Influence of roll speed difference on microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of 7075 aluminum plates produced via combined continuous casting and rolling process

The influences of the dissimilarity in the roll speeds on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of 7075 aluminum plates produced via combined continuous casting and rolling(CCCR) process were investigated. Several experiments were conducted with three different upper/lower roll rotational speed ratios(ω/ω0, ω is the upper roll rotational speed and ω0 is the lower roll rotational speed), namely 1:1, 1:1.2 and 1:1.4. It was found that the greatest dissimilarity in the roll speed(ω/ω0=1:1.4) improved the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of 7075 Al plate in the rolling direction by 41.5% and 21.9%, respectively. Moreover, at a roll speed ratio of ω/ω0=1:1.4, the average grain size was decreased by 36% whereas the mean hardness of the transverse cross-section of the finally rolled plate was increased by about 9.2%. Texture studies also revealed that the more the difference in the roll speeds was, the greater the isotropy and the hardness of the final product were. Nevertheless, conducting CCCR operation with different roll speeds resulted in about 6% reduction in the elongation of the deformed plate.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Cu-0.36Be-0.46Co alloy fabricated by heating-cooling combined mold horizontal continuous casting during cold rolling

Cu-0.36 wt.%Be-0.46 wt.%Co alloy plate with 300 mm in width and 10 mm in thickness prepared by heating-cooling combined mold(HCCM) horizontal continuous casting was cold rolled. Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the alloy as well as its deformation mechanism were investigated. The results showed that the as-cast alloy plate had columnar grains along the length direction, good surface quality and elongation of 35%, which was directly large-reduction cold rolled without surface treatment, and the accumulative cold rolling reduction reached 98%. When the reduction was small(20%), numerous dislocations and dislocation cells formed, and the deformation mechanism was dislocation slip. When the reduction was 40%, deformation twins appeared, and interactions between twins and dislocation cells induced strip-like dislocation cells. When the reduction exceeded 60%, shear bands formed and apparent crystal rotation in the micro-region happened. Further increasing the reduction, the amount of the shear bands rose and they interacted with each other, which refined the grains apparently. The tensile strength and hardness increased from 353 MPa and HV 119 of the as-cast alloy to 625 MPa and HV 208 with 95% reduction, respectively, and the elongation reduced from 35% to 7.6%. A process of HCCM horizontal continuous casting-cold rolling can work as a novel compact method to fabricate Cu-Be alloy sheet.

Effect of Electromagnetic Frequency on Microstructures of Continuous Casting Aluminum Alloys

The relationship between electromagnetic frequency and microstructures of continuous casting aluminum alloys was studied. 7075 aluminum alloy ingot of 100 mm in diameter was produced by electromagnetic continuous casting process, the microstructures of as-cast ingot was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The results showed that electromagnetic frequency greatly influenced segregation and microstructures of as-cast ingot, and product quality can be guaranteed by the application of a proper frequency. Electromagnetic frequency plays a significant role in solute redistribution; low frequency is more efficient for promoting solution of alloying elements.

Study on Multiple Electromagnetic Continuous Casting of Aluminum Alloy

To obtain semi-solid Al alloy billet with high quality, an investigation was carried out by imposing a multiple magnetic field from the outside of a copper mold in the continuous casting. AISi6Mg2 alloy designed for semi-solid metal （SSM） processing was continuously cast through a submerged entry nozzle under various conditions. Effects of multiple magnetic field on meniscus motion, temperature distribution and billet quality were examined. The experimental results showed that meniscus disturbance caused by electromagnetic stirring could be controlled effectively and the surface quality of semi-solid AI alloy billet was improved greatly, and an uniformly fine, globular microstructure across the transverse section of the billet was achieved by optimizing the distribution of multiple magnetic field.

