Microstructure Evolution and Solidification Behavior of a Novel Semi-Solid Alloy Slurry Prepared by Vibrating Contraction Inclined Plate

Yan Liu,Renguo Guan,Pan Yang,Minqiang Gao,Ying Fu,Weirong Li

doi:10.3390/met11111810

Yan Liu, Renguo Guan + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/met11111810

Copy DOI

Abstract

In this work, based on the A356 alloy, a novel Al–Si–Mg–Cu–Fe–Sr alloy with good mechanical property and high thermal conductivity was developed. The semi-solid slurry of the alloy was prepared via the vibrating contraction inclined plate. The microstructure evolution and solidification behavior of the alloy were investigated. The results demonstrated that, compared with the A356 alloy, the enhanced property of the Al–Si–Mg–Cu–Fe–Sr alloy was associated with the size of primary α-Al grains and morphology of eutectic Si phases. In addition, the preparation process parameters of semi-solid slurries, including the pouring temperature, inclination angle, and vibration frequency, had a crucial effect on the size and morphology of primary α-Al grains. The optimized pouring temperature, inclination angle, and vibration frequency were 670 °C, 45°, and 60 Hz, respectively. In this condition, for the primary α-Al grains, a minimum grain diameter of 64.31 µm and a maximum shape factor of 0.80 were obtained. This work provides a reference for the application of the alloy with high performance in the field of automobile and communication.

Highlights

Semi-solid metal (SSM) processing technology, a modern and advanced technology, has an advantage of fabricating metal parts with complicated structure, high quality, and improved mechanical properties [1,2,3]
Taghavi et al [10] studied the effect of the inclined plate length and angle on the thixotropic microstructure of the A356 alloy and found that the inclination angle of 40◦ and length of inclined plate of 40 cm were optimized parameters to prepare the semi-solid slurry
The process parameters of the semi-solid slurry prepared by the vibrating contraction inclined plate were optimized

Summary

Introduction

Semi-solid metal (SSM) processing technology, a modern and advanced technology, has an advantage of fabricating metal parts with complicated structure, high quality, and improved mechanical properties [1,2,3]. It is necessary to obtain the semi-solid slurry with spherical grains during SSM processing [4]. In order to develop the low-cost and simplified method, an inclined plate process for preparing the semi-solid slurry is proposed [9]. The melt is poured onto the inclined plate above the liquidus temperature and the semi-solid slurry is formed when the melt flows through the inclined plate. Taghavi et al [10] studied the effect of the inclined plate length and angle on the thixotropic microstructure of the A356 alloy and found that the inclination angle of 40◦ and length of inclined plate of 40 cm were optimized parameters to prepare the semi-solid slurry. Khosravi et al [12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion