Semi-Solid Casting of Pure Magnesium

2019 ◽  
Vol 285 ◽  
pp. 464-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulyate Andries Curle ◽  
Jeremias D. Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Interval ◽  
Liquid Fraction ◽  
Thermodynamic Temperature ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Pure Magnesium ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Thermal Arrest ◽  
Solidification Temperature ◽  
Semi Solid ◽  
Solid Liquid

Semi-solid processing works on the principal of a solidification temperature interval of a substance. The substance is heated to a temperature within this interval so that there exists a related solid-liquid fraction ratio. The substance with this phase structure is then shaped by a forging or casting process. It has been stated before that it is impossible to semi-solid process and cast pure metals or eutectic alloys due to their thermodynamic temperature invariance, meaning that there is no temperature interval. It was demonstrated recently that it is possible to semi-solid casting high purity aluminium (Curle UA, Möller H, Wilkins JD. Scripta Materialia 64 (2011) 479-482) and the Al-Si binary eutectic (Curle UA, Möller H, Wilkins JD. Materials Letters 65 (2011) 1469-1472). The working principal is that there exists a time interval during thermal arrest during which solidification takes place with a solid-liquid fraction ratio until all the liquid is consumed upon cooling. The aim with this work is to demonstrate that pure magnesium can also be rheo-high pressure die cast (R-HPDC) with the system developed at the CSIR in South Africa. Magnesium is notoriously difficult to cast due to the thermal properties of magnesium. The metal was poured into a cup, processed for about 6 seconds after which it was HPDC into a plate. The microstructure of the casting consists of a structure that was solid and a structure that was liquid during thermal arrest at the time of casting.

Numerical Simulation of Semi-Solid Die Casting of ZA Alloy Automotive Bushing Based on AnyCasting

2013 ◽  
Vol 411-414 ◽  
pp. 3064-3067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Wu Liu ◽  
Zhi Ping Zhang ◽  
Yan Fang Luo ◽  
Li Lu
Keyword(s):  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Die Casting ◽  
Solidification Process ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Filling Sequence ◽  
Gas Trapping ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Stress And Deformation ◽  
Semi Solid ◽  
Solid Liquid

In order to reduce the wear of parts caused by long-term friction, and to reduce the frequency of parts replacement, ZA alloy with low hardness and good wear resistance is chosen to replace the traditional copper alloy as the material to manufacture automotive bushing, and the semi-solid die casting is used. On this basis, the software AnyCasting is used to simulate and analyze the filling and solidification process, the filling sequence, the variation of temperature field, and the part region where defects are prone to occur in the semi-solid process. The simulation results show that under the parameters set in the simulation process, when casting filling rate reached 90%, the metal started to solidify; since the gate place is easy for heat dissipation, when the temperature of the alloy liquid reached its liquidus temperature 595°C, the phenomenon of solid-liquid phase separation appeared at the gate; the defects such as gas trapping, residual stress and deformation would appear both in the place of first filling and the parting surface; when the preheat temperature of the mold was 150°C-200°C,the alloy liquid possesses liquidity. The simulation results offer certain theoretical instruction to optimize the semi-solid casting process of ZA Alloy automotive bushing manufacturing, as well as reducing or avoiding a variety of quality defects arose in the actual casting process.

Effects of Cu on the Microstructures and Tensile Properties of Thixoformed Al-Si Alloys

2014 ◽  
Vol 217-218 ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Mohd Shukor Salleh ◽  
Mohd Zaidi Omar ◽  
Junaidi Syarif ◽  
K.S. Alhawari ◽  
M.N. Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Tensile Properties ◽  
Copper Content ◽  
Liquid Fraction ◽  
Tensile Tests ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Cu Content ◽  
Semi Solid ◽  
Cooling Slope Casting ◽  
Solid Liquid

In this study, the effects of copper content on the microstructures and tensile properties of thixoformed Al-5Si-xCu-0.5Fe (x =1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 wt. %) were investigated. For this study, three different alloys having various amounts of copper were prepared using cooling slope casting before thixoforming. The semi-solid liquid range for the alloys were estimated using the diffrential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The samples were thixoformed at 40% liquid fraction. Some of these samples were treated with a T6 aging process. The thixoformed and thixoformed T6 samples were then characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) as well as tensile tests. The different phases formed in the thixoformed and thixoformed T6 samples were throughly investigated.The results indicate that as copper content increases, the tensile strength also increases, which might due to precipitation hardening. The thixoformed T6 alloys attained an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) as high as 303 MPa when Cu content is 3 wt%.

