L’industrie de l’aluminium a été durablement et profondément caractérisée par la constitution de cartels internationaux. Cette industrie a été gérée par cette forme d’organisation industrielle de manière quasi continuelle entre les années 1890, quand les premières entreprises se sont constituées, et 1945, quand la société holding qui gérait le dernier cartel a été placée sous liquidation. Durant cette période de presque soixante ans, les entreprises ont expérimenté une forme de collaboration internationale et de gestion coopérative qui n’a pratiquement pas d’égaux dans les autres industries : des formes de plus en plus élaborées de cartel ont été progressivement mises en place afin de garantir à cette industrie le développement et la stabilité en même temps. Cette recherche a pour but de reconstruire les causes et les effets de la cartellisation dans l’industrie de l’aluminium dans cette période, en analysant en même temps soit la forme que les cartels ont pris, soit les stratégies d’entreprise qui étaient liées à la formation et la consolidation de ces accords. De plus, cette recherche donne une analyse micro et macro-économique de l’industrie de l’aluminium et une image à la fois « interne » et « contextuelle » des cartels, en les analysant comme insérés dans un réseau complexe d’acteurs dont les entreprises privés, les États et les institutions internationales ont fait partie. De plus, cette thèse donne des idées sur les motifs et les dynamiques qui ont déterminé la décartellisation dans la période suivant la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale, en décrivant un chemin qui a conduit cette branche d’une anarchie initiale, à une auto réglementation privée, pour aboutir enfin à un contrôle institutionnel après la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. / The institution of international cartels has deeply and intensively affected the global aluminium industryon the long run. This industry was managed with this form of industrial organisation almost with nointerruption from the 1890s, when the first movers in aluminium industry were formed, to 1945, whenthe holding company that controlled the last international cartel was liquidated. During this period ofalmost sixty years, firms have experimented an international form of cooperation and collaboration inthe management as no other industry has done: a more and more perfected and refined form of cartelswere elaborated with the aim of assuring to this industry both development and stability. This researchwants to describe causes and consequences of the international cartelisation on the aluminiumindustry, through the analysis of both the form taken by cartels and the firms strategies toward theformation and the consolidation of these agreements. Moreover, this research deals with both microand marco-economic analysis of the aluminium industry and provides a description of “internal” and“contextual” side of cartels, analysing them as placed in a complex relationships network in whichfirms, governments and international agencies were involved. Furthermore, this thesis provides someinsights about aims and dynamic that have pushed toward the decartelisation of the post World War IIeconomy. It is described a sort of path, not always coherent and linear, that drive aluminium industryfrom an initial situation of anarchy toward a first stage of self-regulation achieved by private cartels andthen toward an institutional control after the Second Word War, in a context of security strategy andeconomic development of the western world.

Au cours des dernières deux décennies, la modélisation micromécanique a été largement développée afin de relier directement la microstructure réelle d’un matériau à ses propriétés macroscopiques (mécanique, thermique, électrique, etc.). Les lois de plasticité cristalline visent à prédire les comportements locaux et macroscopiques et/ou les changements de la microstructure lors d’un chargement thermomécanique. Cependant, étant donné l’échelle des mécanismes que ces modèles décrivent, les mesures sont difficiles à réaliser et l’identification des paramètres devient délicate. Il est également nécessaire d’utiliser des données expérimentales à l’échelle du grain. L’objectif de l’étude présentée ici est de développer une procédure robuste pour obtenir au moins deux réponses mécaniques locales distinctes d’un matériau à l’échelle du grain.Les champs total et élastique ont été sélectionnés et ensuite mesurés en même temps à chaque niveau de chargement successif lors d’essais de traction avec décharges. Le champ total a été déterminé par Corrélation d’Images Numériques (CIN) et le champ élastique a été calculé à partir de la mesure de Diffraction des Rayons X (DRX). Deux échantillons oligo-cristallins en alliage d’aluminium (5052) ont été utilisés dans cette étude. Le dispositif et méthode expérimental a été développé pour effectuer simultanément la CIN, la DRX et l’essai de traction in-situ dans un diffractomètre à rayons X. En plus des résultats et des analyses, les incertitudes ont également été quantifiées. / Micromechanical modelling was widely developed during the past 20 years as they enable ones to make direct links between the actual microstructure of a material and its macroscopic properties such as mechanical, thermal, electrical, etc. Crystal plasticity models aim at predicting local and macroscopic behaviours and/or changes of the microstructure during thermomechanical loading. However, the parameters of these models are difficult to identify, because the mechanisms they describe are at a small scale and are thus complicated to measure. For this reason, the crystalline model identification requires the use of experimental data at the grain scale. The objective of the study presented here is to develop a robust procedure to obtain at least two distinct local mechanical responses of a material at the grain scale.The total and elastic strain fields have been chosen to be characterised referring to the research interest and the adaptability of experimental methodologies. When samples were subjected to simple tensile loadings and unloadings, strain fields were measured on the sample surface simultaneously at each successive level. Total strain fields were determined by the Digital Image Correlation technique (DIC) while elastic strain fields were calculated from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Two oligo-crystalline samples of an aluminium alloy (5052) has been prepared and used in this study. The experimental device and methodology was designed and developped to perform DIC, XRD and tensile tests in-situ in an X-ray diffractometer. The total and elastic strain fields of two samples through in situ tension experiments were obtained. Besides results and analysis, the corresponding uncertainties during each measurement were quantified as well.

