Microstructures and Macrosegregation of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu Alloy Billet Prepared by Uniform Direct Chill Casting

In this study, large-sized Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy billets were prepared by direct chill casting imposed with annular electromagnetic stirring and intercooling; a process named uniform direct chill casting. The effects of uniform direct chill casting on grain size and the alloying element distribution of the billets were investigated and compared with those of the normal direct chill casting method. The results show that the microstructures were refined and the homogeneity of the alloying elements distribution was greatly improved by imposing the annular electromagnetic stirring and intercooling. In uniform direct chill casting, explosive nucleation can be triggered, originating from the mold wall and dendrite fragments for grain refinement. The effects of electromagnetic stirring on macrosegregation are discussed with consideration of the centrifugal force that drives the movement of melt from the central part towards the upper-periphery part, which could suppress the macrosegregation of alloying elements. The refined grain can reduce the permeability of the melt in the mushy zone that can restrain macrosegregation.

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Comparison of Morphological Evolution of Al-7wt%Si-2.5wt%Cu Alloy Produced by Direct Chill Casting/Electromagnetic Stirring and ECAP

Solid State Phenomena ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/ssp.256.17 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 256 ◽

pp. 17-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Luis Vanderlei Torres ◽

Cecilia Tereza W. Proni ◽

Eugênio José Zoqui

Keyword(s):

Liquid Fraction ◽

Morphological Evolution ◽

Metal Flow ◽

Direct Chill ◽

Direct Chill Casting ◽

Electromagnetic Stirring ◽

Semisolid State ◽

Grain Refiner ◽

Chill Casting ◽

Cu Alloy

In semisolid state forming the thermodynamic control of the solid liquid transition is necessary but not sufficient condition for having a good processing. For thixoforming it is critical to have a refined microstructure that during the heating to the semisolid state, achieve a mixture of small spheres immerse in liquid, which is crucial in order to get the best rheological properties for the slurry. This work compares the morphological evolution at the semisolid state of the Al-7wt%Si-2.5wt%Cu alloy produced by a) direct chill casting under electromagnetic stirring (EMS) combined with grain refinement and b) processed via one single pass in an equal channel angular pressing. EMS introduces metal flow during solidification that allows the better distribution of the nuclei provide by the grain refiner. ECAP has emerged as a promising technique capable of imposing large homogeneous deformations in metals, that could leads to a optimal grain refining. The ECAP deformation occurs in a die that contains two channels of the same cross-sectional area and form an angle of 120°. The raw materials were submitted to a heating treatment in order to reach 60% liquid fraction, at soaking times of 0s, 30s, 90s and 210s and the microstructure was evaluated via B&W and color metalography. Comparing the two production processes, it is observed that the ECAP process is highly efficient: while the traditional EMS method produced grains about 150 μm size, ECAP technique achieved grains of 60 μm, providing a fully globular structure, which exhibit favorable characteristics for the thixoforming process reaching to apparent viscosity about 2*104Pa.s.

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