Three-dimensional analysis of the modified sloping cooling/shearing process

A self-designed setup of modified sloping cooling/shearing process was made to prepare the semisolid Al-3wt%Mg alloy. A three-dimensional simulation model was established for the analysis of preparing the semisolid Al-3wt%Mg alloy. Through simulation and experiment, it is shown that the sloping angle of the plate greatly affects temperature and velocity distributions, and the temperature and velocity of the alloy at the exit of the sloping plate increase with the increase of the sloping angle. The alloy temperature decreases linearly from the pouring mouth to the exit. The alloy temperature at the exit increases obviously with the increase of pouring temperature. To prepare the semisolid Al-3wt%Mg alloy with good quality, the sloping angle θ=45° is reasonable, and the pouring temperature is suggested to be designed above 650-660℃ but under 700℃.

Effects of casting factors of cooling slope on semisolid condition

The effects of the casting factors such as nozzle size to pour the melt,nozzle height,tilt of the slope and slope length,of the cooling slope on the process to make semisolid slurry were investigated.The results show that these factors affect the behaviors of the semisolid slurry on the cooling slope.The tilt of the slope is the factor that has major influence on the behavior of the semisolid slurry.The cooling roll is developed from the result of the research of the cooling slope.The rotating cooling roll can improve the sticking of the semisolid slurry on the substrate and it is suitable for making the semisolid slurry.

Cooling slope casting to produce EN AW 6082 forging stock for manufacture of suspension components

The potential of cooling slope casting process to produce EN AW 6082 forging stock for the manufacture of EN AW 6082 suspension components was investigated.EN AW 6082 billets cast over a cooling plate offer a fine uniform structure that can be forged even without a separate homogenization treatment.This is made it possible by the limited superheat of the melt at the start of casting and the fractional solidification that occurs already on the cooling plate.Suspension parts forged from cast and homogenized billets with or without Cr all showed a umform structure,and the hardness reached HV 110 after the standard artificial ageing treatment.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Mg_2Si composite fabricated in-situ by vibrating cooling slope

An innovative semisolid technique termed as vibrating cooling slope(VCS)has been applied to producing in-situ Al-25%Mg2Si(mass fraction)composite.The molten Al-16.5Mg-9.4%Si(mass fraction)alloy with 100°C superheat was poured on the surface of an inclined copper plate(set at 45°inclined angle)while it was vibrated at a frequency of 40 Hz and an amplitude of 400μm.After travelling the length of 40 cm on the slope,the resultant semisolid alloy was cast into a steel mold.For the purpose of comparison,reference composite samples were made by gravity casting(GC)and conventionally still cooling slope casting(CS)methods using the same alloy under identical conditions.The samples were hot extruded at 500°C.It was concluded that the size of Mg2Si particles was decreased by about 50%and 70%for the CS and VCS produced samples respectively when compared to that of the GC produced sample.Despite of their higher porosity contents,both the as-cast and hot-extruded VCS processed samples exhibited higher hardness,shear yield stress(SYS)and ultimate shear strength(USS)values as compared with their GC produced counterparts.These results were attributed to the refined and modified microstructure obtained via this newly developed technique.

Microstructure and Property of Hypereutectic High Chromium Cast Iron Prepared by Slope Cooling Body-Centrifugal Casting Method

In this paper, the ring-type ingot of hypereutectic high Cr cast iron was obtained by slope cooling bodycentrifugal casting method （SC-CCM）, and its microstructure and impact toughness were investigated, respectively. The results indicated that, first, the primary carbides in the microstructure are prominently finer than those in the hypereutectic high Cr cast iron prepared by conventional casting method. Second, in the ring-type ingot, the primary carbides near radial outer field are finer than those near radial inner field; furthermore, there is dividing field in the microstructure. Finally, the impact toughness values of the specimens impacted on the radial outer face and on the radial inner face are improved respectively about 36% and 138% more than that of the hypereutectic high Cr one prepared by conventional casting method.

