn （mass fraction, %） alloy produced by semi-solid rheo-diecasting were studied. The semi-solid slurry of high silicon aluminum alloy was prepared by direct ultrasonic vibration （DUV） which was imposed on the alloy near the liquidus temperature for about 2 rain. Then, standard test samples of 6.4 mm in diameter were formed by semi-solid rheo-diecasting. The results show that the DUV treatment suppresses the formation of needle-like ,β-Al5（Fe,Mn）Si phase, and the Fe-containing intermetallic compounds exist in the form of fine Al4（Fe, Mn）Si2 particles. Additionally, the primary Si grows up as fine and round particles with uniform distribution in α（Al） matrix of this alloy under DUV treatment. The tensile strengths of the samples at the room temperature and 573 K are 230 MPa and 145 MPa, respectively. The coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） between 25 ℃ and 300 ℃ is 16.052 8×10^-6 ℃^-1, and the wear rate is 1.55%. The hardness of this alloy with 2% Fe reaches HB146.3. It is discovered that modified morphology and uniform distribution of the Fe-containing intermetallic compounds and the primary Si phase are the main reasons for reducing the CTE and increasing the wear resistance of this alloy.

Mathematic model of solid fraction during rheo-casting by the cooling sloping plate process

A mathematic model of the solid fraction during rheo-casting by the cooling sloping plate process was established, and the effects of the process parameters on the solid fraction were analyzed. The calculation results show that the experimental result is approximately agreed with the calculation value. The effect of the casting temperature on the change rate of the solid fraction is not obvious. But the beginning solidification length is greatly influenced by the casting temperature. The beginning solidification length increases with the increment of the casting temperature. The effect of the sloping angle on the solid fraction becomes obvious with the increment of the sloping plate length. The solid fraction increases sharply with the decrease of the initial thickness of the melt. The melt initial thickness between 15 and 20 mm is suggested.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of rheo-processed ADC12 alloy

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the rheo-processed ADC12 alloy were investigated by means ofoptical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Primary dendritic Al of rheo-casting (RC) andrheo-diecasting (RDC) ADC12 alloys are sheared off. The average size, as well as solid fraction of the primary Al increase withdescending pouring temperature. The mechanical properties of alloys are strengthened by rheo-processing. Ultimate tensile strengthsof RC samples increase with the decrease of the pouring temperature, and reach the maximum in the range from 580 to 600 °C. Atpouring temperature of 595 °C, the RDC sample obtains the best ultimate tensile strength and elongation. Great reductions onporosity and primary Al globularization are crucial to the mechanical properties. Relationships of the primary Al size and yield stressare depicted with Hall?Petch equation.

Effect of rheo-diecast process on the mechanical properties of A390 alloy by serpentine channel

In this paper, the effects of rheo-diecast process parameters and T6 heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the rheo-diecasting（RDC） semi-solid A390 alloy prepared through pure copper serpentine channel were investigated. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of the RDC samples change with the pouring temperature and injection pressure. In this case, a lower pouring temperature results in better tensile strength and elongation of the RDC A390 alloy; however, the tensile strength and elongation decrease when the pouring temperature decreases to 660°C. Higher injection pressures result in the improved mechanical properties of the RDC A390 alloy. To some extent, T6 heat treatment improves the tensile strength and ductility of the RDC A390 alloy compared to those of the non-heat treated alloy. However, when the pouring temperature and injection pressure are greater than 670°C and 70 MPa, respectively, the mechanical properties are sharply diminished.