Numerical simulation of fluid flow and alloy melting in RH process for electrical steels

Based on the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach,a mathematical model was established to describe the gas-liquid flow behavior in the Ruhrstahl-Heraeus(RH)degasser.The momentum source and the turbulent kinetic energy source due to the motion of gas bubbles were considered for the liquid flow.The effect of the expansion of gas bubbles on the liquid velocity,recirculation rate,and mixing time was quantitatively evaluated.After the fluid flow reached the steady state,the melting and mixing processes of aluminum alloys in the RH degasser were also investigated.The results indicate that the expansion of gas bubbles has a significant infuence on the recirculation rate and the mixing time in the RH process.Increasing the superheat of liquid steel and decreasing the initial diameter of alloy particles are beneficial to promote the melting and mixing of alloy particles.Due to the existence of solidified steel shells,the maximum diameter of the alloy particle is about 1.5 times its initial diameter.

Oxidation behaviour of molten ZK60 and ME20 magnesium alloys with magnesium in 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane/air atmospheres

The oxidation behaviour of molten ZK60 and ME20 magnesium alloys in 1% 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane/air atmospheres at 720 °C was compared with that of molten magnesium. The oxidation kinetics of these three melts was determined by thermograyimetric measuring instrument, and the surface films of the oxidized samples were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the oxidation rate of molten ZK60 or ME20 alloys is much lower than that of molten magnesium in 1% 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane/air atmospheres. The surface film formed on the molten magnesium is composed of MgF2, MgO and C, while the film formed on ZK60 melt mainly consists of MgF2, MgO, C and some ZrF4, and the film on ME20 mainly consists of MgF2, MgO, C and a small amount of CeF4. The good oxidation resistances of ZK60 and ME20 alloy melts may be caused by their major alloying elements Zr and Ce, respectively.

Numerical simulation of standing waves for ultrasonic purification of magnesium alloy melt

It was attempted to enhance and accelerate the separation of oxidation inclusions from magnesium alloy melt by virtue of ultrasonic agglomeration technology.In order to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of standing waves for ultrasonic purification of magnesium alloy melt,numerical simulation and relevant experiment were carried out.The numerical simulation was broken into two main aspects.On one hand,the ultrasonic field propagations within the cells with various shapes were characterized by numerical solutions of the wave equation and with a careful choice of geometry a nearly idealized standing wave field was finally obtained.On the other hand,within such a standing wave field the agglomeration behavior of oxidation inclusions in magnesium alloy melt was analyzed and discussed.The agglomeration time and agglomeration position of oxidation inclusions were predicted with numerical simulation method.The results show that the oxidation inclusions whose apparent densities are close to the density of the melt can agglomerate at wave nodes in a short time which to a great extent enhances and accelerates the separation of oxidation inclusions from magnesium alloy melt.

Electromagnetic Filtration of Primary Fe-Rich Phases from Al-Si Alloy Melt

Electromagnetic filtration of primary Fe-rich phases (complex compound of AlFeSiMn) from Al-Si alloy melt containing 1.2 wt pct Fe have been studied by theoretical analysis and on a self-designed electromagnetic filtration equipment. The principle of the electromagnetic filtration is that the EMF (electromagnetic force) scarcely acts on the primary Fe-rich phases having low electric conductivity, which are then moved in the direction opposite to that of the EMF. Experimental results show that the primary Fe-rich phases are separated from Al-Si alloy melt and are collected in the filter while the melt is in horizontal flow. The removal efficiency of the primary iron-phases (77) calculated is less as the greatest flow velocity of the melt (UM) and the height of the filter (2h) are larger, while it becomes larger as EMF, operating distance of electromagnetic force (cr) and particle size (dv) become larger. It has been confirmed that the primary iron-phases larger than 20 jim can be removed efficiently by theoretical analysis and experiments. This new technique is high efficient and available for continuously flowing melts as compared with natural settling and filtration methods, which offer a possibility for recycling high quality aluminum alloys.

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF VISCOSITY OF Al-Si ALLOY MELTS

The relationship between the viscosity and temperature of Al-Si alloy melts was investigated. The viscosity of three different types of Al-Si alloy melts was measured. It was showed that the relationship between the viscosity and temperature of hypoeutectic Al-5%Si and eutectic Al- 12.5%Si alloy melts is approximately exponential except for some special zones, but that of the hypereutectic melt is different. The paper discussed the correlation of the viscosity and atomic density, which is thought that the viscosity corresponds to the atomic density to some extent.