Comparison of microstructure and wear resistance of A356-SiC_p composites processed via compocasting and vibrating cooling slope

The influences of SiC content on the microstructure, porosity, hardness and wear resistance of A356？SiCp composites processed via two different methods of compocasting and vibrating cooling slope （VCS） were compared with each other. In the as-cast condition, the matrix of VCS and compocast processed composites exhibited globular and dendritric structures, respectively. While a more uniform distribution of SiC particulates in the matrix alloy as well as higher hardness values were obtained for the VCS processed samples, the composites produced via compocasting exhibited less porosity. The increased SiC content （up to 20% in volume fraction） resulted in a more uniform distribution of SiC particles within the matrix alloy and improved wear resistance for both the composite series. However, for the VCS processed composites, the increased SiC content, resulted in the decreased size and shape factor of globules as well as better tribological properties when compared with compocast composites. It was concluded that the improved properties of the VCS processed composites when compared with their compocast counterparts was a consequence of a more uniform distribution of SiC particulates in the matrix alloy as well as the globular microstructure generated during the VCS process.

A vector sum analysis method for stability evolution of expansive soil slope considering shear zone damage softening

Slope stability analysis is a classical mechanical problem in geotechnical engineering and engineering geology.It is of great significance to study the stability evolution of expansive soil slopes for engineering construction in expansive soil areas.Most of the existing studies evaluate the slope stability by analyzing the limit equilibrium state of the slope,and the analysis method for the stability evolution considering the damage softening of the shear zone is lacking.In this study,the large deformation shear mechanical behavior of expansive soil was investigated by ring shear test.The damage softening characteristic of expansive soil in the shear zone was analyzed,and a shear damage model reflecting the damage softening behavior of expansive soil was derived based on the damage theory.Finally,by skillfully combining the vector sum method and the shear damage model,an analysis method for the stability evolution of the expansive soil slope considering the shear zone damage softening was proposed.The results show that the shear zone subjected to large displacement shear deformation exhibits an obvious damage softening phenomenon.The damage variable equation based on the logistic function can be well used to describe the shear damage characteristics of expansive soil,and the proposed shear damage model is in good agreement with the ring shear test results.The vector sum method considering the damage softening behavior of the shear zone can be well applied to analyze the stability evolution characteristics of the expansive soil slope.The stability factor of the expansive soil slope decreases with the increase of shear displacement,showing an obvious progressive failure behavior.

Boundary Layer Distributions and Cooling Rate of Cooling Sloping Plate Process

According to the principle of grain refining and slurry preparation by cooling sloping plate process, the distributions of boundary layers during melt treatment by cooling sloping plate were studied, and mathematic model of cooling rate was established. The calculation value approximately agrees with the experimental result. Laminar flow and turbulent flow exist on sloping plate surface commonly. The thickness of velocity boundary layer and the critical transfer distance from laminar flow to turbulent flow increase with the decrease of initial flow velocity. The thickness of temperature boundary layer increases with the increment of flow distance and the decrease of initial flow velocity. The melt cooling rate and melt thickness have an inverse proportion relationship. The melt cooling rate increases along the plate direction gradually when the initial flow velocity is lower than 1 m/s, the melt cooling rate keeps nearly a constant when the initial flow velocity is 1 m/ s, when the initial flow velocity is higher than 1 m/s, the melt cooling rate decreases gradually. The melt cooling rate of cooling sloping plate process can reach 102-103 K/s and belongs to meta-rapid solidification scope.

Numerical simulation of solidification of liquid aluminum alloy flowing on cooling slope

Preparation of semisolid slurry using a cooling slope is increasingly becoming popular,primarily because of the simplicity in design and ease control of the process.In this process,liquid alloy is poured down an inclined surface which is cooled from underneath.The cooling enables partial solidification and the incline provides the necessary shear for producing semisolid slurry.However,the final microstructure of the ingot depends on several process parameters such as cooling rate,incline angle of the cooling slope,length of the slope and initial melt superheat.In this work,a CFD model using volume of fluid(VOF) method for simulating flow along the cooling slope was presented.Equations for conservation of mass,momentum,energy and species were solved to predict hydrodynamic and thermal behavior,in addition to predicting solid fraction distribution and macrosegregation.Solidification was modeled using an enthalpy approach and a volume averaged technique for the different phases.The mushy region was modeled as a multi-layered porous medium consisting of fixed columnar dendrites and mobile equiaxed/fragmented grains.The alloy chosen for the study was aluminum alloy A356,for which adequate experimental data were available in the literature.The effects of two key process parameters,namely the slope angle and the pouring temperature,on temperature distribution,velocity distribution and macrosegregation were also studied.

