Primary phase evolution of rheo-processed ADC12 aluminum alloy

The primary phase evolution of ADC12 aluminum alloy rheo-processed by mechanical rotational barrel system was studied by differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）, optical microscopy（OM） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The semisolid slurry analyses show that the solid fraction of ADC12 aluminum alloy increases from 0.38 to 0.43 while the roundness decreases from 0.45 to 0.38 with increasing the rotational speed from 30 to 120 r/min. When the pouring temperature decreases from 620 to 580 °C, the primary α（Al） morphology changes from spheroidal to rosette-like. Besides, the average particle size of primary phase and solid fraction increase with the decrease of pouring temperature. By rheo-diecasting process, the components with fine, spherical and uniformly distributed primary α（Al） particles were obtained, and the best microstructure was contained at the pouring temperature ranging from 595 to 605 °C. The rheo-processing feasibility of ADC12 aluminum alloy can be explained by the grains controlled growth theory, and the semisolid slurry obeys the Mullins-Sekerka criterion when solidifying in the high pressure die casting machine.

Feasibility of semi-solid die casting of ADC12 aluminum alloy

The feasibility of semi-solid die casting of ADC12 aluminum alloy was studied. The effects of plunger speed, gate thickness, and solid fraction of the slurry on the defects were determined. The defects investigated are gas and shrinkage porosity. In the experiments, semi-solid slurry was prepared by the gas-induced semi-solid （GISS） technique. Then, the slurry was transferred to the shot sleeve and injected into the die. The die and shot sleeve temperatures were kept at 180 ℃ and 250 ℃, respectively. The results show that the samples produced by the GISS die casting give little porosity, no blister and uniform microstructure. From all the results, it can be concluded that the GISS process is feasible to apply in the ADC12 aluminum die casting process. In addition, the GISS process can give improved properties such as decreased porosity and increased microstructure uniformity.

Chip morphology and cutting temperature of ADC12 aluminum alloy during high-speed milling

The ADC12 aluminum alloy is prone to severe tool wear and high cutting heat during high-speed milling because of its high hardness.This study analyzes the highspeed milling process from the perspective of different chip morphologies.The influence of cutting temperature on chip morphology was expounded.A two-dimensional orthogonal cutting model was established for finite element analysis(FEA)of high-speed milling of ADC12 aluminum alloy.A theoretical analysis model of cutting force and cutting temperature was proposed based on metal cutting theory.The variations in chip shape,cutting force,and cutting temperature with cutting speed increasing were analyzed via FEA.The results show that,with the increase in cutting speed,the chip morphology changes from continuous to serrated,and then back to continuous.The serrated chip is weakened and the cutting temperature is lowered when the speed is lower than 600 m·min^(-1)or higher than 1800 m·min^(-1).This study provides a reference for reducing cutting temperature,controlling chip morphology and improving cutting tool life.