MICROSTRUCTURE ANALYSIS AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF Zn-Al ALLOY ROD PRODUCED BY HEATED MOLD CONTINUOUS CASTING

The new technology of continuous casting by heated mold was used to produce directional solidification ZA alloy lines to eliminate the inter defects of these lines and increase their mechanical properties. The results are as follows: (1) The microstruc-ture of the ZA alloy lines is the parallel directional dendritic columnar crystal. Every dendritic crystal of eutectic alloy ZA5 was composed of many layer eutectic β and η phases. The micro structure of hypereutectic ZA alloys is primary dendritic crystal and interdendritic eutectic structure. The primary phase of ZA8 and ZA12 is β, among them, but the primary phase of ZA22 and ZA27 is a. (2) Through the test to the as-cast ZA alloy lines made in continuous casting by heated mold, it is found that the tensile strength and hardness increase greatly, but the elongation decreases. With the increase of aluminum amount from ZA 5 to ZA 12, ZA22 and ZA27, the tensile strength increases gradually. ZA27 has the best comprehensive mechanical properties in these four kinds of ZA alloys. (3) Heat treatment can decrease the dendritic segregation and improve the elongation of ZA alloy, but make their strength decrease slightly.

Rheologic behaviors of A356 aluminum alloy billet produced by semisolid continuous casting process

The experiments for rheologic behaviors of semisolid continuous casting billets of A356 alloy in semisolid state had been carried out with a multifunctional rheometer. The results show that the deformation rate increases with loading time, the maximum strain reaches to 120％ (which is one time larger than that of traditional mold casting billet) and the strain can be rapidly eliminated to 10％ after unloading. Moreover, there is a critic stress for billet deformation even in semisolid state, which is named as critic shear stress. This stress increases with the decreasing of heating time. The theologic behaviors can be expressed by five elements mechanical model (H_2- [N_1|H_2]-[N_2|S]) and can be modified with the increasing of heating time.

Technical parameters in electromagnetic continuous casting of aluminum alloy

The temperature field of aluminum ingot during electromagnetic continuous casting was calculated by the numerical method, and the effects of cooling water strength, position of the cooling water holes and pouring temperature as well as induction heat on casting speed, were studied. The results show that among the technical parameters the distance from the position of the cooling water holes to the bottom of the mold is the most important factor, whose change from 20 mm to 15 mm and from 15 mm to 10 mm causes the setting rate increasing respectively by 0.14 mm/s and 0.3 mm/s.The calculated results also agree with the experiment well. The simulation program can be used to determine technical parameters of electromagnetic casting of aluminum ingot effectively.

Rheological behavior of continuous roll casting process of aluminum alloy

The rheological behavior of aluminum alloy and its influencing factors in physical simulation of continuous roll casting process were studied by using a Gleeble-1500 thermal-mechanical simulation tester with a set of special clamp system. The relationships between the flow stress and the strain rate in the deformation process of simulating roll casting experiment were obtained. The results show that four different characteristic stages exist in the temperature range of the whole rheological process. The first occurs when the temperature is higher than 600 ℃, which belongs to the creep deformation stage; the second occurs when the temperature lies in the range of 500600 ℃, and it can be regarded as the high temperature and low stress level deformation stage; the third occurs when the temperature decreases to the range of 300500 ℃, it is considered to be the middle stress level deformation stage; the last occurs when the temperature is less than 300 ℃ and the strain rate is less than 1.00 s -1, it belongs to middle stress level deformation stage. But when the strain rate is larger than 1.00 s -1,it belongs to the high stress level deformation stage. And the relative constitutive models suitable for the four different stages of continuous roll casting process were established through multivariate linear regression analysis of the experimental data.

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.

Microstructures of electromagnetic casting and direct chill casting LY12 aluminum alloys

LY12 aluminum alloys made by electromagnetic casting (EMC) and direct chill casting (DCC), were analyzed by optical microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscope and X ray diffraction. It is found that the surface and subsurface quality of the ingot is improved largely due to the absence of an ingot mold, which is impossible to achieve with conventional DCC. It is also found that the intense forced convection can promote the fast superheat evacuation and break the dendrite arms, leading to the grain multiplication and the appearance of a fine equiaxed grains over the whole cross section. As a result, the hardness of EMC specimens increases one time than that from DCC in the as cast state. Even though after the solid solution treatment and the artificial aging, the DCC ingot still can not get the same hardness as EMC ones.

Numerical simulation of continuous roll-casting process of aluminum alloy

In order to improve the strip quality of continuous roll-casting process (CRP) of aluminum alloy, the investigations of the flow behavior within the metal pool, the heat transfer condition between roll and strip, the pouring temperature of molten alloy, the roll-casting speed and the control of the position of solidification final point are important. The finite volume method was applied to the analysis of the continuous roll-casting process. A two-dimensional incompressible non-Newtonian fluid flow with heat transfer was considered, which was described by the continuity equation, the Navier-Stokes equation and the energy equation. With this mathematical model, the flow patterns, temperature fields and solid fraction distributions in the metal pool between two rolls were simulated. From the calculated results, the effects of technical parameters to the position of solidification final point are obtained. The simulated results show that the roll-casting speed and pouring temperature have an enormous effect on the temperature distribution and the position of solidification final point.

