Grinding/Cutting Technology and Equipment of Multi-scale Casting Parts

Multi-scale casting parts are important components of high-end equipment used in the aerospace,automobile manufacturing,shipbuilding,and other industries.Residual features such as parting lines and pouring risers that inevitably appear during the casting process are random in size,morphology,and distribution.The traditional manual processing method has disadvantages such as low efficiency,high labor intensity,and harsh working environment.Existing machine tool and serial robot grinding/cutting equipment do not easily achieve high-quality and high-efficiency removal of residual features due to poor dexterity and low stiffness,respectively.To address these problems,a five-degree-of-freedom(5-DoF)hybrid grinding/cutting robot with high dexterity and high stiffness is proposed.Based on it,three types of grinding/cutting equipment combined with offline programming,master-slave control,and other technologies are developed to remove the residual features of small,medium,and large casting parts.Finally,the advantages of teleoperation processing and other solutions are elaborated,and the difficulties and challenges are discussed.This paper reviews the grinding/cutting technology and equipment of casting parts and provides a reference for the research on the processing of multi-scale casting parts.

Impact analysis of casting parts considering shrinkage cavity defect

Shrinkage cavity may be detrimental to mechanical performances of casting parts.As a consequence,design engineers often use overly large safety factors in many designs due to insufficient understanding of quantitative effects of shrinkage cavity defects.In this paper,process of Al alloy wheel impact test was computationally analyzed for both the wheel models with and without shrinkage cavity defects.Based on shrinkage cavity data obtained from industrial CT (Computerized Tomography),the shrinkage cavity defects were modeled with SSM (Shape Simplification Method),which reconstructs shrinkage cavity defects to hollow spheroid primitives.After the impact simulation was conducted,the results show that under impact test condition,the wheel considering shrinkage cavity defects may fracture while the sound-assumed wheel may not.

Casting of microstructured shark skin surfaces and possible applications on aluminum casting parts

Within the project "Functional Surfaces via Micro-and Nanoscaled Structures" which is part of the Cluster of Excellence "Integrative Production Technology" established and financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG),an investment casting process to produce 3-dimensional functional surfaces down to a structural size of 1μm on near-net-shape-casting parts has been developed.The common way to realize functional microstructures on metallic surfaces is to use laser ablation,electro discharge machining or micro milling.The handicap of these processes is their limited productivity.The approach of this project to raise the efficiency is to use the investment casting process to replicate microstructured surfaces by moulding from a laser-microstructured grand master pattern.The main research objective deals with the investigation of the single process steps of the investment casting process with regard to the moulding accuracy.Actual results concerning making of the wax pattern,suitability of ceramic mould and core materials for casting of an AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy as well as the knock-out behavior of the shells are presented.By using of the example of an intake manifold of a gasoline race car engine,a technical shark skin surface has been realized to reduce the drag of the intake air.The intake manifold consists of an air-restrictor with a defined inner diameter which is microstructured with technical shark skin riblets.For this reason the inner diameter cannot be drilled after casting and demands a very high accuracy of the casting part.A technology for the fabrication and demoulding of accurate microstructured castings are shown.Shrinkage factors of different moulding steps of the macroscopic casting part as well as the microscopic riblet structure have been examined as well.

Study on heat treatment blister of squeeze casting parts

Heat treatment blister is one of the common defects found in squeeze casting parts, which is related to squeeze mode, process and mold. For direct squeeze-casting parts, solution heat treatment can be performed smoothly as long as oil-based paint is not used and air exhaust is well arranged. For indirect squeeze casting parts, solution heat treatment can also be applied when additional factors are taken into consideration, including well designed internal feeding system and strictly controlled liquid metal filling velocity to prevent from inclusions.

Strength and elastic modulus enhancement in Mg-Li-Al matrix composites reinforced by ex situ TiB2 particles via stir casting

A novel Mg^(-1)0Li-3Al(wt.%,LA103)matrix composite reinforced by ex situ micron TiB_(2) particles was developed in the present study.The ball milling and cold pressing pretreatment of the reinforcements made it feasible to prepare this material under stir casting conditions with good dispersion.The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites prepared by different pretreatment methods were analyzed in detail.The TiB_(2) particles in the Al-TiB_(2)/LA103 composite using the pretreatment process were uniformly distributed in the microstructure due to the formation of highly wettable core-shell units in the melt.Compared with the matrix alloys,the Al-TiB_(2)/LA103 composite exhibited effective strength and elastic modulus improvements while maintaining acceptable elongation.The strengthening effect in the composites was mainly attributed to the strong grain refining effect of TiB2.This work shows a balance of high specific modulus(36.1 GPa·cm^(3)·g^(-1))and elongation(8.4%)with the conventional stir casting path,which is of considerable application value.

