Study on typical hole defects in AZ91D magnesium alloy prepared by low pressure lost foam casting

The hole defects can easily occur in magnesium alloy castings that are prepared by low pressure lost foam casting(LP-LFC)process when the process parameters such as vacuum,pouring temperature and f illing velocity are not properly selected.In this study,the forming mechanism of the hole defects in AZ91D magnesium castings by LP-LFC process was investigated.The shape,location and surface appearance of the hole defects were observed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy,and the chemical composition on the surface of the holes was analyzed using energy spectrometer.The result indicates that there are two types of hole defects,i.e.,the pyrolysis products related hole defects,including concentrative hole and blow hole defects,and slag related hole defects.The concentrative hole and the blow-hole defects were formed either by the liquidEPS degradation products entrapped in the molten metal under the condition that the pouring temperature is equal to or lower than 730℃,or by the hindered transport of EPS pyrolysis products.Some irregular shape hole defects were caused by slag or by coating slough entrapment when the pouring temperature is equal to 750℃and the f illing velocity is equal to or greater than 100 mm·s-1.To reduce or eliminate the hole defects,the vacuum and f illing velocity must be properly chosen to ensure that the metal front prof ile exhibits convex shape and in laminar current state,and the pouring temperature should be just high enough to ensure that the molten melt has adequate heat energy to complete the foam pyrolysis and to fully occupy the mould.For AZ91D magnesium castings in this study,the parameters should be 730℃pouring temperature,0.02-0.03 MPa vacuum and 80mm·s-1f illing velocity.

Effect of manganese on the ferrum phases of B319 aluminum alloy in lost foam casting

By using ICP spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, X-ray diffraction, SEM and microscope analysis, the effects of Mn on the structure of B319 aluminum alloy are studied. The results show that without the addition of Mn, there are coral-like Al_2Cu phase and needle-like β-Fe (Al_5FeSi)in the structure of casting with lost foam casting (LFC). Precipitation of Al_2Cu can take place along the long sides of the β needles. Under the rapid cooling rates, such as ones in metallic mold, the Fe phase appears in the form of Chinese script α-Fe. With the addition of Mn, there are Chinese script α-Fe phases(Al_(15) (Mn, Fe)_3Si_2)in the structure of LFC casting. When Fe/Mn≤1.5, the needle-like β-Fe phases transform to Chinese script α-Fe completely. With the decrease of Fe/Mn ratio, the tensile strength σ_b and elongation δ increase, especially the elongation δ increases greatly. When Fe/Mn ratio decreases from 2.5 to 1, the δ increases from 1.2% to 1.9% by 58%.

Porosity of aluminum alloy in lost foam casting process

The effects of modification, grain refinement, polystyrene pattern, pouring temperature and reduced pressure degree on aluminum alloy porosity in lost foam casting (LFC) process were studied. The results show that the solidification rate of LFC process is slower than that of resin sand process or clay sand process. The effect of modification and grain refinement on the aluminum alloy casting density in LFC is greater than that on resin sand process. Through α Al phase refinement process with 0.2%Ti for aluminum melt, the subversive effect of Sr modification in LFC process is decreased greatly, and the aluminum casting density in LFC process is nearly equal to that in resin sand process. To decrease the porosity of aluminum castings in LFC process, lower density of polystyrene pattern, higher pouring temperature (760～780 ℃) and lower reduced pressure degree (≤20 kPa) should be applied.[

A study on the effect of coating's sorption capacity on the porosity in lost foam aluminum alloy casting

Effects of coating constituent, coating density, coating layer thickness and temperature on coating sorption capacity for polystyrene decomposition products have been studied systematically. It has been found that the effect of attapulgite clay on sorption capacity is the largest among coating constituents. The sorption capacity of the coating with 2% attapulgite clay is elevated by 81%. The relationship between casting porosity and coating sorption capacity has been studied. It has been pointed out that higher coating sorption capacity for polystyrene decomposition products is helpful to decrease the casting porosity. Results also show that the sorption capacity of self-developed HW-1 coating for polystyrene decomposition products is as good as that of Ashland coating from America.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy cast by metal mould and lost foam casting

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-10.1Gd-3.74Y-0.25Zr （mass fraction, %） alloy （GW104 alloy） cast by metal mould casting （MMC） and lost foam casting （LFC） were evaluated, respectively. It is revealed that different forming modes do not influence the phase composition of as-cast alloy. In the as-cast specimens, the microstructures are similar and composed of α-Mg solid solution, eutectic compound of α-Mg＋Mg 24 （Gd, Y） 5 and cuboid-shaped Mg 5 （Gd, Y） phase; whereas the average grain size of the alloy produced by metal mould casting is smaller than that by lost foam casting. The eutectic compound of the alloy is completely dissolved after solution treatment at 525 ℃for 6 h, while the Mg 5 （Gd, Y） phase still exists after solution treatment. After peak-ageing, the lost foam cast alloy exhibits the maximum ultimate tensile strength of 285 MPa, and metal mould cast specimen 325 MPa at room temperature, while the tensile yield strengths of them are comparable. It can be concluded that GW104 alloy cast by lost foam casting possesses similar microstructure and evidently lower mechanical strength compared with metal mould cast alloy, due to slow solidification rate and proneness to form shrinkage porosities during lost foam casting process.

