Effects of mechanical vibration on filling and solidification behavior, microstructure and performance of Al/Mg bimetal by lost foam compound casting

Al/Mg bimetal was prepared by lost foam solid-liquid compound casting,and the effects of mechanical vibration on the filling and solidification behavior,microstructure and performance of the bimetal were investigated.Results show that the mechanical vibration has a remarkable influence on the filling and solidification processes.It is found that after mechanical vibration,the filling rate increases and the filling rate at different times is more uniform than that without vibration.In addition,the mechanical vibration also increases the wettability between liquid AZ91D and A356 inlays.The mechanical vibration reduces the horizontal and vertical temperature gradient of the casting and makes the temperature distribution of the whole casting more uniform.Compared to the Al/Mg bimetal without vibration,the shear strength is improved by 39.76%after the mechanical vibration is applied,due to the decrease of the inclusions and Al_(12)Mg_(17) dendrites,and the refinement and uniform distribution of the Mg_(2)Si particles in the interface of the Al/Mg bimetal.

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 Process Parameters on Porosity in Aluminum Lost Foam Process

Porosity is a main defect in aluminum alloy castings, which is also thought to be severe in aluminum alloy castings produced by lost foam process due to the pyrolysis of the polystyrene foam pattern during pouring. Fundamental experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of process parameters such as the melt treatment, the cooling rate and the density of expanded polystyrene （EPS） foam on porosity in A356.2 bar casting. The effect of melt treatment including degassing and refining was investigated. The effect of cooling rate was also evaluated by changing the mold packing material such as the silica sand, the zircon sand and the steel shots. Gas entrapment due to the turbulent metal flow during mold filling in conventional molding process results in porosity. Mold filling sequence in lost foam process is different from that in conventional molding process. The effect of molten metal flow was estimated by comparing the density of the casting by conventional sodium silicate molding with that by lost foam process. Density measurement was conducted to analyze the extent of porosity in the casting. Source of the porosity in lost foam process can be divided into two factors, i.e. turbulence in molten metal flow and entraining residue or gas from the pattern during pouring.

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.

Effect of vibration frequency on primary phase and properties of grey cast iron fabricated by lost foam casting

The properties of gray cast iron(GCI)are affected by density of matrix,size of flake graphite and primary austenite.In this paper,the Y-type specimen of GCI was prepared by lost foam casting(LFC)with and without vibration,and the influence of vibration frequency on the density of matrix,size of primary phase,and properties of the GCI was studied.The results show that the length of the flake graphite and the size of the primary austenite in GCI firstly decrease and then increase with the increase of the vibration frequency.With a vibration frequency of 35 Hz,the length of the flake graphite is the shortest,the primary austenite is the finest and the density of the matrix is the highest.In addition,the tensile strength,elongation and hardness of the GCI firstly increase and then decrease with the increase of the vibration frequency,due to the refinement of the primary phase and the increase of the matrix density.In order to analyze the refinement mechanism of the primary phase of the GCI fabricated by the LFC with vibration,the solidification temperature fields of the GCI fabricated by the LFC with the vibration frequency of 0 and 35 Hz were measured.The results show that the vibration reduces the eutectic point of the GCI and increases the supercooling degree during the eutectic transformation.As a result,the length of the flake graphite and the size of the primary austenite in GCI fabricated by LFC with the vibration frequency of 35 Hz decrease.

High Cr white cast iron/carbon steel bimetal liner by lost foam casting with liquid-liquid composite process

Liners in wet ball mill for mineral processing industry must bear abrasive wear and corrosive wear, and consequently, the service life of the liner made from traditional materials, such as Hadfield steel and alloyed steels, is typically less than ten months. Bimetal liner, made from high Cr white cast iron and carbon steel, has been successfully developed by using liquid-liquid composite lost foam casting process. The microstructure and interface of the composite were analyzed using optical microscope, SEM, EDX and XRD. Micrographs indicate that the boundary of bimetal combination regions is staggered like dogtooth, two liquid metals are not mixed, and the interface presents excellent metallurgical bonding state. After heat treatment, the composite liner specimens have shown excellent properties, including hardness 〉 61 HRC, fracture toughness ak 〉16.5 J.cm2 and bending strength 〉1,600 MPa. Wear comparison was made between the bimetal composite liner and alloyed steel liner in an industrial hematite ball mill of WISCO, and the results of eight-month test in wet grinding environment have proved that the service life of the bimetal composite liner is three times as long as that of the alloyed steel liner.

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.

Density and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Lost Foam Casting by Pressurization during Solidification

Porosity is thought to be severe in aluminum alloy castings produced by lost foam process due to the pyrolysis of the polystyrene foam pattern during pouring, which results in detrimental effect in mechanical property. The slow solidification rate promotes the formation of gassing pin holes, and relative weakness of the thermal gradients can cause micro-shrinkage if the outline of the part complicates feeding in the lost foam casting. One of the methods to eliminate the porosity is to apply high pressure to the molten metal like an isostatic forging during solidification. Fundamental experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of the external pressure on the porosity and mechanical properties of A356.2 alloy bar in the lost foam casting. Solidification time and porosity decreased with increasing the applied pressure during solidification. Applying external pressure was effective in decreasing the porosity and increasing the elongation of the lost foam casting.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Modeling of Mold Filling and Solidification in Lost Foam Casting

Based on the characteristics of the lost foam casting (LFC) and the artificial neural network technique, a mathematical model for the simulation of the melt-pattern interface movement during the mold filling of LFC has been proposed and experimentally verified. The simulation results are consistent with the experiments in both the shapes of melt front and filling sequences. According to the calculated interface locations, the fluid flow and the temperature distributions during the mold filling and solidification processes were calculated, and the shrinkage defect of a lost foam ductile iron casting was predicted by considering the mold wall movement in LFC. The simulation method was applied to optimize the casting design of lost foam ductile iron castings. It is shown that the model can be used for the defects prediction and for casting design optimization in the practical LFC production.

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.

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.

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%.

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.

Recent Development of Lost Foam Casting Technology Comment on the 7th Chinese Lost Foam Casting Symposium

The 7th Chinese Lost Foam Casting (LFC) Symposium & the 1st LFC Technology Exposition were held on May 21-23 at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), and the conference theme was "Recent development of lost foam casting technology". Prof. TAO Jie, the Executive Chairman of the conference and the Vice Director of LFC Committee of Foundry Institution of Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society(FICMES), chaired the inauguration. Prof. NIE Hong, the Vice President of NUAA, represented the host address and expressed welcome and gratitude to all the guests from home and abroad. He said the development of the technologies, environmental protection and the trade globalization require to continually improve the performance of products, and accurately select proper material and the manufacturing technology. As the revolutionary technology in casting development history, LFC technology has brought a brand-new change for the machine design and casting production. He hoped the conference would be beneficial to the development of Chinese LFC technololy and wished the symposium a complete success! Prof. YE Sheng-ping, the Executive Chairman of the conference and the Director of LFC Committee of FICMES, gave the opening address and read out the congratulations of F. J. Woestmann (Director of Germany LFC Technology Council), Wolfgang (General Manager of Storopack Hans Reichenecker Group), G Sedlmair Heiko (LFC project director of Teubert Maschinenbau GmbH), etc. Patrice Juton, the Sale Manager of Storopack Group, gave a speech on behalf of the conference delegates.

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.