Les alliages à grains ultrafins semblent prometteurs, au vu de leur forte résistance en traction et de la possibilité d'une mise en forme superplastique à basse température. Toutefois, leurs mécanismes de déformation, qui comportent une part plus ou moins forte de glissement aux joints de grains restent mal connus, et leurs performances en fatigue ont été peu étudiées. Ce travail vise à comparer et analyser le comportement viscoplastique et les mécanismes de déformation et d'endommagement en traction et en fatigue d’un alliage d’aluminium-magnésium "classique" et à grains ultrafins (600nm en moyenne) obtenu par déformation plastique sévère, selon le procédé ECAP.Des essais de relaxation, fluage et traction à diverses vitesses et températures ont permis de mesurer les évolutions des sensibilités à la vitesse en fonction de ces deux paramètres et de montrer: 1) que le raffinement microstructural accroît sensiblement la sensibilité à la vitesse 2) que ce paramètre augmente avec la vitesse de déformation 3) qu'il contrôle la ductilité du matériau à grains ultrafins, qui s'accroît donc à faible vitesse 4) que cette ductilité devient supérieure à celle du matériau classique lorsque la température s'élève. Les domaines de vitesse et température dans lesquels le raffinement microstructural accroît ou diminue la résistance en traction ont été délimités.Les mécanismes de déformation et d'endommagement des deux matériaux ont été étudiés au moyen d'essais de traction sous MEB accompagnés de mesures des champs de déformation par corrélation d'images à plusieurs échelles: méso et microscopique, grâce à des microgrilles d'or et sub-micrométrique, grâce à un mouchetis très fin obtenu par démouillage d'un film d'or. Le glissement aux joints est d'autant plus actif, dans les deux matériaux, que la température augmente et que la vitesse de déformation diminue. Dans l'alliage à grains ultrafins, il a un caractère coopératif et survient préférentiellement aux joints de forte désorientation. Les champs de déformation sont plus hétérogènes dans le matériau à grains ultrafins, où le taux de déformation dépasse 100% dans des bandes localisées.Un modèle éléments finis 2D intégrant, outre la viscoplasticité au sein des grains, un glissement visqueux des joints, a été identifié dans toute la gamme de température explorée et rend assez bien compte du comportement viscoplastique des deux matériaux et de la contribution beaucoup plus forte du glissement aux joints dans l'alliage à grains ultrafins. Il permet également de préciser comment évolue cette contribution au cours de l'écrouissage.Des essais de traction-compression à déformation plastique imposée ont permis d'étudier la plasticité cyclique et les mécanismes d'endommagement en fatigue oligocyclique et des essais à contrainte imposée, d'explorer la fatigue à grand nombre de cycles. Les essais ont été suivis d'observations des surfaces de rupture et d'une analyse statistique de l'endommagement en surface, ainsi que d'observations au MET des arrangements de dislocations. Les deux matériaux manifestent un durcissement cyclique, plus modeste dans l'alliage à grains ultrafins, qui présente, à forte amplitude, une croissance de ses grains. L'écrouissage isotrope prédomine dans l'alliage classique, où la densité de dislocations augmente fortement avec la plasticité cyclique, alors que l'écrouissage cinématique prédomine dans l'alliage à grains ultrafins, en raison de sa moindre aptitude à stocker des dislocations et de la plus grande hétérogénéité de sa déformation plastique. A même amplitude plastique, ce dernier a une durée de vie plus faible, en raison d'un amorçage bien plus rapide des fissures, à partir de particules intermétalliques. A contrainte imposée, le matériau a grain ultrafins a une durée de vie légèrement supérieure, grâce à une propagation plus lente des microfissures, dont le trajet est transgranulaire dans les plus gros grains et intergranulaire dans les plus petits. / Ultrafine grained (UFG) alloys seem promising, based on their high tensile properties and the possibility of superplastic forming at relatively low temperature. However, their deformation mechanisms are not fully understood, and their performance in fatigue has not been thoroughly investigated. This work compares the viscoplastic behavior, and the deformation and damage mechanisms in tension and fatigue of a UFG Al-Mg alloy (600 nm mean grain size) obtained by severe plastic deformation (ECAP process) with that of its coarse-grained (CG) counterpart.The strain rate sensitivity (SRS) of both materials has been measured during creep, relaxation and tensile tests run at various strain rates and temperature. Microstructural refinement is shown to increase the SRS, which rises as the strain rate decreases, and controls the ductility. The UFG material becomes softer and more ductile than the CG material at high temperature. The temperature and strain rate domain for which the UFG alloy is stronger or softer has been determined.Tensile tests run in a SEM, with DIC measurements of strain fields at meso/ micro scales (using gold microgrids printed by electron beam lithography) and at sub-micron scale (using a superfine speckle obtained by film remodelling) have shown that grain