EFFECT OF La-RICH RE ON THE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF B319 ALLOY IN LOST FOAM CASTING

By use of ICP spectroscopy,energy spectrum analysis,hydrogen tester,image analyzer,the differential scanning calorimetric(DSC)and microscope analysis,the effects of RE on the Porosity,structure and properties of B319 aluminum alloy were studied.The results show that under the 0.3°C/s slow cooling rate in lost foam casting,the effect of RE on modification and grain size of B319 aluminum alloy is little.With the increase of RE master alloy,the tensile strength and elongation increase.When RE>0.15%,block like La_(2)Si_(2)Al_(3)phase appear,and the tensile strength and elongation decrease.The results also show that the melt hydrogen content and casting porosity can be decreased greatly by adding 0.15%RE to aluminum melt.This is the important reason why RE improves the mechanical properties of casting under lost foam casting condition.

Evaluation of significant manufacturing parameters in lost foam casting of thin-wall Al-Si-Cu alloy using full factorial design of experiment

Controlling process parameters of lost foam casting （LFC） enables this process to produce defect-free complex shape castings. An experimental investigation on lost foam casting of an A1-Si-Cu cast alloy was carried out. The effects of pouting temperature, slurry viscosity, vibration time and sand size on surface finish, shrinkage porosity and eutectic silicon spacing of thin-wall casting were investigated. A full two-level factorial design of experimental technique was used to identify the significant manufacturing factors affecting the properties of casting. Pouring temperature was found as the most significant factor affecting A1-Si-Cu lost foam casting quality. It was shown that flask vibration time interacted with pouring temperature influenced euteetic silicon spacing and porosity percentage significantly. The results also revealed that the surface quality of the samples cast in fine sand moulds at higher pouring temperatures was almost unchanged, while those cast in coarse sand moulds possessed lower surface qualities. Furthermore, variation in slurry viscosity showed no significant effect on the evaluated properties compared to other parameters.

Status quo and development trend of lost foam casting technology

Lost foam casting(LFC)technology has been widely applied to cast iron and cast steel.However,the development of LFC for Al and Mg alloys was relatively slower than that for cast iron and cast steel.The application of LFC to Al and Mg alloys needs more effort,especially in China.In this paper,the development history of LFC is reviewed,and the application situations of LFC to Al and Mg alloys are mainly discussed.Meanwhile,the key problems of LFC for Al and Mg alloys are also pointed out.Finally,the prospects for LFC technology are discussed,and some special new LFC technologies are introduced for casting Al and Mg alloys.In future,the development trends of green LFC technology mainly focus on the special new LFC methods,metal material,coating,heat treatment,new foam materials as well as purification technology of tail gas,etc.

Microstructural evolution of Mg9AlZnY alloy with vibration in lost foam casting during semi-solid isothermal heat treatment

The nearly equiaxed grains of Mg9AlZnY alloy were obtained by vibrating solidification in lost foam casting(LFC) and the microstructure of Mg9AlZnY alloy was analyzed.On this basis,the morphology and size of α-Mg grains fabricated by semi-solid isothermal heat treatment(SSIT) at 530 ℃ and 570 ℃ holding different time were studied.The results show that the main constituent phases of Mg9AlZnY alloy are α-Mg,β-Mg17Al12 and Al2Y,and the Y can greatly refine α-Mg grains.The distribution of α-Mg grains equivalent diameters between 20 and 100 μm is up to 87%,and the average roundness of α-Mg grains reaches 1.37 in the specimen obtained at 570 ℃ and holding time 60 min.According to the analysis of solidification kinetics and thermodynamic,binary eutectic with low melting point melts firstly on SSIT process.As the liquid fraction increases with the solute diffusibility,both of the shape and size of α-Mg grains change ceaselessly.When the liquid fraction reaches equilibrium,the α-Mg grains are gradually spheroidized under the interfacial tension,and then the α-Mg grains begin to combine and grow.Evolution of α-Mg dendritic grains on SSIT process is obviously different from that of equiaxed grains.