Experimental and Simulation Study of Microstructure of the Aluminium Alloy 319s in Induction Reheating Process

2012 ◽  
Vol 192-193 ◽  
pp. 281-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Nan Song ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
You Feng He ◽  
Qiang Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Induction Heating ◽  
Process Parameters ◽  
Liquid Fraction ◽  
Quantitative Relationship ◽  
Heating Process ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Short Time Interval ◽  
Compressor Wheel ◽  
Semi Solid ◽  
Reheating Process

Semi-solid processing of metallic alloys has been developing over the last 30 years. Millions of components are now manufactured by semi-solid processing. A semi-solid processing so called thixoforming requires reheating the feedstock to a semi-solid state in relatively short time interval with a uniform temperature distribution as well as an optimum liquid fraction. Microstructure, which makes significant impact on processing parameters and quality of the component, changes during the reheating process. The main objective of this study is to establish a quantitative relationship of the microstructure and the induction heating process parameters of the aluminum alloy 319s. This quantitative relationship is employed in the numerical simulation of calculating solid/liquid fraction changes during induction heating process. The simulation results are then successfully applied in aiding optimization of process parameters to make an automobile engine turbocharger compressor wheel, which has very complex geometry.

Development of Semi-Solid Die Casting Product Design and Die Design Technology for Aluminium Alloy Clamp

2016 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 334-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Chen ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
You Feng He ◽  
Da Quan Li ◽  
Qiang Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Die Casting ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Die Design ◽  
Thick Wall ◽  
Thin Wall ◽  
Gating System ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Die Casting Process ◽  
Semi Solid

Semi-solid slurry has significantly higher viscosity than liquid metal. This character of fluidity makes product design and die design, such as gating system, overflow and venting system, be different between these two die casting processes. In the present paper, taking a clamp product as an example, analyses the product optimization and die design by comparing the experimental and computational numerical simulation results. For the clamp, product structure is designed to be suitable for characters of SSM die casting process. The gating system is designed to be uniform variation of thickness, making the cross-sectional area uniformly reduce from the biscuit to the gate. This design ensures semi-solid metal slurry to fill die cavity from thick wall to thin wall. Gate position is designed at the thickest location, the gate shape of semi-solid die casting is set to be much bigger than traditional liquid casting. A good filling behaviour can be achieved by aforementioned all these design principles and it will be helpful to the intensification of pressure feeding after filling.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg-6Zn-1.4Y Alloy Produced by Rheo-Squeeze Casting Process

2016 ◽  
Vol 879 ◽  
pp. 530-535
Author(s):  
Xiao Gang Fang ◽  
Shu Sen Wu ◽  
Shu Lin Lü
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Power Density ◽  
Squeeze Casting ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Acoustic Power ◽  
Icosahedral Quasicrystal ◽  
Microstructure And Mechanical Properties ◽  
Average Grain Size ◽  
Grain Size And Shape ◽  
Semi Solid

Mg-Zn-Y alloys containing a thermally stable icosahedral quasicrystal phase (I-phase) will have wide application future on condition that primary α-Mg dendrite and the I-phase can be refined during the casting process. In this research, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the rheo-squeeze casting (RSC) Mg-6Zn-1.4Y alloys have been investigated. The Mg alloy melt was exposed to ultrasonic vibration (USV) with different acoustic power densities from 0 W/mL to 9 W/mL, and then the slurry was formed by squeeze casting. The results show that good semi-solid slurry with fine and spherical α-Mg particles could be obtained with the acoustic power density of 6 W/mL, and the average grain size and shape factor of primary α-Mg were 32 μm and 0.76, respectively. Meanwhile the coarse eutectic I-phase (Mg3Zn6Y) was refined obviously and dispersed uniformly. Compared with the samples without USV, the tensile strength and elongation of the RSC casting samples with 6 W/mL acoustic power density were elevated by 10.6% and 55.5%, respectively.