Modeling and optimization of cooling slope process parameters for semi-solid casting of A356 Al alloy

Semi-solid processing （SSP） of A356 aluminum alloy was discussed via cooling slope （CS） method. The D-optimal design of experiment （DODE） was employed for experimental design and analysis of results. 38 random experiments obtained by software were carried out. In experimental stage, the molten aluminum alloy was poured on an inclined plate with different lengths of 100, 300 and 500 mm set at 30°, 45° and 60° of slope angles respectively. Three different pouring temperatures of 660, 680 and 700 ℃ were also used. After the casting process, the partial re-melting treatment was carried out at 590 ℃ for different isothermal time of 5, 8 or 12 min. The combined effect of these factors on globularity of the primary α（Al） crystals was investigated and optimized using DODE. The results indicated that the primary dendritic phase in the conventionally cast A356 alloy was transformed into a non-dendritic one in ingots cast over a cooling plate. The CS processed samples exhibited a globular structure only after re-heating to semi-solid region. The optimum values of pouring temperature, cooling length, slope angle and isothermal holding time were found to be 660 ℃, 360 mm, 48°, and 9 min, respectively. In this case, the globularity of primary crystals was obtained, about 0.91. The obtained model is highly significant with a correlation coefficient of 0.9860.

Cooling slope casting of AA7075 alloy combined with reheating and thixoforging

Cooling slope casting has been applied to aluminium casting alloys for producing ingots with non-dendritic microstructure.Semi-solid forming of the AA7075 was studied via cooling slope casting,reheating and thixoforging processes in order to determine the effect of semi-solid casting on the microstructure of the alloy.AA7075 ingots with non-dendritic microstructure were produced with cooling slope pouring.Castings were characterized by light microscopy,image analysis,scanning electron microscopy and EDS analysis.The resulting structures are promising in terms of grain size and sphericity.It was realized that grain coarsening may occur very suddenly in the reheating process.Cooling slope castings were obtained with 30°and 60°inclination angles,and in comparison,60°castings showed better results.Moreover,by using short reheating periods,semi-solid forging causes trace formation in the solid grains.

Analyses of Adiabatic Shear in Some Metals from Calculations of the Temperature Distribution and the Cooling Rate

The temperature distribution under shear with a high strain rate and the cooling rate of the shear bands of Al, Cu and 0.06C steel have been calculated using a computer. The results show that the temperature of shear band increases with the increase of the average strain rate (_o). When _o is in the range 8×10~5 to 10~6 1/s, the structure of the adiabatic shear band in a 0.06C steel is martensite but it becomes metallic glass if _o=10~6 1/s. As to A1 and Cu, the structure of the adiabatic shear bands can also be of metallic glass if _o is greater than 1.8×10~6 and 5.5×10~7 1/s respectively. It explains that Cu tends most difficultly to form adiabatic shear band, while 0.06C steel most readily among the three metals.

Impact of ultrasonic power on liquid fraction,microstructure and physical characteristics of A356 alloy molded through cooling slope

This study involves A356 alloy molded through ultrasonically vibrated cooling slope.The slope alongside ultrasonic power enables indispensable shear for engendering slurry from which the semisolid cast/heat treated billets got produced.An examination demonstrates ultrasonically vibrated cooling slope influencing the liquid fraction/microstructure/physical characteristics of stated billets.The investigation encompasses five diverse ultrasonic powers(0,75,150,200,250 W).The ultrasonic power of 150 W delivers finest/rounded microstructure with enhanced physical characteristics.Microstructural modifications reason physical transformations because of grain refinement and grain boundary/Hall-Petch strengthening.A smaller grain size reasons a higher strength/shape factor and an increased homogeneity reasons a higher ductility.Microstructural characteristics get improved by reheating.It is owing to coalescence throughout temperature homogenization.The physical characteristics is improved by reheating because of a reduced porosity and enhanced dissolution besides augmented homogeneity.A direct comparison remains impossible owing to unavailability of researches on ultrasonically vibrated cooling slope.