boundary sliding is more and more active in both materials as the temperature rises and as the strain rate decreases. Grain boundary sliding is cooperative and occurs mostly at high-angle grain boundaries in the UFG alloy, where the strain field is more heterogeneous, and where very high strain levels (> 100%) are often observed in localized bands.A 2D finite element model taking into account the viscoplastic behaviour inside the grains, and viscous sliding at the grain boundaries has been identified other the whole temperature range investigated. It captures well the observed behaviours and the much larger contribution of grain boundary sliding in the UFG alloy. It also provides the evolution of this contribution during strain hardening.Plastic strain-controlled push-pull tests and stress-controlled push-pull tests were run to investigate the cyclic behaviour and damage mechanisms of the two materials in low and high-cycle fatigue. The tests were followed by fractographic observations, statistical analysis of surface damage, as well as TEM observations of dislocations arrangements. Both materials exhibit cyclic hardening, although it is more modest in the UFG alloy, in which grain growth occurs at high amplitude. While isotropic hardening predominates in the CG alloy where the density of dislocation strongly increases during cyclic tests, kinematic hardening predominates in the UFG alloy, because of its limited capacity to store dislocations and its more heterogeneous plastic deformation. For a given plastic strain range, the UFG alloy has a shorter fatigue life than its CG counterpart, because of a much easier crack initiation, mostly from intermetallic particles. For a given stress range, it has a slightly higher life, due to a slower development of microcracks, which have a transgranular path in the largest grains, with some intergranular growth within the smallest grains.

En réponse aux exigences de la réglementation REACH qui prévoit que les substances à base de chrome hexavalent devront être soumises à autorisation dès 2017, les industriels du secteur aéronautique mènent depuis plusieurs années des activités de recherche et développement de nouveaux procédés de traitement de surface moins néfastes pour l’environnement et la santé. Le travail prévu dans le programme de recherche NEPAL (NouvellEs Protections des ALuminiums) s’inscrit dans cette dynamique. Les traitements mettant en oeuvre des composés à base de Cr(VI) sont destinés à disparaître dans un proche avenir ; ainsi de nouvelles formulations ont été développées parmi lesquelles des procédés de conversion à base de chrome trivalent. Le projet de thèse vise à renforcer la robustesse de ces procédés en apportant des éléments de compréhension pour ce qui concerne la tenue à la corrosion des alliages d’aluminium revêtus de couches de conversion au chrome trivalent en relation avec leur état microstructural. Les travaux de thèse ont été développés sur une nuance d’alliage d’aluminium 2024, parmi celles les plus utilisées dans le secteur aéronautique. Plusieurs microstructures ont été considérées dans le but de modifier la distribution en éléments d’alliages majoritaires, le cuivre et le magnésium. La caractérisation fine de la microstructure et l’évaluation de la réactivité des échantillons dans les différents bains de traitement de conversion ont permis de mettre en évidence l’influence de la répartition du cuivre dans l’alliage, élément néfaste pour la croissance des couches de conversion lorsqu’il se trouve sous forme de précipités fins. Finalement, l’étude de deux tôles d’alliage d’aluminium d’épaisseurs différentes met en évidence l’influence de nouveaux paramètres microstructuraux tels que les joints de grains ou la précipitation grossière. Ce travail a été réalisé dans le cadre du projet FUI NEPAL. Le CIRIMAT a été financièrement soutenu par le Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Industrie français (BPI-France), la Région Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée et l’Union Européenne (FEDER/ERDF). / In reply to REACH regulation, which stipulates that hexavalent chromium substance shall besubject to authorization in 2017, manufacturers of aeronautic industries have performed, forseveral years, research and development of new surface treatments less harmful for theenvironment and health. The work planned in NEPAL (NEw Protections for ALminium) researchprogram is part of this large program. The chromate-containing treatments, using Cr(VI)compounds, will disappear in the near future; new formulations have been developed includingtrivalent chromium conversion processes. The thesis project aims to reinforce robustness of theseprocesses by providing data useful for understanding the corrosion resistance of aluminium alloyscoated with trivalent chromium coatings, in relation to their microstructural state. The thesis workwas developed on a 2024 aluminium alloy, among those most used in the aeronautics sector.Several microstructures were considered in order to modify the distribution of major alloyselements, copper and magnesium. The fine characterization of the microstructure and theevaluation of the reactivity of the samples in the different conversion treatment baths highlight theinfluence of the copper distribution in the alloy, this alloying element being detrimental to thegrowth of the conversion coating when it is in the form of fine precipitates. Finally, the study of twosheets of aluminium alloy with different thicknesses reveals the influence of new microstructuralparameters such as grain boundaries or coarse precipitation. This work was performed in theframework of the NEPAL FUI project. CIRIMAT was financially supported by the French Ministry ofEconomy and industry (BPI-France), the Région Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée and theEuropean Union (FEDER/ERDF).