Effect of electromagnetic field on macrosegregation of continuous casting 7075 alloy

The effect of electromagnetic field on macrosegregation of continuous casting aluminum alloy was studied. 7075 aluminum alloy ingot with diameter of 200 mm was produced by electromagnetic casting. Magnitude of coil current was varied from 100 A to 600 A, and frequency from 10 Hz to 100 Hz. Variation of element content along the radius of ingot was examined by means of chemical analysis. The results show that electromagnetic casting process can effectively reduce the macrosegregation, and electromagnetic frequency has a great influence on element distribution along the radius of ingot. When frequency is 30 Hz, macrosegregation is eliminated completely.

Effect of electromagnetic and ultrasonic cast rolling on microstructure and properties of 1050 aluminum substrate for presensitized plate

The 1050 aluminum alloy strip was prepared by means of electromagnetic and ultrasonic cast rolling on the modified asymmetric twin roll caster, and then the aluminum substrate for presensitized plate was prepared through cold rolling and annealing.The effects of electromagnetic and ultrasonic cast rolling on microstructure, mechanical properties, surface roughness and electrolytic corrosion properties of 1050 aluminum substrate were studied. The results show that electromagnetic and ultrasonic cast rolling can decrease the average crystallite size of aluminum substrate by 5 μm, increase the crystal boundaries with uniform distribution, and make the second-phase particles with smaller size distributed dispersively in the substrate, meanwhile, it can increase the tensile strength, elongation and micro-hardness by 4.58%, 9.85% and HV 2, respectively, reduce the surface roughness, make the surface appearance more even, electrolytic corrosion polarization curve of aluminum substrate more smooth and the surface corrosion pits with regular shape more dispersive.

Structural and mechanical properties of 7075 alloy strips fabricated by roll-casting in a static magnetic field

The influences of a 0.2 T static magnetic field on the microstructure of 7075 aluminum alloys sheets produced with a twin-roll continuous caster at 675℃ were investigated in this paper. Under a uniform magnetic field, the primary dendrites were refined and tended to be equiaxed. The microstructure consisted of an intermediate case between dendritic and equiaxed grains. Moreover, the use of an external static field in the twin-roll casting process can reduce heat discharge, resulting in a decrease in undercooling, and may also account for the abatement of segregation bands. In addition, the static magnetic field effectively improved the solute mixing capacity, and the added atoms more easily diffused from precipitates to theα-Al matrix, which resulted in an increase in the mechanical properties of the rolled sheets. Specimens prepared both in the presence of a static magnetic field and in the absence of a static magnetic field exhibited brittle-fracture characteristics.

As-cast structure of DC casting 7075 aluminum alloy obtained under dual-frequency electromagnetic field

We have experimentally determined the as-cast structures of semi-continuous casting 7075 aluminum alloy obtained in the pres-ence of dual-frequency electromagnetic field. Results suggest that the use of dual-frequency electromagnetic field during the semi-continuous casting process of 7075 aluminum alloy ingots reduces the thickness of the surface segregation layer, increases the height of the melt menis-cus, enhances the surface quality of the ingot, and changes the surface morphology of the melt pool. Moreover, low-frequency electromag-netic field was found to show the most obvious influence on improving the as-cast structure because of its high permeability in conductors.

Horizontal continuous casting process under electromagnetic field for preparing AA3003/AA4045 clad composite hollow billets

A modified horizontal continuous casting process under the electromagnetic field was proposed for preparing AA3003/ AA4045 clad composite hollow billets. To investigate the effect of electromagnetic field on this process, a comprehensive three-dimensional model was developed. Two cases with and without electromagnetic field were compared using the simulations. When rotating electromagnetic stirring is applied, the flow pattern of fluid melt is greatly modified; the mushy zone becomes much wider, the temperature profile becomes more uniform, and the solid fraction decreases for both the external and internal alloy melt layers. These modifications are beneficial for the formation of a bimetal interface and fine and uniform grain structure of the clad composite hollow billet. Experiments conducted using the same electrical and casting parameters as the simulations verify that under the electromagnetic field the microstructure of the clad composite hollow billet becomes fine and the diffusion of the elements at the interface is promoted.