Heat transfer characteristics of lost foam casting process of magnesium alloy

Effects of vacuum, pouring temperature and pattern thickness on the heat transfer of magnesium alloy lost foam casting(LFC) process were explored. The results indicate that without vacuum a positive thermal gradient from the gate to the end of the casting was formed immediately after the mold filling. The average temperature of the casting, the temperature gradient and solidification times increase significantly with pouring temperature and pattern thickness. Vacuum plays a quite different role in the heat transfer during mould filling and solidification periods: it significantly increases the cooling rate of the filling melt, but decreases the cooling rate of the casting during solidification period. The temperature of the liquid metal drops sharply and varies greatly with no apparent mode in the casting after the mold filling. The amplitude of temperature fluctuations in the casting increases with vacuum, pouring temperature and pattern thickness. The average temperature increases with pouring temperature and pattern thickness, but less rapidly than that without vacuum. The effect of vacuum on the solidification times of castings is found to depend on pouring temperature, vacuum makes solidification times increase greatly at high pouring temperature, while decreases slightly at low pouring temperature.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium alloy prepared by lost foam casting

The microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91 alloy prepared by lost foam casting（LFC） and various heat treatments have been investigated. The microstructure of the AZ91 alloy via LFC consists of dominant α-Mg and β-Mg17Al12 as well as a new phase Al32Mn25 with size of about 550 μm, which has not been detected in AZ91 alloy prepared by other casting processes. The tests demonstrate that the as-cast mechanical properties are higher than those of sand gravity casting because of chilling and cushioning effect of foam pattern during the mould filling. The solution kinetics and the aging processes at different temperatures were also investigated by hardness and electrical resistivity measurements. The kinetics of aging are faster at the high temperature due to enhanced diffusion of atoms in the matrix, so the hardness peak at 380 ℃ occurs after 10 h; while at the lower aging temperature（150 ℃）, the peak is not reached in the time（24 h） considered.

Numerical simulation and analysis of mould filling process in lost foam casting

In lost foam casting(LFC)the foam pattern is the key criterion,and the filling process is crucialto ensure the high quality of the foam pattern.Filling which lacks uniformity and denseness will cause variousdefects and affect the surface quality of the casting.The influential factors of the filling process are realized in thisresearch.Optimization of the filling process,enhancement of efficiency,decrease of waste,etc.,are obtained bythe numerical simulation of the filling process using a computer.The equations governing the dense gas-solid two-phase flow are established,and the physical significanceof each equation is discussed.The Euler/Lagrange numerical model is used to simulate the fluid dynamiccharacteristics of the dense two-phase flow during the mould filling process in lost foam casting.The experimentsand numerical results showed that this method can be a very promising tool in the mould filling simulation of beads’movement.

Effects of Parameters on Formation and Microstructure of Surface Composite Layer Prepared by Lost Foam Casting Technique

Surface composite layer was fabricated on the AZ91D substrate using the lost foam casting （LFC） process. The pre-coating layer reacted with melt substrate and formed the composite layer, and the coating was mainly consist of alloying aluminum powder and low-temperature glass powder （PbO-ZnO-Na20）. The vacuum degree, pouring temperature, mold filling process of melt, and pre-coating thickness played an important role during the formation process of composite layer. The results show that surface morphology of composite layer can be divided into three categories： alloying effect of bad and good ceramic layer, alloying effect of good and bad ceramic layer, composite layer of good quality. The main reason for bad alloying layer is that alloying pre-coating thickness is so thin that it is scoured easily and involved in the melt, in addition, it is difficult for melt to infiltrate into the alloying coating owing to the surface tension of coating when the vacuum degree is excessively low. Bad ceramic layer is because of somewhat lower pouring temperature and the thicker alloying coating, due to the absorption of heat from the melt, making low temperature glass powder pre-coating layer fuse inadequate. Thus, to get good quality composite layer, the process conditions must be appropriate, the result shows that the optimum process parameters are as follows： at a pouring temperature of 800 ~C, vacuum degree of -0.06 MPa, alloying pre-coating thickness ofO.4 mm, and low glass powder pre-coating layer thickness ofl mm.

Effect of pattern coating thickness on characteristics of lost foam Al-Si-Cu alloy casting

An experimental study on lost foam casting of an Al-Si-Cu alloy was conducted. The main objective was to study the effect of pattern coating thickness on casting imperfection and porosity percentage as well as eutectic silicon spacing of the alloy. The results showed that increasing slurry viscosity and flask dipping time influenced the casting integrity and microstructural characteristics. It was found that thinner pattern coating produced improved mould filling, refined microstructure and higher quality castings containing less porosity.