Effects of temperature on fracture behavior of Al-based in-situ composites reinforced with Mg_2Si and Si particles fabricated by centrifugal casting

An aluminum-based in-situ composites reinforced with Mg2Si and Si particles were produced by centrifugal casting A1-20Si-5Mg alloy. The microstructure of the composites was examined, and the effects of temperature on fracture behavior of the composite were investigated. The results show that the average fraction of primary Si and Mg2Si particles in the composites is as high as 38%, and ultimate tensile strengths （UTS） of the composites first increase then decrease with the increase of test temperature. Microstructures of broken specimens show that both the particle fracture and the interface debonding affect the fracture behavior of the composites, and the interface debonding becomes the dominant fracture mechanism with increasing test temperature. Comparative results indicate that rich particles in the composites and excellent interface strength play great roles in enhancing tensile property by preventing the movement of dislocations.

Microstructures and properties of A356-10%SiC particle composite castings at different solidification pressures

A356-based metal matrix composites with 10% SiC particles of 10 rtm were fabricated by stir casting and direct squeeze casting process under applied pressures of 0.1 （gravity）, 25, 50 and 75 MPa. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the as-cast and T6 heat-treated castings were investigated. The results show that as the applied pressures increase, the casting defects as particle-porosity clusters reduce and the incorporation between the particles and matrix can be improved. The tensile strength, hardness, and coefficients of thermal expansion （CTE） increase with the increase of the pressures. Compared with the as-cast composite castings, the tensile strength and hardness of the heat-treated casting are improved whereas CTEs tend to decrease in T6-treated condition. For the gravity cast composites, there are some particle-porosity clusters on the fracture surface, and the clusters are hardly detected on the fracture surface of the samples solidified at the external pressures. Different fracture behaviors are found between the composites solidified at the gravity and imposed pressures.

Near net shape casting process for producing high strength 6xxx aluminum alloy automobile suspension parts

The automobile suspension parts of a high strength 6xxx aluminum alloy were produced using a novel technique known as near net shape casting for forging stock preparation. Based on the outline dimension of the forging stock, the shape of the ingot was designed as the near net shape and its casting process was studied by the numerical simulation and experimental investigation. The results show that the shrinkage of the ingot was highly correlated to its shape parameters and could be successfully forecast by the stimulation model. The casting parameters of the near net shape ingot were optimized and the near net shape 6xxx aluminum alloy ingots free of defects were cast in the laboratory. In order to obtain high performance forged suspension parts, the hot compression tests of the ingot were carried out. The results show that the subgrain fraction of the forged ingot was strongly affected by Zener-Hollomon parameters （Z parameters）. The intermediate Z parameters, 1.09×10^16 s^-1, will contribute to the larger number fraction of subgrains inside the forged ingot, which contributes to the high performance of the forged products.

Distribution and engulfment behavior of TiB_2 particles or clusters in wedge-shaped copper casting ingot

Wedge-shaped copper casting experiment was conducted to study the engulfment behavior of TiB2 particle and the interaction between particle or cluster and the solid/liquid front in commercial pure aluminum matrix. The experimental results show that the particle size distribution obeys two separate systems in the whole wedge-cast sample. Furthermore, it is found that the big clusters are pushed to the center of the wedge shaped sample and the single particle or small clusters consisting of few particles are engulfed into the α-Al in the area of the sample edge. The cluster degree of particles varies in different areas, and its value is 0.2 and 0.6 for the cluster fraction in the edge and in the center of the wedge sample, respectively. The cluster diameter does not obey the normal distribution but approximately obeys lognormal distribution in the present work. More importantly, in the whole sample, the particle size obeys two separate log-normal distributions.

The Role of Particles in Fatigue Crack Propagation of Aluminum Matrix Composites and Casting Aluminum Alloys

Fatigue crack propagation （FCP） behaviors were studied to understand the role of SiC particles in 10 wt pct SiCp/A2024 composites and Si particles in casting aluminum alloy A356. The results show that a few particles appeared on the fracture surfaces in SiCp/Al composites even at high △K region, which indicates that cracks propagated predominantly within the matrix avoiding SiC particles due to the high strength of the particles and the strong particle/matrix interface. In casting aluminum alloy, Si particle debonding was more prominent.Compared with SiCp/Al composite, the casting aluminum alloy exhibited lower FCP rates, but had a slight steeper slope in the Paris region. Crack deflection and branching were found to be more remarkable in the casting aluminum alloy than that in the SiCp/Al composites, which may be contributed to higher FCP resistance in casting aluminum alloy.

