Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Nowadays semisolid processing of materials attracts much research interest because both scientists and industrial engineers believe that such processing may reduce significantly the number of operations to obtain the final product, compared to classical manufacturing. One semisolid technique under current extensive investigation is casting of materials displaying a globular (thixotropic) microstructure. This paper reports a detailed study of this method. First, the experimental preparation of Al–Si alloy billets and test parts with a complicated shape are described. Then, an approach to numerical modelling the casting of test parts is described briefly. Computer software FORGE3 is used to reproduce the moving front of the material with high accuracy. Finally, three dimensional numerical simulations of low temperature (incomplete) casts are discussed in detail. It is concluded that by comparing low temperature simulated casts with experimental casts one may learn the important information needed to develop detailed theoretical models of thixocasting.

Keywords

METALS AND ALLOYS PHASE CHANGE THIXOFORMING RHEOLOGY CASTING COMPUTER SIMULATION

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Flemings

M. C.

: in Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on ‘Semi-solid processing of alloys and composites’, (ed. Chiarmetta

G. L.

and Rosso

), 11-14; 2000, Edimet Spa, Brescia.

Atkinson

H. V.

, Kapranos

, and Kirkwood

D. H.

: in Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on ‘Semi-solid processing of alloys and composites’, (ed. G. L. Chiarmetta, and M. Rosso), 443-450; 2000, Edimet Spa, Brescia.

Kim

N. S.

and Kang

C. G.

: J. Mater. Process. Technot, 2000, 103, 237–246.

Th. Imwinkelried: in Proc. 9th Int. Conf. on ‘Modeling of casting, welding and advanced solidification processes’, (ed.

Sahm

P. R.

et al), 295-302; 2000, Aachen, Shaker Verlag.

Atkinson

H. V.

: Frog. Mater. Sci, 2005, 50, 341–412.

Rouff

, Favier

, Bigot

, Berveiller

and Robelet

: in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. on ‘Advanced semi-solid processing of alloys and composites’, (ed. Tsutsui

et al), 423-428; 2002, Tsukuba, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity.

Das

, Ji

and Fan

: Acta Mater., 2002, 50, 4571–4585.

Modigell

, Koke

and Petera

: in Proc. 5th Int. Conf. on ‘Semi-solid processing of alloys and composites’, (ed. Bhashin

A. K.

et al.), 317-326; 1998, Golden, Colorado School of Mines.

Kang

C. G.

and Chung

Y. J.

: in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. on ‘Numerical methods in industrial forming processes’, (ed. K. Mori), 1079-1085; 2001, Lisse, A. A. Balkema Publishers.

10.

Orgéas

, Gabathuler

J.-P.

, Imwinkelried

Th.

, Paradies

Ch.

and Rappaz

Model. Simut Mater. Sci Eng., 2003, 11, 553–574.

11.

Chenot

J.-L.

and Bellet

: in ‘Numerical modelling of material deformation processes’, (ed. Hartley

et al), 179-224; 1992, London, Springer-Verlag.

12.

Mocellin

, Fourment

, Coupez

and Chenot

J.-L.

: Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng., 2001, 52, 473–488.

13.

http://www.transvalor.com (Transvalor Virtual Workshop), 2005.

14.

Lewis

R. W.

and Ravindran

: Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng., 2000, 47, 29–59.

15.

Rappaz

, Bellet

and Deville

: ‘Numerical modeling in material science and engineering’, 7; 2003, Berlin, Springer-Verlag.

16.

Navti

S. E.

, Lewis

R. W.

and Taylor

: Int. J. Numer. Meth. Heat Fluid Flow, 1998, 8, 445–464.

17.

Wahlen

: Mater. Sci Forum, 2002, 396-402,185–190.

18.

Ding

Z. Y.

, Pan

H. P.

and Xie

S. S.

: in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. on ‘Advanced semi-solid processing of alloys and composites’, (ed. Tsutsui

et al), 455-460; 2002, Tsukuba, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity.

19.

Rassili

, Geuzaine

, Legros

, Bobadilla

, Cucatto

, Robelet

, Demurger

, Abdelfattah

, Hass

, Andersson

and Speisser

: in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. on ‘Advanced semi-solid processing of alloys and composites’, (ed. Tsutsui

et al.), 367-372; 2002, Tsukuba, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity.

20.

Bellet

and Mpong

S. M.

: in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. on ‘Numerical methods in industrial forming processes’, (ed. K. Mori), 1087-1092; 2001, Lisse, A. A. Balkema Publishers.

21.

Wagoner

R. H.

and Chenot

J.-L.

: ‘Fundamentals of metal forming’, 318; 1997, New York, John Wiley & Sons.

22.

Kopp

, Winning

, Kallweit

, Knissel

, Gabathuler

J.-P.

and Quast

: in ‘Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on ‘Semi-solid processing of alloys and composites’, (ed. Chiarmetta

G. L.

and Rosso

), 687-691; 2000, Edimet Spa, Brescia.

Modelling thixocasting with precise accounting of moving front of material

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References