Influence of mechanical vibration on the solidification of a lost foam cast 356 alloy

Mechanical vibration was applied to the solidification of a lost foam cast(LFC) 356 aluminum alloy.Effects of mechanical vibration,with different peak acceleration,on the size and morphology of α-Al phase,and also on the mechanical properties of the castings were studied.Results indicated that α-Al dendrites gradually grow into equiaxed grains as the peak acceleration of vibration is increased.When the peak acceleration is between about 1 to 4 g,α-Al phase distribution is uniform and is refined obviously.α-Al dendrites are reduced and the mechanical properties of the castings are improved significantly when compared to those of the castings that are produced without vibration.However,when the peak acceleration is higher than 4 g,strong vibration will lead to defects formation,such as sand adhesion,while the amount and size of pores will be increased.And due to the turbulent flow that caused by strong vibration,the chance of forming large pores in the matrix has been increased significantly.The increase in defects will result in the deterioration of mechanical properties.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of lost foam cast 356 alloys

Microstructure and mechanical properties of lost foam cast aluminum alloys have been investigated in both primary A356(0.13% Fe) and secondary 356(0.47%). As expected, secondary 356 shows much higher content of Fe-rich intermetallic phases, and in particular the porosity in comparison with primary A356. The average area percent and size(length) of Fe-rich intermetallics change from about 0.5% and 6 μm in A356 to 2% and 25 μm in 356 alloy. The average area percent and maximum size of porosity also increase from about 0.4% and 420 μm to 1.4% and 600 μm, respectively. As a result, tensile ductility decreases about 60% and ultimate tensile strength declines about 8%. Lower fatigue strength was also experienced in the secondary 356 alloy. Low cycle fatigue(LCF) strength decreased from 187 MPa in A356 to 159 MPa in 356 and high cycle fatigue(HCF) strength also declined slightly from 68 MPa to 64 MPa.

INVESTIGATION OF FOAM-METAL INTERFACE BEHAVIORS DURING MOLD FILLING OF MAGNESIUM ALLOY LFC PROCESS

The visual observation of the mold filling and the standard analysis-of-variance （ANOVA） for the velocity of the filling metal are conducted to study foam-metal interface behaviors during the mold filling of the lost foam casting （LFC） process of the magnesium alloy. Results show that the foam primarily melts into liquid products instead of gasifying at the pouring temperature of the magnesium alloy. Without the vacuum, the metal fills smoothly with a slightly convex metal front, and the velocity of the filling metal is low and continually decreases as the foam is displaced. The mold filling is governed by the removal of foam decomposition products at the foam-metal interface. However, when the vacuum is applied, the mold filling is controlled by the foam decomposition rate at the foam-metal interface. A pronounced irregular and concave metal front is formed. The velocity of the metal front varies tremendously during the mold filling process and is ruleless. The metal velocity increases rapidly, and the vacuum shows a strong interaction effect with the pouring temperature on the metal velocity. As the vacuum continues to increase, the pouring temperature becomes the most significant factor for the mold filling, while both the vacuum effect and the interaction effect between the vacuum and the pouring temperature on the metal velocity are substantially reduced. Based on experimental results, a model for the foam thermal degradation and the removal of decomposition products occurred at the foam-metal interface is presented during the mold filling of the magnesium alloy LFC process under the vacuum.

6082铝合金汽车法兰挤压铸造数值模拟及试验验证

对挤压铸造6082铝合金汽车法兰件进行了不同挤压铸造工艺参数的数值模拟,并预测了缩松缩孔缺陷产生的位置。结果表明:各参数下的汽车法兰件充型完整,保压过程中由于三个凸台对应的部位壁厚大,该处最后凝固;保压结束后,模具承压部位温度明显高于其他部位,温度分布表现出不均匀性,在实际压铸过程中应当注意防护以免模具损伤。缩孔缩松位置主要出现在三个凸台对应的厚壁位置,与温度场结果一致。成形试验获得了优良的铸件,表明数值模拟结果准确、可靠。

改进水平集协同FLICM的汽车零部件表面缺陷识别

针对汽车机械零部件中检测效率低、误检率高等瓶颈问题,提出了一种结合图像处理技术的方法。基于汽车副车架表面结构复杂以及缺陷异形等特征,首先通过小波邻域收缩去噪和多尺度增强算法对零件图像进行预处理,再通过水平集函数初步定位缺陷区域,最后结合空间模糊聚类进一步精确定位缺陷区域,达到对零件表面缺陷识别的目的。对工件表面划伤、压痕、气孔三种缺陷进行检测。实验结果表明:该算法相对于其它两种算法的检测率分别93.3%、86%和90%,具有较高的检测成功率。为后续缺陷零部件分类奠定良好的基础且可以满足工业检测要求。

超高铬合金叶轮消失模铸造工艺开发

介绍了超高铬合金叶轮的消失模铸造工艺,采用合金成分优化、大口出流底注式浇注系统和合理设置冒口、内冷铁以及细晶强化等措施,铸件实现了顺序凝固,消除了缩孔及裂纹等缺陷,提高了抗磨蚀性能。最终产品质量满足渣浆泵设备酸蚀工况的使用要求。