Inversion analysis of the shear strength parameters for a high loess slope in the limit state

It is difficult to obtain reliable shear strength parameters for the stability analysis and evaluation of high loess slopes.Hence,this paper determines slope elements and physical parameter of 79 slopes with heights of[40,120]m based on the measured loess slopes in the Ganquan and Tonghuang subregions of northern Shaanxi Province,China.In the limit state of the loess slope(stability factor Fs is 1.0),a fitting equation for the slope height and width is established.Then,the model is developed by stability analysis software-SLOPE/W,and the comprehensive shear strength parameters corresponding to different slope heights of the high slope in the study area are obtained by inversion using the Morgenstern-Price method.The results show that when the height of the slope increases,the cohesion c increases in the soil,and the internal friction angle j decreases.This change is consistent with the characteristics reflected in the composition and physical properties of the slopes,and the comprehensive strength parametric curves are very similar between the Ganquan subregion and the Tonghuang subregion.A landslide that occurred in Miaodian-zaitou of Jingyang County,Shaanxi Province,is selected to verify this inversion method,and the results show that the calculated shear strength parameters of the inversion are consistent with the measured value of the actual slope.

Vane Shear Strength Based Stability Analysis of Slopes in Unconsolidated Soft Clay

In-situ vane shear test is frequently performed to determine shear strength for slope stability analysis in Tianjin New Harbor.However,the soil shear strength varies with the shear plane orientation.A possible means to reduce the effect of directional dependency of shear strength is to convert the in-situ vane shear strength into undrained shear strength parameters.A method of converting in-situ vane shear strength into undrained shear strength parameters is presented.The shear strength parameters determined for all of the in-situ vane shear strengths are subjected to statistical regression analysis to take into consideration the possible effect of non-homogeneity in the soft clay deposit.Using the regressed shear strength parameters,slope stability analyses are performed for five existing soil slopes.The results of stability analyses indicate that the safety factors obtained from the converted parameters reflect the state of the slopes analyzed much better than those obtained from in-situ vane shear strength and laboratory consolidated-undrained and unconsolidated-undrained strength parameters.It is concluded that the presented methsod of determining undrained shear strength parameters for in-situ vane shear strength is effective.

The primary influence of shear band evolution on the slope bearing capacity

Slope bearing capacity is one of the most important characteristics in slope engineering and is strongly influenced by weak planes,loading conditions,and slope geometry.By presenting the evolution of slip surfaces,this paper explored how the slope bearing capacity is affected by widely observed influencing factors.The initiation and propagation of slip surfaces are presented in laboratory model tests of slope using the transparent soil technique.Shear band evolution under various weak planes,loading conditions,and slope geometries were experimentally presented,and slope bearing capacities were analyzed with the process of shear band evolution.This paper verified that slip surface morphologies have a strong relation with the slope bearing capacity.The same slip surface morphology can have different evolutionary processes.In this case,it is the shear band evolution that determines the slope bearing capacity,not the morphology of the slip surface.The influencing factors such as pre-existing weak planes,loading conditions,and slope geometry strongly affect the slope bearing capacity as these factors govern the process of shear band evolution inside the slope.

Slope Stability Analyses of Outang Landslide Based on the Peak and Residual Shear Strength Behavior

Most of the natural and compacted fine-grained soil slopes that are in saturated or unsaturated condition undergo a large deformation prior to reaching failure conditions.Such slopes should be designed taking account of their strain-softening behavior using the residual shear strength (RSS) parameters.In this paper,the slope stability of a recently reactivated Outang landslide near the Three Gorges Dam in China is analyzed based on the RSS parameters of unsaturated soils.In addition,comparisons are provided in the FOS values of slope using both the peak shear strength (PSS) and RSS parameters.Firstly,a series of site investigations of the hydrologic and geologic conditions,ground surface displacements and cracks were described.The PSS and RSS behaviors of the sliding soils derived from a series of direct shear test results performed on saturated and unsaturated soil specimens are summarized.Secondly,a series of slope stability analysis were conducted considering the precipitation and Yangtze River water level variation within a representative period of 7 months,based on the PSS and the RSS properties.In this study,three different scenarios were considered,which include: i) considering only the precipitation with a constant water level;ii) considering only the decrease in water level without rainfall;iii) considering the combination of precipitation and decrease in water level.In each scenario,four steps were included to calculate the values of factor of safety (FOS) at different times.1) A steady-state seepage analysis was conducted with a constant total head at 525 m on the left boundary and 175 m on the slope surface below the Yangtze River water level.The initial pore water pressures were simulated in the slope under no precipitation and variation of water level.2) A specific boundary condition was applied on the slope surface to model the precipitation and Yangtze River water level variation.A transient seepage analysis was conducted to calculate pore water pressures at different times based on the initial pore water pressures.3) The FOS values at different times were calculated by the Morgenstern-Price method taking account of the variation of pore water pressures at different times,using the peak shear strength (PSS) parameters.4) The last step was repeated replacing PSS parameters with RSS parameters.The RSS parameters were lower than the peak values from laboratory’s direct shear test results for the soils in the sliding zones.The reduction in shear strength from peak to residual state under unsaturated soil condition was greater than that for a saturated soil.The FOS decreased almost linearly with time for the scenario in which only the influence of rainfall infiltration was considered.However,the total reduction in the FOS was relatively small.The FOS decreased rapidly at a linear rate with respect to time with a decrease in water level for the scenario in which Yangtze River water level decrease was considered.The FOS reached to a relatively constant value after Yangtze River water level reached the lowest value.The decrease in Yangtze River water level was the dominant factor that contributed to a reduction in the FOS.The FOS was strongly dependent on the development of the phreatic line after the Yangtze River water level reached the lowest value.The FOS calculated by RSS (i.e.FOSR) is less than unity;they were approximately 16% lower in comparison to that calculated by PSS (FOSP).If PSS parameters were used,the slope would still be stable even under the combined influence of precipitation and Yangtze River water level decrease.These results are inconsistent with the field observations.For this reason,the RSS parameters should be taken into account to evaluate reliably the slope stability of the Outang landslide.

