Carsten Afrath

Semi Solid Casting and Forging of Steel

The semi solid forming of steel has the potential of an innovative technology, which could open a new possibility of metal components production. Earlier research works in the 1990s have already shown the principal feasibility of the process but also revealed the various kinds of technical problems. Since then, research works on steel processing have been continuously made in several locations in Japan, USA and Europe. Currently, the focus of these research activities is the development of suitable tool material and the achievement of high part quality, which is the key point for the success of the process. This paper gives an overview of the previous research works and the current state of the research with an outlook on future tasks for this challenge.

Steels with different carbon content for high pressure die casting in semisolid state

Some excellent projects have been finished successfully since the last conference on the pre-industrial stage showing the great potential of thixoforming technology for steels [1][2]. Experiments presented in this paper on induction heating, process window and mould filling of three widely-used steel alloys offer an even greater field of application for industrial companies. In the past thin walled cutting tools and complex impellers made of cold working steel X210CrW12 were produced at the Foundry Institute [3][4]. Constitutive on this knowledge the field of applications is enlarged by research on two further steel alloys. Processing of 100Cr6 (roller bearing steel) and 42Cr4 (annealing steel) is challenging due to a decreasing window at a higher temperature level with decreasing carbon content. An exact procedure has been worked out to create new control programs for the induction heating unit. It is based on thermo-chemical calculations and delivers billets with feasible temperature distribution and well defined content of liquid phase. Material characterization is performed in a step-die (seven steps between 25 and 0.5mm), especially developed for demands of semi-solid casting. Mould filling capacity, micro structural evolution and mechanical properties are determined on each of the seven steps. For any reproducible process the knowledge of suitable system parameters is essential. To find the limits of the process window sensitive experimental parameters were changed systematically for each of the three steel alloys. In addition to tool temperature the process windows consist principally of content of liquid phase fs, piston velocity vP and pressure during freezing pfr. Characteristic differences appeared between the different steel grades. The thermal simulation was used to find functional dimensions for the gating system and to shorten process times. Simulation of tools system was used to estimate the additional thermal load induced by higher working temperatures. The abrasive wear at the offsets to the next steps was in the same order of magnitude for all examined steels. These results provide the opportunity for commercial steel grades to cast complex steel parts in high pressure die casting.

Potential of the rheocasting process, demonstrated on different aluminum based alloy systems

This work describes the processing of different aluminum cast- and wrought alloys in the Cooling-Channel-Process. The investigations take the castability, the microstructural evolution for the SSM-processing and the resulting properties in the test specimen into account. Beside the alloys AlMg5Si2Mn (M59), AlCu4TiMgAg (AF48), AlSi12CuNiMg (SF70), AlSi17Cu4Mg (SF90), AlZnMgCu1,5 (AA7075) the optimization of the alloy AlSi7Mg0,3 (A356) by the addition of magnesium and copper were a main task of the work.

Comparison of rheological measurement techniques for semi-solid aluminium alloys

Alloys of a specific microstructure exhibit a shear-rate history-dependent flow behaviour in the semi-solid state. Rheological studies have been carried out using various experimental techniques such as concentric cylinder rheometers of Couette or Searle type as well as capillary rheometers and parallel plate compression tests. With the Searle type rheometer and the capillary rheometer two different approaches of rheological measurement techniques are discussed and compared regarding advantages, potentials and its distinct characteristics. Experiments using the Searle type rheometer have been conducted under steady-state or oscillating conditions and have been used to verify time-dependency of step responses due to discontinuous or linear variances of the shear rate. These experiments provide all types of flow curve parameters as implemented in the numerical simulation. However the variances of the commonly used Couette and Searle type rheometers are limited to shear-rates which are significantly lower than that appearing in the technical thixo- or rheocasting processes. For that reason an additional experimental set-up with a horizontal slot capillary integrated in a shot-controlled high-pressure die-casting machine is used in order to examine flow properties at shear rate conditions similar to those in real thixocasting processes. After an initial examination of low temperature model alloys, such as PbSn15, the experimental set-up is then adjusted in order to obtain rheological data for light metal alloys such as Aluminium AlSi7Mg0.3. The Aluminium alloy is processed within each rheometer either as partially solidified or partially remelted in order to represent conditions of both, the conventional thixocasting and the lately introduced rheocasting process. Finally the appearance of physical phenomena which affects the accuracy of rheological experiments such as wall slip is considered for both types of rheometers.