Composites have been developed with great success by the use of fiber reinforcements in metallic materials. Fiber reinforced metal matrices possess great potential to be the next generation of advanced composites offering many advantages compared to fiber reinforced polymers. Specific advantages include high temperature capability, superior environmental stability, better transverse modulus, shear and fatigue properties. Although many Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are attractive for use in different industrial applications, Aluminium Matrix Composites (AMCs) are the most used in advanced applications because they combine acceptable strength, low density, durability, machinability, availability, effectiveness and cost. The present study focuses on the fabrication of aluminium matrix composite plates by squeeze casting using plain weave carbon fiber preform (AS4 Hexcel) as reinforcement and a matrix of wrought aluminium alloy 1235-H19. The objective is to investigate the process feasibility and resulting materials properties such as hardness at macro- and micro-scale, impact and bend strength. The properties obtained are compared with those of 6061/1235-H19 aluminium plates that were manufactured under the same fabrication conditions. The effect of fiber volume fraction on the properties is also investigated. Furthermore, the characterization of the microstructure is done using Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to establish relationships between the quality of the fiber/aluminium interface bond and mechanical properties of the composites. In conclusion, aluminium matrix composite laminate plates were successfully produced. The composites show a good chemical bond between the fiber and the aluminium matrix. This bond resulted from heterogeneous precipitation of aluminium carbides (Al4C3) at the interface between aluminium matrix and carbon fiber. The hardness at macro- and micro-scale of the composites increases by over 50% and the flexural modulus increases by about 55%. The toughness of the composite decreases due to the presence of brittle phases which can be improved by better oxidation prevention. Also, an optimal carbon volume fraction was observed that provides optimal properties including peak hardness, peak stiffness and peak toughness.

Fly ash is a lightweight coal combustion by-product (CCB) separated from the exhaust gases of power generating plants using suspension-fired furnaces in which pulverized coal is used as the fuel. Its physical and chemical properties make it useful in construction and industrial materials, especially in cement manufacturing, concrete, liquid waste stabilization, and hydraulic mine backfill. The addition of fly ash into aluminum alloys has the potential to reduce the cost and density of aluminum castings while improving other physical and mechanical properties of the resulting metal matrix composites (MMCs). <p> This study investigated the effect of fly ash addition on the mechanical properties and microstructural behaviour of aluminum casting alloy A535. The unreinforced A535 alloy and its MMCs containing a mixture of 5 wt.% fly ash and 5 wt.% silicon carbide, 10 wt.% fly ash and 15 wt.% fly ash were investigated in the as-cast and solution heat treated conditions. Microhardness measurements, Charpy impact testing, tensile testing, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) were used to evaluate these effects. <p> The results of this study show that increasing the fly ash content of the melt increased the porosity of the castings, which ultimately affected the density, tensile and impact properties of the MMCs. The density, microhardness, tensile strength and Charpy impact energy of the composites decreased with increasing fly ash content. The decline in density of the MMCs was due to extensive porosity developed with fly ash addition. Depletion of solid solution strengthening magnesium in the matrix was the reason observed for the decline in hardness. The loss in Charpy impact energy and tensile properties of the MMCs are also attributed partly to the depletion of solid solution strengthening magnesium atoms from the matrix and partly to porosity. <p> Microstructural studies revealed non-uniform distribution of reinforcement particles in the composites. The fly ash particles were found to congregate at the boundaries of a-aluminium dendrites in the castings. Mg content of A535 alloy decreased with increasing weight fraction of fly ash. Mg was found to be tied up in a complex network of Mg2Si thereby reducing its availability in the matrix for solid solution strengthening.