Calibration of Numerical Model Applied to a Shear Zone Located on a Slope in an Open Pit Mine—Case History

The instability of a pit mine slope diagnostic caused by the slipping of a localized deep shear zone is described. The slope was designed on ultra basic, serpentine and metabasite rock formations with an angle varying from 40 to 45 de- grees. The perturbed slope zone was classified as RMR 12 and the non-perturbed zone as RMR 75. The boundary of these zones is defined as the shear zone. The pit slope was field mapped in detail and the mechanical properties of the rock were obtained through a laboratory test. The lab data were further processed using the RMR mechanical classifi- cation system. The Distinct Elements Code numerical modeling and simulation software was used to design the pit slope. The model was calibrated through topographic mapping of the points on the ground. The task of calibrating a numerical model is far from simple. Exhaustive attempts to find points of reference are required. The mechanical be- havior in function of the time factor is a problem that has yet to be solved. The instant deformation generated in the numerical model generated functions that can be compared with the deformations of quick shifts acquired in the topog- raphic monitoring. SMR is indeed more often recommended for Pit Slopes, though the fact that we have used RMR does not invalidate the classification for the modeling effect. The main parameters such as spacing, filling, diving direc- tion and continuity allow for compartmentalization of the modeled area. The objective of the modeling was not to pro- ject slopes because this massif was undergoing a progressive slow rupture. The objective of the modeling was to study the movement of the mass of rock and its progressive rupture caused by a shear zone.

Study of Internal Waste Dump-Induced Shear Stress Behavior on Pit-Slope

Regardless of beneficial associated with internal waste dump (IWD) method, practices of this method within boundaries of pit-slope have some serious problems on stability issues due to this area is zone of potential failure. This zone is known as dynamic reactive zone which is easy to deform by external force, and inherent dangers of failure posing a threat to slope. Therefore, it is paramount to study the induced shear stress behavior in this zone particularly when IWD method is adopted within this zone. In this paper, a numerical study for investigating IWD-induced shear stress behavior has been carried out using Finite Element Method (FEM) with Strength Reduction approach. Different scenarios as per pit-slope depths, IWD heights and buffer zone lengths have been accounted and simulated using PHASE 2 to understand changes in induced shear stress imposed on the pit-slope. It is found that shear stress imposed on pit slope seems change dramatically with increasing IWD height for case of buffer zone length is less than 100-m-long.

Rigorous back analysis of shear strength parameters of landslide slip

A rigorous back analysis of shear strength parameters of landslide slip was presented. Kinematical element method was adopted to determine factor of safety and critical failure surface, which overcomes the disadvantage of limit equilibrium method. The theoretical relationship between the combination of shear strength parameters and stability state was studied. The results show that the location of critical slip surface, F/tan f and F/c depend only on the value of c/tan f. The failure surface moves towards the inside of slope as c/tan f increases. According to the information involving factor of safety and critical failure surface in a specific cross-section, strength parameters can be back calculated based on the above findings. Three examples were given for demonstrating the validity of the present method. The shear strength parameters obtained by back analysis are almost consistent with their correct solutions or test results.