Specific heat of superheated Al-10Sr alloy melts

The specific heat of superheated Al 10Sr melts was determined at different heating rates between 1 K/min and 20 K/min using a differential scanning calorimeter(DSC). As a whole, the specific heat increases with increasing temperature. A hump is observed on the specific heat curve at the temperature corresponding to the phase boundary temperature dependent on heating rate. Moreover, the hump shifts to higher temperature in the measured temperature range from about 840 ℃ to 890 ℃ with increasing heating rate. At certain temperature in the higher superheated zone, the specific heat of the melt as a function of temperature shows a sharp rise . The result indicates that disorder zone fraction begins to increase while atom clusters fraction decreases at the breaking temperature. [

Electrical Properties of GeTe-based Ternary Alloys

Ge_（50-x）Sb_xTe_（50） and Ge_（50-x）Bi_xTe_（50） ternary alloys were synthesized by vacuum melting at 1273 K with the starting materials of Ge, Bi, Sb, and Te. The lattice structures were analyzed based on X-ray diffraction patterns, which could all be indexed to R3m rhombic structure. Electrical properties measurements revealed that the Ge-Sb-Te ternary alloys were p-type semiconductors with high electrical conductivity of 4.5×10~5S？m^（-1） near room temperature. And the maximum electrical property was obtained at Ge_45Sb_5Te_50, with the power factor of 2.49×10^（-3）W？m^（-1）K^（-2） at 640 K. Due to the existence of secondary phases, the electrical conductivity of Ge-Bi-Te system was lower and Seebeck coefficient was higher comparing with those of Ge-Sb-Te system.

Simulation of Dendritic Growth with Melt Convection in Solidification of Ternary Alloys

A cellular automaton-lattice Boltzmann coupled model is extended to study the dendritic growth with melt convection in the solidification of ternary alloys. With a CALPHAD-based phase equilibrium engine, the effects of melt convection, solutal diffusion, interface curvature and preferred growth orientation are incorporated into the coupled model. After model validation, the multi dendritic growth of the Al-4.0 wt%Cu-1.0 wt%Mg alloy is simulated under the conditions of pure diffusion and melt convection. The result shows that the dendritic growth behavior, the final microstructure and microsegregation are significantly influenced by melt convection in the solidification.

Relationship between Voronoi entropy and the viscosity of Zr_(36)Cu_(64) alloy melt based on molecular dynamics

Molecular dynamics simulation is used to investigate the relationship between Voronoi entropy and viscosity for rapid solidification processing of Zr36Cu64 binary alloy melt. The simulation results at different temperatures, cooling rates, and pressures, show that Voronoi entropy is able to accurately describe the relationship of the transition between the cluster structure and the viscosity of Zr36Cu64 binary alloy melt through Voronoi polyhedron analysis. That is, the higher the degree of order of the microstructure, the lower the Voronoi entropy is and the higher the viscosity is. The simulation provides an important reference for studying metallic glass with high glass-forming ability.

Ab initio study of dynamical properties of U-Nb alloy melt

The U-Nb alloy,as a kind of nuclear material with good corrosion resistance and mechanical properties,plays an important role in the nuclear industry.However,the experimental measurements and theoretical calculations of many parameters which are essential in describing the dynamical properties of this alloy melt,including density,diffusivity,and viscosity,have not been carried out yet.The lack of data on the dynamical properties of nuclear materials seriously hinders the high-performance nuclear materials from being developed and applied.In this work,the dynamical properties of the U-Nb alloy melt are systematically studied by means of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and their corresponding mathematical models are established,thereby being able to rapidly calculate the densities,diffusion coefficients,viscosities,and their activation energies in the whole U-Nb liquid region.This work provides a new idea for investigating the dynamical properties of binary alloy melts,thereby promoting the development of melt research.

Hydrogen-induced amorphization of Zr-Cu-Ni-Al alloy

Arc melting was utilized in this study to produce Zr_(55)Cu_(30)Ni_5Al_(10) alloys under mixed atmospheres with various ratios of high-purity hydrogen to argon. The influences of hydrogen addition on the solidification structure and glass-forming ability of Zr_(55)Cu_(30)Ni_5Al_(10) alloy were determined by examining microstructures in different parts of the cast ingots. The results showed that different degrees of crystallization structures were obtained in the ascast button ingots after arc melting in high-purity Ar, and the cross-sectional solidification morphology of arcmelted ingots was found to consist of crystals with varying from the bottom up. By contrast, there were completely amorphous structures in the middle and upper areas of the as-cast button ingots fabricated by adding 10% H_2 to the high-purity Ar atmosphere. A clear solidification interface was found between the crystal and glass in the ascast button ingots, which indicates that hydrogen addition can enhance the Zr_(55)Cu_(30)Ni_5Al_(10) alloy's glass-forming ability. The precise mechanism responsible for this was also investigated.

