Effects of Solid–Liquid Mixing on Microstructure of Semi-Solid A356 Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

The desired starting material for semi-solid processing is the semi-solid slurry in which the solid phase is present as fine and globular particles. A modified solid–liquid mixing (SLM) is reported wherein semi-solid slurry can be produced by mixing a solid alloy block into a liquid alloy, and mechanical vibration is utilized to enhance the mixing. Effects such as liquid alloy temperature, mass ratio, and mixing intensity on the microstructure and the cooling curves during SLM were evaluated. 2D and 3D microstructure analysis of treated A356 aluminum alloy shows that microstructure can be refined significantly with a considerable morphology change in primary Al phase. It is critical that the temperature of mixture after mixing is lower than its liquidus temperature to obtain a valid SLM process. Specially, mixing intensity is identified as a primary factor for a favorable microstructure of semi-solid slurry.