Thesis (M.S.) -- Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: liquid mixing; CDS; casting' wrought; AI-Si; AI alloys; AI; aluminum; Includes bibliographical references (p.11-9).

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: CRP; Thixocasting; Rheocating; Semisolid. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 46-48).

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: thixocasting; SSM; semi-solid processing; liquid metal mixing; rheocasting. Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-90).

The enactement of the Energy Policy and conservation Act of 1975, led to a paradigm shift in material selection and design in the automotive industry. The net effect was an increased focus by the automotive industry toward the use of light metals leading for the reduction of weight and hence, the dependence of imported oil. Increasing use of aluminum was a transition in that direction. However, raw aluminum on an average is 1.5 - 2 times as expensive as steel. Near net shape manufacturing processes (Die casting, Thixo-forging, etc) provided the much needed competitive advantage vis-à-vis steel / iron parts by permitting the manufacturing of Al components. Semi solid processing involves the net shape manufacturing of alloys in a two phase region (liquid + solid). The reduced turbulence (during casting), less entrapped gases and lower operating temperatures (processes below the liquidus) make semi solid processing ideal for the manufacturing of high integrity Al parts. Traditionally, semi solid processing involved the heating of billets to a two phase region (called Thixcasting). Rheocasting is a new semi solid processing technique wherein the alloy is cooled from a liquid state (a combination of controlled heat / nucleation and growth phenomena) to yield structures similar to the Thixocasting process. Rheocasting or Slurry-On-Demand is in its early stages of development (the first industrial prototype of rheocasting was invented in the late 1990's) and forms the central point of interest in this work. Much research is underway around the globe to understand the controlling mechanism as well as the structure - property relationships in rheocast parts, primarily limited to the hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys (less than 12.6% Si). This work is dedicated in the development of novel methods for the rheocasting of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys (greater than 12.6% Si) and Al based wrought alloys (alloys with Cu, Zn, Mg and Si as alloying elements). The thesis presents the problems associated with microstructure control of hypereutectic Al-Si (primary Si coarsening and accelerated growth) and Al based wrought alloys (dendritic structures and hot tearing) with currently available technologies. Novel processing techniques are presented for the casting of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys and Al based wrought alloys with a combination of industrial trials and a through analysis of the underlying mechanisms.

"Semi-solid metal (SSM) processing has emerged as a preferred manufacturing method due to the superior quality associated with semi-solid castings. In recent years, the driving force to reduce process cost has led to the development of a few rheocasting (also termed slurry-on-demand) processes. These include UBE’s New Rheocasting (NRC) process [1], Idra Prince’s Semi-Solid Rheocasting (SSR) process [2], and THT’s Sub-Liquidus Casting (SLC®) process [3]. A novel slurry-making SSM process developed at ACRC/MPI, termed the “Continuous Rheoconversion Process” (CRP), is a passive liquid mixing technique in which the nucleation and growth of the primary phase are controlled using a specially designed “reactor”. The reactor provides heat extraction, copious nucleation and forced convection during the initial stage of solidification, leading to the formation of thixotropic structures. In these studies, the critical issues/challenges to optimize the CRP for industrial applications have been addressed through validation experiments and pre-industrial trials."