Effect of twin-roll casting parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of AA5083-H321 sheet

Thepurpose of the present paper is to study the mechanical propertiesand microstructureof the twin-roll cast and cold rolled AA5083 aluminum alloy sheet in strain-hardened H321 temper. To reach this goal, first, a sound surface slab of 8.90 mm thick and 1260 mm wide was cast by a 15°; tilt back twin roll caster at a casting speed of 490 mm/min. After homogenization at 520 ℃, the product was cold rolled to two thicknesses of 6.30 mm and 3.85 mm with an intermediate annealing at 370 ℃ and final stabilization at 180 ℃. Opticalmicroscopyand scanning electron microscopy （SEM） investigations of the as-cast state depicted the segregation of intermetallic particles mainly in grain boundaries which wasthe cause of grain removal observed in the fracture surface of tensile test samples. In addition, mechanical properties indicated an increase in total elongation after homogenization heat treatment dueto the elimination of the grain boundary segregations. Finally, it was observed that the properties of the 3.85 mmthick sheet were consistent with the H321 temper requirements according to ASTM B 290M standard due to applying sufficient cold reduction during cold rolling stage.

Theoretical Analysis of the Solidification of Aluminum Alloy Billetin Air-Slip DC Mold

Based on the heat transfer analysis of Air-Slip DC mold, a numerical model was presented to study the quantitative relationships between critical solidification layer and casting rate, pouring temperature and mold cooling ability etc. The analytical results show that the Air-Slip mold heat transfer condition plays important roles on choices of a casting rate and the pouring temperature, and that the product of billet diameter and casting rate is a certain constant under a certain condition of the mold.

Microtextural evolution of different TRC AA8006 alloy sections with homogenization

Grain microtexture evolution in twin-roll cast AA8006 alloy sheets subjected to different treatments was investigated using elec- tron backscatter diffraction. The textures of rolling-transverse and normal-transverse sections were characterized in original as-cast twin-roll casting and cold-rolled samples as well as samples homogenized at 500℃for 8 h and at 580℃ for 4 h. It is found that grains on both the rolling-transverse and normal-transverse sections of cold-rolled samples are made fmer by rolling deformation and coarsened after homog- enization. Annealing temperature has a stronger effect on the microstructural evolution than annealing time. The grain growth direction is parallel to the normal-transverse section, while grain deformation is more stable on the rolling direction than on the normal direction. The rolling orientations display more obvious anisotropy on the normal-transverse sections than on the rolling-transverse sections. Grain recrys- tallization and growth occur much easier on the normal-transverse section than on the rolling-transverse section for samples homogenized at 500℃ for 8 h. A special misorientation relationship between cold deformation texture, such as S orientation { 123 } 〈634〉 and cube orienta- tion 〈110〉Xaxis [cubic], and recrystallization texture after homogenization, such as R orientation { 124}〈211〉 and P orientation {011 }〈122〉, is observed.

Mechanical Properties of Laminated Aluminum-Based Plates with Gradient Interface

Two laminated composites, 2024/3003 and 7075/6009 aluminum alloys were prepared by double-stream-pouring continuous casting (DSPCC) followed by plastic deformation and heat treatment. The interface characteristics between the external and internal layers of the composites in the as-cast and plastic deformation conditions were analyzed. The results show that the macrostructure difference between the external and internal layers of both composite ingots in the as-cast condition can be clearly clarified but the gradient interfaces are not distinct. However, the macro-scale gradient layers can be demonstrated from the hardness distribution in the cross sections of the composite ingots. After plastic deformation, the gradient characteristic of the interface in the laminated composites maintains except for the decrease in the interface thickness. After plastic deformation and T6 heat treatment, the ultimate strength, yield strength and elongation of 2024/3003 composite plate are 2.35, 3.10 and 0.9 times of that of 3003 aluminum alloy, respectively. The ultimate strength and yield strength of 7075/6009 composite plate increase 47 % and 82 % of that of 6009 aluminum alloy, respectively and the elongation of the composite is still as high as 15.3 %.