About Residual Stress State of Castings: The Case of HPDC Parts and Possible Advantages through Semi-Solid Processes

2022 ◽  
Vol 327 ◽  
pp. 272-278
Author(s):  
Elisa Fracchia ◽  
Federico Simone Gobber ◽  
Claudio Mus ◽  
Yuji Kobayashi ◽  
Mario Rosso
Keyword(s):  
Residual Stress ◽  
Stress State ◽  
Residual Stresses ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Ray Method ◽  
Premature Failure ◽  
Thin Walls ◽  
Residual Stress State ◽  
Semi Solid ◽  
Pressure Die Casting

Nowadays, one of the most crucial focus in the aluminium-foundry sector is the production of high-quality castings. Mainly, High-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) is broadly adopted, since by this process is possible to realize aluminium castings with thin walls and high specific mechanical properties. On the other hand, this casting process may cause tensile states into the castings, namely residual stresses. Residual stresses may strongly affect the life of the product causing premature failure of the casting. Various methods can assess these tensile states, but the non-destructive X-Ray method is the most commonly adopted. Namely, in this work, the residual stress analysis has been performed through Sinto-Pulstec μ-X360s. Detailed measurements have been done on powertrain components realized in aluminium alloy EN AC 46000 through HPDC processes to understand and prevent dangerous residual stress state into the aluminium castings. Furthermore, a comparison with stresses induced by Rheocasting processes is underway. In fact, it is well known that Semi-Solid metal forming combines the advantages of casting and forging, solving safety and environmental problems and possibly even the residual stress state can be positively affected.

scholarly journals Energy and pressure requirements for compression of swine solid fraction compost

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Niccolò Pampuro ◽  
Alessio Facello ◽  
Eugenio Cavallo
Keyword(s):  
Solid Fraction ◽  
Liquid Fraction ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Pig Slurry ◽  
Application Time ◽  
Soil Fertilization ◽  
Pressure Application ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Solid Liquid ◽  
Solid Liquid Separation

The excessive amount of pig slurry spread on soil has contributed to nitrate water pollution both in surface and in ground waters, especially in areas classified as vulnerable zones to nitrate in accordance with European Regulation (91/676/CEE). Several techniques have been developed to manage livestock slurries as cheaply and conveniently as possible and to reduce potential risks of environmental pollution. Among these techniques, solid-liquid separation of slurry is a common practice in Italy. The liquid fraction can be used for irrigation and the solid fraction, after aerobic stabilization, produces an organic compost rich in humic substances. However, compost derived from swine solid fraction is a low density material (bulk density less than 500 kg􀀀m–3). This makes it costly to transport composted swine solid fraction from production sites to areas where it could be effectively utilized for value-added applications such as in soil fertilization. Densification is one possible way to enhance the storage and transportation of the compost. This study therefore investigates the effect of pressure (20- 110 MPa) and pressure application time (5-120 s) on the compaction characteristics of compost derived from swine solid fraction. Two different types of material have been used: composted swine solid fraction derived from mechanical separation and compost obtained by mixing the first material with wood chips. Results obtained showed that both the pressure applied and the pressure application time significantly affect the density of the compacted samples; while the specific compression energy is significantly affected only by the pressure. Best predictor equations were developed to predict compact density and the specific compression energy required by the densification process. The specific compression energy values based on the results from this study (6-32 kJ􀀀kg–1) were significantly lower than the specific energy required to manufacture pellets from biomass feedstock (typically 19-90 kJ􀀀kg–1).

Steel Grades Adapted to the Thixoforging Process: Metallurgical Structures and Mechanical Properties

2006 ◽  
Vol 116-117 ◽  
pp. 712-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Robelet ◽  
Ahmed Rassili ◽  
Dirk Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Liquid Fraction ◽  
Solidus Temperature ◽  
Process Temperature ◽  
Heating Process ◽  
Work Piece ◽  
Inductive Heating ◽  
Steel Grades ◽  
Automotive Part ◽  
Semi Solid

Thixoforming of steel offers the advantages of casting technology in combination with high mechanical strength that can only be achieved by forging. The progress in establishing this technology in industry depends on the success in the development of suitable steel grades. Recent investigations dealt with the development of steel grades that are especially adapted to the thixoforming process. For this, alloys were developed with a lower solidus temperature and a wider process temperature range compared to classic forging steels. In consequence, the inductive heating process is more tolerant to inaccuracies and for a given liquid fraction the process temperature window is easier to handle. It is desired to obtain great degrees of deformation at rather low forming forces as these parameters determine the size of the needed presses. This behaviour is affected by the present liquid fraction in the slug and the heat transfer between work piece and die. It was detected that variations of the forming force have a direct influence on the quality of the thixoformed parts. In order to make the thixoforming technology of steels competitive versus other forming technologies, the parts must show a favourable microstructure and thus, good in-use properties. In this paper various solutions are compared. The main results obtained in the optimization research, namely, the steel grades adapted to semi-solid forming, the resulting process parameters and the mechanical properties of thixoforming parts will be presented for two exemplary steel grades. By producing a real automotive part, thixoforging of steels with regard to the adapted materials and to the ongoing industrial implementation of this process is proved.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document