Highly Improved Electrochemical Performances of the Nanocrystalline and Amorphous Mg_2Ni-type Alloys by Substituting Ni with M (M=Cu,Co,Mn)

The element Ni in the Mg2Ni alloy is partially substituted by M（M = Cu, Co, Mn） in order to ameliorate the electrochemical hydrogen storage performances of Mg2Ni-type electrode alloys. The nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg20Ni10-xMx（M = None, Cu, Co, Mn; x = 0-4） alloys were prepared by melt spinning. The effects of the M（M = Cu, Co, Mn） content on the structures and electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the as-cast and spun alloys were comparatively studied. The analyses by XRD, SEM and HRTEM reveal that all the as-cast alloys have a major phase of Mg2Ni but the M（M = Co, Mn） substitution brings on the formation of some secondary phases, MgCo2 and Mg for the（M = Co） alloy, and Mn Ni and Mg for the（M = Mn） alloy. Besides, the as-spun（M = None, Cu） alloys display an entirely nanocrystalline structure, whereas the as-spun（M = Co, Mn） alloys hold a nanocrystalline/amorphous structure, suggesting that the substitution of M（M = Co, Mn） for Ni facilitates the glass formation in the Mg2Ni-type alloys. The electrochemical measurements indicate that the variation of M（M = Cu, Co, Mn） content engenders an obvious effect on the electrochemical performances of the as-cast and spun alloys. To be specific, the cyclic stabilities of the alloys augment monotonously with increasing M（M = Cu, Co, Mn） content, and the capacity retaining rate（S20） is in an order of（M = Cu） 〉（M = Co） 〉（M = Mn） 〉（M = None） for x≤1 but changes to（M = Co） 〉（M = Mn） 〉（M = Cu） 〉（M = None） for x≥2. The discharge capacities of the as-cast and spun alloys always grow with the rising of M（M = Co, Mn） content but first mount up and then go down with increasing M（M = Cu） content. Whatever the M content is, the discharge capacities are in sequence：（M = Co） 〉（M = Mn） 〉（M = Cu） 〉（M = None）. The high rate discharge abilities（HRDs） of all the alloys grow clearly with rising M（M = Cu, Co） content except for（M = Mn） alloy, whose HRD has a maximum value with varying M（M = Mn） content. Furthermore, for the as-cast alloys, the HRD is in order of（M = Co） 〉（M = Mn） 〉（M = Cu） 〉（M = None）, while for the as-spun（20 m·s^-1） alloys, it changes from（M = Co） 〉（M = Mn） 〉（M = Cu） 〉（M = None） for x = 1 to（M = Cu） 〉（M = Co） 〉（M = None） 〉（M = Mn） for x = 4.

Effect of Melt Quenching on Martensite Transformation in Fe-Ni Alloy

The main features of martensite transformation in melt-quenched Fe-31.4% Ni alloy on cooling below room temperature have been studied. It is found that the ribbon 50～60 μm thick, prepared by spinning technique, is a natural composite in which isothermal and surface martensite are not formed, while athermal martensite forms at lower temperature, all factors being the same, as compared to the alloy of the same composition and grain size, prepared by recrystallization.

Thermal Performance of Low-Melting-Temperature Alloy Thermal Interface Materials

Thermal resistance of low-melting-temperature alloy （LMTA） thermal interface materials （TIMs） was measured by laser flash method before and after different stages of heating. The results showed that the thermal performance of the LMTA TIMs was degraded during the heating process. It is suggested that the degradation may mainly be attributed to the interfacial reaction between the Cu and the molten LMTAs. Due to the fast growth rate of intermetallic compound （IMC） at the solid-liquid interface, a thick brittle IMC is layer formed at the interface, which makes cracks easy to initiate and expand. Otherwise, the losses of indium and tin contents in the LMTA during the interfacial reaction will make the melting point of the TIM layer increase, and so, the TIM layer will not melt at the operating temperature.

Direct manufacturing of Cu-based alloy parts by selective laser melting

The frequent defects of the metal parts, such as non-fully melting, thermal strain, and balling, which are produced by selective laser melting （SLM） that is a novel method of one-step manufacturing, are analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The processing parameters significantly affect the quality of the final parts, and simultaneously, the appropriate laser mode and the special scanning strategy assure a satisfying quality of the final parts. The SLM experiment is carried out using Cu-based powder. The metal part is divided into several scanned regions, each of which is scanned twice at the cross direction with different scanning speeds. The microstructure is analyzed on microscope. The results show that the part is metallurgically bonded entity with a relative density of 95%, and the microstructure is composed of equiaxial crystal and dendritic crystal whose distributions are mainly decided by the scanning strategy.

