Analysis of Dendritic Primary Al Grain Ripening and Solid Fraction Measurement in A356 Alloy Semi-Solid Slurry Using Segregation Sensitive Reagent

Abstract

Ripening of dendritic primary Al grain in semi-solid state has been paid much attention to since it is the most economical way to produce semi-solid slurry containing spheroidal Al grains for thixocasting. Also, solid fraction is the key factor in all the semi-solid processes. A segregation sensitive reagent (Weck’s reagent) can help to study both the two topics, revealing the inner-primary Al grain’s optical microstructure evolution during semi-solid heat treatments (partial re-melting) of small A356 alloy samples cut from both as-DC cast and compressed ingots (Recrystallization and partial re-melting process). With the help of this etching technique, the influence of induced strain on the ripening mechanism of primary Al grains was investigated precisely. Furthermore, the peripheral part of the primary Al grain grown during water quenching was distinguished by the reagent. Therefore we could exclude this area when measuring the solid fraction and avoid overestimation by image analysis.