Microstructural and mechanical properties of Al-4.5wt% Cu reinforced with alumina nanoparticles by stir casting method

The microstructure and mechanical properties of A1-4.5wt% Cu Mloy reinforced with different volume fractions （1.5vo1%, 3vo1%, and 5vo1%） of alumina nanoparticles, fabricated using stir casting method, were investigated. CMculated amounts of alumina nanoparticles （about ~50 nm in size） were ball-milled with aluminum powders in a planetary ball mill for 5 h, and then the packets of milled powders were incorporated into molten Al-4.5wt% Cu alloy. Microstructural studies of the nanocomposites reveal a uniform distribution of alumina nanoparticles in the A1-4.5wt% Cu matrix. The results indicate an outstanding improvement in compression strength and hardness due to the effect of nanoparticle addition. The aging behavior of the composite is also evaluated, indicating that the addition of alumina nanoparticles can accelerate the aging process of the Mloy, resulting in higher peak hardness values.

Characteristics of two Al based functionally gradient composites reinforced by primary Si particles and Si/in situ Mg_2Si particles in centrifugal casting

Two kinds of Al based functionally gradient composite tubes reinforced by primary Si particles alone and primary Si/in situ Mg2Si particles jointly were successfully prepared by centrifugal casting,and their structural and mechanical characters were compared.It is found that the composite reinforced with primary Si particles takes a characteristic of particles distribution both in the inner and outer layers.However,composite reinforced with primary Si/Mg2Si particles jointly takes a characteristic of particles distribution only in the inner layer and shows a sudden change of particles distribution across the section of inner and outer layers.The hardness and wear resistance of Al-19Si-5Mg tube in the inner layer are greatly higher than that in the other layers of Al-19Si-5Mg tube and Al-19Si tube.Theoretical analysis reveals that the existence of Mg2Si particles is the key factor to form this sudden change of gradient distribution of two kinds of particles.Because Mg2Si particles with a lower density have a higher centripetal moving velocity than primary Si particles,in a field of centrifugal force,they would collide with primary Si particles and then impel the later to move together forward to the inner layer of the tube.

Distribution of SiC particles in semisolid electromagnetic-mechanical stir-casting Al-SiC composite

The distribution of SiC particles in Al-SiC composite can greatly influence the mechanical performances of Al-SiC composite. To realize the homogeneous distribution of SiC particles in stir-casting Al-SiC composite, semisolid stir casting of Al-4.25 vol.%SiC composite was conducted using a special electromagneticmechanical stirring equipment made by our team, in which there are three uniformly-distributed blades with a horizontal tilt angle of 25 ° to mechanically raise the SiC particles by creating an upward movement of slurry under electromagnetic stirring. The microstructure of the as-cast Al-SiC composites was observed by Scanning Electron Mcroscopy(SEM). The volume fraction of SiC particles was measured by image analysis using the Quantimet 520 Image Processing and Analysis System. The tensile strength of the Al-4.25 vol.%SiC composites was measured by tensile testing. Results show that the Al-4.25 vol.%SiC composites with the homogeneous distrbutin of SiC particles can be obtained by the electromagnetic-mechanical stirring casting with the speed of 300 and 600 r·min-1 at 620 °C. The differences between the volume fraction of Si C particles at the top of ingot and that at the bottom are both ~0.04 vol.% with the stirring speed of 300 and 600 r·min-1, which are so small that the distribution of SiC particles can be seen as the homogeneous. The tensile strength of the Al matrix is enhanced by 51.2% due to the uniformly distributed SiC particles. The porosity of the composite mainly results from the solidification shrinkage of slurry and it is less than 0.04 vol.%.

Solidified structure of thin-walled titanium parts by vertical centrifugal casting

The solidified structure of the thin-walled and complicated Ti-6AI-4V castings produced by the vertical centrifugal casting process was studied in the present work. The results show that the wall thickness of the section is featured with homogeneously distributed fine equiaxial grains, compared with the microstructure of the thick-walled section. The grain size of the castings has a tendency to decrease gradually with the increasing of the centrifugal radius. The inter-lamellar space in thick-walled casting parts is bigger than that of the thin-walled parts, and the profile of inter-lamellar space is not susceptible to the centrifugal radius.

Numerical simulation and experimental verification of large-sized Zr-based bulk metallic glass ring-shaped parts in casting process

An outer ring of 29320 self-aliging roller bearing was used in an experimental study on the casting of Zr_(41)Ti_(14)Cu_(12.5)Ni_(10)Be_(22.5) amorphous alloy.Numerical simulations of mold filling and solidification processes were carried out to determine the velocity fields and temperature fields of the alloy melt during mold filling process as well as the temperature fields and temperature gradient fields in the course of the solidification.According to the results,a cast with a complete shape can be obtained at 1200℃under the condition that the cooling rate is greater than the critical cooling rate.The ring-shaped part with a thickness of 25 mm,an equivalent diameter of 22 mm,and a mass of 1.32 kg was prepared by gravity casting in a copper mold.X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry data revealed that the produced cast had the amorphous structure.