Fly ash is a lightweight coal combustion by-product (CCB) separated from the exhaust gases of power generating plants using suspension-fired furnaces in which pulverized coal is used as the fuel. Its physical and chemical properties make it useful in construction and industrial materials, especially in cement manufacturing, concrete, liquid waste stabilization, and hydraulic mine backfill. The addition of fly ash into aluminum alloys has the potential to reduce the cost and density of aluminum castings while improving other physical and mechanical properties of the resulting metal matrix composites (MMCs). <p> This study investigated the effect of fly ash addition on the mechanical properties and microstructural behaviour of aluminum casting alloy A535. The unreinforced A535 alloy and its MMCs containing a mixture of 5 wt.% fly ash and 5 wt.% silicon carbide, 10 wt.% fly ash and 15 wt.% fly ash were investigated in the as-cast and solution heat treated conditions. Microhardness measurements, Charpy impact testing, tensile testing, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) were used to evaluate these effects. <p> The results of this study show that increasing the fly ash content of the melt increased the porosity of the castings, which ultimately affected the density, tensile and impact properties of the MMCs. The density, microhardness, tensile strength and Charpy impact energy of the composites decreased with increasing fly ash content. The decline in density of the MMCs was due to extensive porosity developed with fly ash addition. Depletion of solid solution strengthening magnesium in the matrix was the reason observed for the decline in hardness. The loss in Charpy impact energy and tensile properties of the MMCs are also attributed partly to the depletion of solid solution strengthening magnesium atoms from the matrix and partly to porosity. <p> Microstructural studies revealed non-uniform distribution of reinforcement particles in the composites. The fly ash particles were found to congregate at the boundaries of a-aluminium dendrites in the castings. Mg content of A535 alloy decreased with increasing weight fraction of fly ash. Mg was found to be tied up in a complex network of Mg2Si thereby reducing its availability in the matrix for solid solution strengthening.

In some applications the stress across the entire cross-section of a component is not uniform but varies with position. For example, maximum shear stress is highest at the inner surface of a thick-walled cylinder subjected to uniform internal pressure and it decreases continuously towards the outer surface. In such applications it would be more appropriate for the component, too, to have varying strength across the cross-section matching with the stress profile it is subjected to. The present work deals with obtaining such a functionally graded material (FGM), characterizing it and testing its mechanical properties in compression. Differential aging heat treatment was used to produce the functionally graded material in a precipitation hardenable Al-4.6%Cu alloy by changing the microstructure. Temperature gradient furnace was used to achieve the gradation in microstructure from one end of the sample to the other end by differential aging of the solution treated sample. Mechanical properties can be varied in any precipitation hardenable alloy by means of producing various precipitates, which will form during the aging sequence. In Al-4.6%Cu alloy one end of the solution treated sample was aged for 38 hours at 170°C and the other end at 70°C by means of a temperature gradient furnace in which the coil density varies along the axis of the furnace. Thus we achieved a difference in mechanical properties from 70°C side to 170°C side as the precipitation during differential aging varied from GP zones at one end to θ' precipitate at the other end. Characterization was done on isothermally aged samples and in FGM using XRD (X-ray diffraction) and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy). XRD result showed that the final equilibrium precipitate θ was not formed in any of the heat-treated samples. TEM result showed the various precipitation sequences from GP zones to θ' in the isothermally aged samples and the same was confirmed in the gradient sample by cutting the samples form 70°C side towards the 170°C side and doing TEM on each sample. The properties of FGM in compression were studied using a 9mmx9mmxl8mm-compression sample using DARTEC machine and it was compared with those of isothermally aged samples. For 70°C the 0.2% proof stress was 141MPa and for 170°C it was 226MPa. The corresponding ductility values at the point of inflection on the engineering stress-strain curve for 70°C sample was higher (33%) than the 170°C (22%) sample. For the gradient sample it gave a proof stress of 163MPa and a ductility value of 30%.

