Preparation of semi-solid ZL101 aluminum alloy slurry by serpentine channel

Semi-solid slurry of ZL101 aluminum alloy was prepared using serpentine channel. The influences of the pouring temperature, the number of curves and the serpentine channel temperature on the microstructure of semi-solid ZL101 aluminum alloy were investigated. The results show that, satisfied semi-solid slurry of ZL101 aluminum alloy was prepared with pouring at 630-680℃. The morphology of primaryα（Al） grains transforms from rosette to spheroid with the decrease of pouring temperature. At the same pouring temperature, increasing the number of curves can improve the morphology of primaryα（Al） grains and decrease the grain size. Qualified slurry can be attained with lowering the pouring temperature when the serpentine channel temperature is higher. The alloy melt has the effect of“self-stirring”in the serpentine channel, which can make the primary nuclei gradually evolve into spherical and near-spherical grains.

Effect of pouring temperature on semi-solid slurry of ZL101 alloy prepared by slightly electromagnetic stirring

The semi-solid slurry of ZL101 alloy is prepared by a combination technology of low superheat pouring and slightly electromagnetic stirring. The effects of pouring temperature on the slurry prepared by the technology are investigated. The results indicate that it is feasible to prepare the slurry with globular primary phases by low superheat pouring and slightly electromagnetic stirring, and that the pouring temperature has an important effect on the morphology and the size of primary α-AI in ZL101 alloy. By applying suitable slightly electromagnetic stirring combining with relatively increased pouring temperature, i.e., in a practical way to apply low superheat pouring technology, is capable of obtaining appropriate semi-solid slurry of ZL101 alloy with globular shape of primary phase. Compared with the samples made by low superheat pouring only without stirring, the samples prepared by applying both slightly electromagnetic stirring and low superheat pouring can enable to achieve the same grain size and morphology of the primary phase with that of pouring at 15-35℃ higher.

Microstructure and Properties of ZL101 Alloy Affected by Substrate Movement Speed of a Novel Semisolid Continuous Micro Fused-Casting for Metal Process

A novel semisolid continuous Micro Fused-Casting additive manufacturing technology for producing a ZL101 alloy strip was developed, Micro Fused-Casting means that the semisolid metal slurry was pressed out from the outlet of bottom of crucible to the movable plate. The degree of sub-cooling was easily provided by movement of substrate in the micro fused-casting area. Under the aid of 3 D manufacturing software, the ZL101 alloy strip was solidified and formed layer by layer. The microstructure and properties of ZL101 semisolid slurry were improved by the cooling conditions. The results showed that the ZL101 alloy strip samples fabricated by Micro Fused-Casting had uniform structures and good performances with the substrate movement speed at 20 mm/s and the temperature at 590 ℃, the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the ZL101 alloy strip reached 242.59 MPa and 7.71%, while the average Vickers hardness was 82.55 HV.

Effects of La-Rich Rare Earth Alloys on Structure and Mechanical Properties of ZL101A Alloy

The effects of La rich rare earth alloys on structure and mechanical properties of ZL101A alloy in as cast, heat treated and remelted states were investigated. The appropriate quantity of the addition of RE alloys and the reasonable heat treatment parameters for integral casting wheel made by low pressure die casting have been suggested.

Effect of Pouring Temperature by a Novel Micro Fused-Casting on Microstructure and Properties of ZL101 Semisolid Slurry

A novel micro fused-casting(MFC)process is developed for semisolid aluminum alloy slurry.The microstructure evolution and properties of semisolid ZL101 aluminum alloy slurry with difierent pouring temperature by MFC are investigated in this paper.During the cooling process,the effects of the pouring temperature on microstructure and properties is primarily analyzed.The microstructure of the semisolid ZL101 aluminum alloy is more homogeneous and the grain is smaller under proper pouring temperature.Temperature of liquids and solids of ZL101 aluminum alloy is measured by difierential scanning calorimetry(DSC).Distribution and characteristics of the microstructure of samples are examined by optical microscope(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS).The results show that the ZL101 semisolid slurry fabricated by MFC presents uniform shape and good grain size under the pouring temperature of 594°C and the stirring velocity of 600 r/min,and the fine grains of the primary a-Al phase with average grain size of 55μm and shape factor up to 0.67 were obtained.Besides,the ultimate tensile strength and the average Vickers hardness for semisolid ZL101 aluminum slurry are 178.19±1.37 MPa and 86.15±1.16 HV,respectively.

Microstructure Evolution During Remelting of High Solid Fraction ZL101 Alloy

This work deals with the reheating process for semi-solid thixoforming of ZL101(Al Si7 Mg) alloy. The semi-solid state can decrease the viscosity and the resistance while sheared because of the evolutional behavior,which is characterized by a solid-like behavior at rest and a liquid flow during shearing. The microstructure evolution of ZL101 alloy at different temperatures from 540 to 580?C has been studied. Results show that the eutectic temperature can affect the transformation speed of semi-solid structure. Semi-solid microstructures with high solid fraction can be obtained by controlling the reheating time in less than 20 min, while at the temperature lower than the eutectic temperature it needs more than one hour. Another character of semi-solid ZL101 alloy is the segregation of microstructures in semi-solid state, in which the liquid phase between the solid phases can flow freely and lead to the shrinkage of the sample during the heating process. As the holding time goes on, more shrinkage holes appear and change the surface of the specimen. These shrinkage holes are replenished by the liquid phase during compression deformation, resulting in the segregation of the components.