Mechanical Behaviors of Soft Elastomers Filled with LowMelting Alloys

Soft elastomers with mechanical properties similar to biological tissues have shown encouraging potential in applications of biomedical devices and stretchable electronics.With the ability to enhance electric and thermal conductivity,embedding low melting alloys into soft elastomer matrix has received considerable attention in recent years.However,the mechanical properties,especially the fatigue behaviors of these soft composites,have not been extensively investigated.Here,we fabricate two silicone elastomers filled with eutectic gallium-indium,a liquid metal alloy,which has a melting temperature around room temperature.The cyclic loading–unloading tests are first performed on the composites with low melting alloys in either solid or fluid state.The results show that the modulus and energy dissipation density of the composite increase with the ratio of the alloys when the deformation temperature is below the melting temperature,while these properties decrease with the ratio of alloys when they are in the fluid state.In contrast,the failure strain shows an opposite trend.Mechanical tests are further performed on specimens with a precut to measure the fracture energy and fatigue threshold.It is demonstrated that both fracture energy and fatigue threshold are significantly enhanced in the presence of low melting alloys regardless of their states.Finally,we apply a continuum damage model to describe the Mullins effect of the soft composites observed in the loading–unloading cycles,which further reveals the change of mechanical properties with deformation for different compositions of soft composites.

Research progress on solder thermal interface materials

Down to the road of miniaturization and high power density,the heat dissipation is becoming one of the critical factors restricting further development of advanced microelectronic devices.Traditional polymer-based thermal interface materials(TIMs) are not competitive for the high efficiency thermal management,mainly due to their low intrinsic thermal conductivity and high interface thermal resistance.Solder-based TIM is one of the best candidates for the next generation of thermal interface materials.This paper conducts a perspective review of the state of the art of solder TIM,including low melting alloy solder TIM,composite solder TIM and nanostructured solder TIM.The microstructure,process parameters,thermal performance and reliability of different TIMs are summarized and analyzed.The future trends of advanced TIMs are discussed.

Superelasticity of Cu–Ni–Al shape-memory fibers prepared by melt extraction technique

In the paper, a melt extraction method was used to fabricate Cu–4Ni–14Al（wt%） fiber materials with diameters between 50 and 200 μm. The fibers exhibited superelasticity and temperature-induced martensitic transformation. The microstructures and superelasticity behavior of the fibers were studied via scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and a dynamic mechanical analyzer（DMA）, respectively. Appropriate heat treatment further improves the plasticity of Cu-based alloys. The serration behavior observed during the loading process is due to the multiple martensite phase transformation.

Melt viscosity of light alloys:Progress and challenges

The viscosity of molten metals is a critical parameter influencing melt fluidity,alloy forming quality,and casting performance.It is therefore essential to maintain melt viscosity within an optimal range to enhance the fluidity and mold-filling capacity of molten metals.However,acquiring accurate data on liquid metal viscosity poses significant challenges due to the measurement difficulties and uncertainties in verifying the accuracy of theoretical calculations,hindering in-depth viscosity research.In this review,a systematic introduction of experimental methods for viscosity measurement and theoretical models for viscosity prediction was first conducted,together with an analysis on the advantages/disadvantages of each method/model.Then,all the experimental melt viscosities in unary,binary,ternary,and multi-component systems of light alloys especially aluminum alloys were summarized,and employed to verify the prediction accuracy of different theoretical models,ranging from physical,empirical,to geometrical ones.A comprehensive comparison between the predicted viscosities due to the theoretical model and the experimental data indicated that the CALPHAD approach and the machine learning method should be an effective strategy for predicting accurate viscosities in target alloy melts.Finally,the conclusions were drawn,and the future development directions for efficiently acquiring accurate viscosities in target alloy melts were also pointed out.

Thermal decomposition kinetics of titanium hydride and Al alloy melt foaming process

A temperature programmed decomposition (TPD) apparatus with metal tube structure, in which Ar is used as the carrier gas, is established and the TPD spectrum of titanium hydride is acquired. Using consulting table method (CTM), spectrum superposition method (SSM) and differential spectrum technique, TPD spectrum of titanium hydride is separated and a set of thermal decomposition kinetics equations are acquired. According to these equations, the relationship between decomposition quantity and time for titanium hydride at the temperature of 940 K is obtained and the result well coincides with the AI alloy melt foaming process.