Dans une démarche globale d'allègement des structures aéronautiques assemblées par soudage (projet ASA avec EADS et ALCAN), le dimensionnement en tolérance au dommage nécessite de connaitre les tailles admissibles des fissures sur les panneaux structuraux de fuselage. Les alliages d'aluminium utilisés dans l'aéronautique ont une ténacité élevée. Les normes appliquées conduisent donc à faire des essais (dits de courbe R) sur de larges plaques. Ces essais sont très couteux et difficiles à modéliser par une approche globale de la rupture. Une approche locale pourrait etre utilisée pour modéliser la ténacité des joints soudés et limiter ainsi le nombre d'essais sur larges plaques.<br />Un des enjeux majeurs de ce travail est l'étude du comportement des tôles et des joints soudés en alliage d'aluminium 6056 des structures aéronautiques pour les fuselages des avions. Le but est de mettre en évidence, d'une part, l'effet d'épaisseur et d'écrouissage des tôles laminées sur les modes de rupture et d'autre part, les mécanismes de rupture mis en jeu dans un joint soudé par laser CO2. Cela nécessite alors la caractérisation de la microstructure et des propriétés mécaniques des tôles et des différentes zones du joint soudé telles que la zone fondue, la zone affectée thermiquement et le métal de base. Différents types d'essais mécaniques sont menés sur des éprouvettes lisses, entaillées et des éprouvettes de fissuration de type Kahn. Ils permettent d'identifier les paramètres du modèle d'approche locale associés aux tôles d'aluminium et aux différentes zones de la soudure pour modéliser par éléments finis les mécanismes de rupture.

Semi-solid manufacturing is a near net shape forming process that takes advantage of an alloy's thixotropic behaviour. However, in order to obtain the desired thixotropic properties from an alloy in the semi -solid state, the microstructure of the as-cast feedstock metal needs to display a fine grained, equiaxed primary phase prior to reheating for the forming operation. Various methods are currently in use to obtain the required microstructure of which the MagnetoHydroDynamic (MHD) process is predominant. Two fundamental factors, namely shear rate and cooling rate, influence the formation of the fine grained, equiaxed primary phase during the MHD process. The aim of this research was to produce semi solid billets and in so doing, determine how the influence of the combination of the two fundamental factors contribute towards the final formation of the primary phase and to determine an optimal level ofthese factors' settings to deliver the desired microstructure. An MHD apparatus was constructed and the Taguchi method was used to design an experiment to investigate the influence ofthe fundamental factors involved in casting semi solid feedstock of aluminium A356.2. The issues ofthe formation of a fine eutectic phase and solidification shrinkage were also investigated. An experimental method was designed to investigate the significance ofthe fundamental factors' influence towards the appearance of the primary phase; the latter was evaluated using an image analysis system. The shear rate was controlled by varying the line frequency and the base frequency supplied to the electromagnetic stirrer and the cooling rate was controlled by initiation of a fixed, fast cooling rate at a certain melt temperature (TJ Results showed that a fine grained, equiaxed primary phase, with an average grain size of 55 /lm, was achieved after casting, prior to reheating for forming. The contribution of the base frequency and the line frequency were 8 % and 3.5 % respectively and the contribution ofTi was 86.5 % towards the outcome ofthe result. The cooling rate changed from approximately 0.3 QC/sec to 4.5 QC/sec at Ti. A fine textured eutectic phase was achieved with the fast cooling rate. The solidification shrinkage was accounted for by incorporating a riser on the mould. The feedstock produced in this research was compared, on a microstructural basis, to commercially available Semi Solid Metal (SSM) feedstock from Pechiney and SAG. The research feedstock had a larger, average primary grain size, however, it was more discrete and round grained than the commercial alloys which were finer and more rosette grained. Upon reheating to the semi solid state, ready for forming, the final, evolved grain sizes and shapes were almost identical between the research and commercial feedstock, despite the initial differences in grain sizes and shapes. However, the commercial alloys showed primary grains with trapped eutectic whereas in the research alloy, the primary grains were largely free of trapped eutectic. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.