Mathematical Modelling of Particle Movement Ahead of the Solid-liquid Interface in Continuous Casting

Whether the particle will be trapped by the solid-liquid interface or not is dependent on its moving behavior ahead of the interface, so a mathematical model has been developed to investigate the movement of the particle ahead of the solid-liquid interface. Based on the theory for the boundary layer, the fluid velocity field near the solid-liquid interface was obtained, and the trajectories of particles were calculated by the equations of motion for particles. In this model, the drag force, the added mass force, the buoyance force, the gravitational force, the Saffman force and the Basset history force are considered. The results show that the behavior of the particle ahead of the solid-liquid interface is affected by the physical property of the particle and fluid flow. And in the continuous casting process, if it moves in the stream directed upward or downward near vertical solid-liquid interface or in the horizontal flow under the solid-liquid interface, the particle with the diameter from 5 um to 60um can reach the solid-liquid interface. But if it moves in horizontal flow above the solid-liquid interface, only the particle with the diameter from 5 um to 10 um can reach the solid-liquid interface.

Structure and Mechanical Properties of Al-based Gradient Composites Reinforced with Primary Si and Mg_2Si Particles through Centrifugal Casting

The structure and mechanical properties of a new type of Al-based discontinuous gradient composites prepared by using the ternary AI-19Si-5Mg alloys as the raw material adopting the centrifugal casting method were investigated. Structurally, the composites are divided into two zones： a reinforced zone with the high volume fraction of primary Si and Mg2Si particles and an unreinforced zone with no or a few particles. In the reinforced zone, the primary particles are evenly distributed, with the sizes of the primary Si particles 80-120 μm, and that of primary Mg2Si particles 20-50 μm. The properties test results show the reinforced zone has higher Rockwell hardness and better wear resistance than the unreinforced zone, due to the complementary reinforcement relationship between the primary Si and Mg2Si particles and their high volume fraction.

Nano-SiC_P particles distribution and mechanical properties of Al-matrix composites prepared by stir casting and ultrasonic treatment

Nano-ceramic particles are generally difficult to add into molten metal because of poor wettability. Nano-SiC particles reinforced A356 aluminum alloy composites were prepared by a new complex process, i.e., a molten-metal process combined with high energy ball milling and ultrasonic vibration methods. The nano particles were β-SiCp with an average diameter of 40 nm, and pre-oxidized at about 850 ℃ to form an oxide layer with a thickness of approximately 3 nm. The mm-sized composite granules containing nano-SiCp were firstly produced by milling the mixture of oxidized nano-SiCp and pure Al powders, and then were remelted in the matrix-metal melt with mechanical stirring and treated by ultrasonic vibration to prepare the composite. SEM analysis results show that the nano-SiC particles are distributed uniformly in the matrix and no serious agglomeration is observed. The tensile strength and elongation of the composite with 2wt.% nano-SiCp in as-cast state are 226 MPa and 5.5％, improved by 20％ and 44％, respectively, compared with the A356 alloy.

FORMING OF PARTICLES REINFORCED METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES bYCASTING UNDER COUNTER GRAVITY

Dynamiccharacteristicsof forming of particlesreinforced metal matrix compositesbycastingunder counter gravityareanalyzedinthispaper.Itispointed outthatthereexists much dif ferenceinfluiditybetweenthecompositesandthe matrix alloyduetothedifferencein viscosityandequivalentsolidification latent. Filling capability can be greatly improved by adoptingcounter gravity process, andthin walled precision castingscan beshaped .

Partial Remelting of Thixotropic Magnesium-Rare Earth Alloy from Near Non-Equilibrium-Liquidus Casting

After the investigation on partial remelting of thixotropic magnesium serial alloys （ZK60） by near non-equilibrium liquidus casting （NNLC）, the primary solid grains of ZK60-2Ca alloy spheroidized notably during partial remelting processing, however, coarsening and polygonization as occurred holding time prolonged. The refining and globularity of the thixotropic alloys are promoted after further alloyed by Y, RE, Nd and/or Ag, and the results vary with those addition. The remelting structure of ZK60-2Ca-1Y alloy is finer than its base alloy. And the effect of RE, especially Ag, on the refinement of microstrueture is notable, but Nd does nothing on it. There is little impact of remelting temperature fluctuation on partial remelted microstrueture as holding time in general. On the contrary, it is more sensitive at longer holding time. The quality thixotropic silver-contained alloy can be achieved by remelted partially at 600℃ for 10 min.