"New, economical semi-solid metal (SSM) processes rely on forced convection during solidification to influence non-dendritic growth. The fundamental mechanisms that produce SSM microstructures in the presence of forced convection (due to fluid flow) are not fully understood. The objective of this work is to elucidate these mechanisms through the use of a new semi-solid slurry-making technique. Employing an apparatus developed at WPI, two alloy melts are mixed within a static reactor that induces convection and rapid cooling. Experiments carried out with this apparatus, named the “Continuous Rheoconversion Process” (CRP), result in globular semi-solid microstructures throughout a wide range of processing conditions. These conditions include the superheat in the melts before mixing, cooling rate of the slurry through the SSM range, and the presence or absence of inoculants in the melts. The results comprise repeatable sets of semi-solid microstructures having fine particle size and shape factors approaching unity. Even in the absence of melt inoculants, uniform distributions of α-Al particle sizes of about 60µm are attainable. Entrapped liquid is not present in the majority of the samples obtained with the CRP, and irregular particles that form in the process are of a limited distribution. Variation of slurry analysis methods indicates that these structures can be obtained consistently for both thixocasting and rheocasting applications. The design of the mixing reactor leads to turbulent fluid flow just as solidification commences. The results suggest that the following factors must be considered in identifying the mechanisms operating under the above conditions: copious nucleation of the primary phase; dispersion of nuclei throughout the bulk liquid; and inhibited remelting of nuclei due to temperature uniformity. In the CRP, these factors consistently lead to suppression of dendritic growth, significant grain refinement, and globular slurries. The exact fundamental mechanism leading to this effect is yet to be uncovered; however it is clear that temperature gradients ahead of the liquid are such that a cellular, non-dendritic morphology is the most stable growth form. Through further exploration of the process and identification of the operating mechanisms, future development of economical, continuous rheocasting methods will be facilitated."

High-pressure die casting of semi-solid aluminium-silicon alloys is used in the automotive industry to manufacture components, like housings, brackets, and bars. It is commonly known that during high-pressure die casting, defect bands may be created that follow the contour of the component surface. These bands consist mainly of a eutectic phase. This phenomenon is also observed in semi-solid metal slurry high-pressure die casting. These bands could lead to premature failure of the component in service. The origin of these bands is not fully understood and so this research focuses on investigating these bands and their origins further. A series of casting trials were conducted with varying plunger velocity. Subsequent investigation using optical and scanning electron microscopy showed that a change of the plunger velocity alters the number of bands present in the samples. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that a measurable difference in aluminium quantity across the band was noticed and it was postulated that aluminium migrates towards the component centre. Therefore, different mechanisms responsible for particle migrations found in literature were investigated and assessed quantitatively using experimental data and information from published literature. It was found that the Saffman lift force and the Mukai-Lin-Laplace effect were the mechanisms that were most likely to cause such a migration of aluminium. Further experimental investigation is recommended to identify which of the two mechanisms is ultimately responsible for the migration and to optimise the high-pressure die casting procedure to minimise defect band formation. / Produktion av högtrycksgjutning av halvfasta aluminium-kisellegeringar används i fordonsindustrin för att tillverka komponenter, som exempel till kåpor, konsoler och stag. Det är allmänt känt att defektband kan formas under högtrycksgjutning som följer konturen av komponentytan. Dessa band består huvudsakligen av eutektisk fas. Detta fenomen har också observerats vid högtrycksgjutning produktion av halvfast slurry. Potentiellt kan dessa band leda till en försämring av komponentens mekaniska egenskaper och resultera i ett förtida brott. Ursprunget av dessa band är inte helt kartlagda och det är därför viktigt att fokusera ytterligare på denna forskning och att undersöka dessa band och deras ursprung. En serie med gjutningsförsök genomfördes med varierande kolvhastighet. Efterföljande undersökning med optisk- och svepelektronmikroskopi visade att en förändring av kolvhastigheten förändrar antalet band som finns i proverna. Energidispersiv röntgenspektroskopi avslöjade en mätbar skillnad i aluminiumkvantitet över bandet, och det antogs att aluminium migrerar mot centrum av komponenten. Därför undersöktes och utvärderades olika mekanismer som ansvarar för partikelmigrationer som finns att finna i litteratur med hjälp av experimentella data och information från publicerad litteratur. Det visade sig att Saffman lyftkraft och Mukai-Lin-Laplace effekten var de mekanismer som mest troligen orsakade migration av aluminium. Ytterligare experimentella försök rekommenderas för att identifiera vilken av dessa två mekanismerna som i slutändan är ansvarig för migrationen. Detta för att optimera gjutningsprocessen och därmed minimera uppkomsten av defektband.