Effect of far-field flow on a columnar crystal in the convective undercooled melt

The growth behavior of a columnar crystal in the convective undercooled melt affected by the far-field uniform flow is studied and the asymptotic solution for the interface evolution of the columnar crystal is derived by means of the asymptotic expansion method. The results obtained reveal that the far-field flow induces a significant change of the temperature around the columnar crystal and the convective flow caused by the far-field flow accelerates the growth velocity of the interface of the growing columnar crystal in the upstream direction and inhibits its growth velocity in the downstream direction. Our results are similar to the experimental data and numerical simulations.

Microstructural Characterization of Novel Ni-Containing Nd-Fe-B Strips by Strip Casting

The characteristics of novel Nd-Fe （Ni, Co, Al ）-B microstructure prepared by strip casting technique were studied. The novel microstructure was observed using scanning electron microscope （SEM） and transmission electron microscope （TEM）. Along the direction of heat flow, there are two kinds of different microstructures. Close to the wheel side, there is a thick layer containing many polygonal Nd2Fe14B grains. Near the free surface side, however, there are relative uniform platelike Nd2Fe14B grains whose growth direction is not completely the direction of the heat flow during solidification. The formation of the novel microstructure is presumed to be the contribution of the special temperature field and Ni component.

High-strength aluminum alloys hollow billet prepared by two-phase zone continuous casting

The two-phase zone continuous casting(TZCC)technique was used to continuously cast high-strength aluminum alloy hollow billets,and a verified 3D model of TZCC was used to simulate the flow and temperature fields at casting speeds of 2-6 mm·min^(-1).Hollow billets under the same conditions were prepared,and their macro/microstructures were analyzed by an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope.During the TZCC process,a circular fluid flow appears in front of the mushy zone,and the induction heated stepped mold and convective heat transfer result in a curved solidification front with depressed region near the inner wall and a vertical temperature gradient.The deflection of the solidification front decreases and the average cooling rate in the mushy zone increases with increasing casting speed.Experimental results for a 2D12 alloy show that hot tearing periodically appears in the hollow billet accompanied by macrosegregation near the inner wall at casting speeds of 2 and 4 mm·min^(-1),while macroscopic defects of hot tearing and macrosegregation weaken and the average size of columnar crystals in the hollow billets decreases with further increasing casting speed.2D12 aluminum alloy hollow billets with no macroscopic defects,the finest columnar crystals,and excellent mechanical properties were prepared by TZCC at a casting speed of 6 mm·min^(-1),which is beneficial for the further plastic forming process.

Crystallization Behavior of High Purity Fused Magnesia

The chemical composition and microstructure of Tibetan microcrystalline magnesite were studied by means of XRF,XRD and FESEM. It is found that the microcrystalline magnesite has uniformly distributed grains,mostly in the range of 2-4 μm,and the MgO content is47. 80%. In fused magnesia,the druses are colorless transparent periclase megacrysts without impurity,while the crust sand is white,with a high MgO content up to97%-99%. The periclase crystals are big,appearing as faced and step-growth morphology. Massive secondary long columnar periclase is crystallized.

Development of Strip Casting Technology in Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Alloys and Hydrogen Storage Alloys in China

The SC technique is now being applied widely in material preparation, especially in rare earth functional materials in virtue of its advanced process and high performance product. The applications of SC technique in rare earth permanent magnet alloys and hydrogen storage alloys were analyzed integrative, on the basis of summary of SC technique development in this paper. The paper mainly includes development history of SC technology, effect of SC technology on alloy microstructure, application of SC technology in RE storage hydrogen alloy and sintered Nd-Fe-B alloy, development of SC equipment and SC product industry. At the same time, the paper points out the existing problem of SC products.

Solute Distribution in Columnar Crystal Zone and Influences of Correlative Factors for Continuous Casting Slabs

The expression of the solute distribution in columnar crystal zone was deduced when the solid-liquid interface bended periodically, and the quantitative calculations of macrosegregation were also made in the process of the continuous casting. The solute distribution along the thickness direction of the slabs was obtained, which verified the theoretical calculation. The effect of the bulge size, solidification speed, and solidification shrinkage speed on macrosegregation of the slabs was calculated. It can be concluded that normal segregation and negative segregation alternatively appear as a result of the bulge. The normal segregation exponentially depends on the bulge size, and the negative segregation linearly depends on the bulge size. The extent of the normal segregation is greater than that of the negative segregation when the bulge size is the same. The macrosegregation of the same position along the thickness direction of the slabs changes in a sine wave with increasing the solidification rate, and the amplitude is larger at the casting blank center. The normal segregation linearly decreases with increasing the solidification shrinkage speed, and when the solidification shrinkage speed exceeds a critical value, the segregation appears negatively and increases linearly.

Shear Model of Metal Melt Flowing on Vibration Wall and Effect of Shear Stress on Solidification Microstructure

In this work,the shear model of metal melt flowing on vibration surface is established,and coupling effects of vibration and shear on the distribution of shear stress in melt and melt solidification microstructure are analyzed.Calculation results show that the transition of melt from laminar flow to turbulent flow occurs earlier with increasing vibration frequency and vibration amplitude.In the laminar flow melt,shear stress in melt decreases with increasing vertical length,but it decreases firstly and then stabilizes with increasing flow length.In the turbulent flow melt,shear stress decreases firstly and then stabilizes with increasing vertical length,but it increases with increasing flow length.With the increase in vibration frequency and amplitude,shear stress along flow direction in laminar flow melt increases,while shear stresses along both flow direction and vertical direction in turbulent flow melt increase.Shear stress in melt decreases with increasing length along vertical direction.With the increase in flow length,shear stress decreases firstly and then stabilizes in laminar flow melt,while it increases in turbulent flow melt.With the increase in vibration frequency and amplitude,shear stress increases in laminar flow melt,while it stabilizes in turbulent flow melt.Based on theoretical calculation,the maximum shear stress in melt during vibration shear flow is always much lower than the yield strength of a-Al grain,so the shear stress induced by vibration shear flow cannot break columnar crystal,which agrees with the experiment result.So,the model can explain the shear constitutive relation of melt flow on vibration surface relatively well.