Witold K. Krajewski

Determination of Al Site Preference in L12 TiZn3 - Base Trialuminides

The atoms site preference in the Al3Ti-Zn system has been studied using H. Rietveld method. The L12 Ti(Al, Zn)3 particles evolve in a ZnAl25 melt from the L12TiZn3 particles in the ZnTi4 master alloy. It is found that Zn is replaced by Al during the transformation TiZn3 → Ti(Al, Zn)3. In the evolving fcc L12 Ti(Al, Zn)3 phase Ti occupies (0, 0, 0) position while Al and Zn occupy (0, 0.5, 0.5) position, similarly to Al and X in the Al3Ti-X systems, where X = Ni, Cr, Mn, Cu, Ag, Pd [1, 2].

Determining Temperature Dependencies of Sand Mould Thermal Properties

The presented work is aimed at determining thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and heat capacity coefficients of silica quartz bentonite foundry sand. The values of the above thermo-physical properties were determined for temperature range of about 30 - 450 °C using the Casting measuring method [1-. The results obtained during the examinations presented in the paper can be useful when formulating boundary conditions in numerical models of heat and mass transfer in the system: casting mould ambient. The Casting method allows preserving real conditions during the experiment, i.e. contact of the mass with liquid metal and solidifying casting, and the obtained results are in a good agreement with the mean values available in literature. From the obtained results it follows that examinations should be also focused on thermo-physical properties vs. mass density dependency.

Determining Thermal Properties of Insulating Sleeves

The presented work is aimed at determining thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and heat capacity of insulating sleeves used in Polish metallurgical/foundry practice. On basis of the theory elaborated in [1] the mean values of thermophysical properties for temperatures range of about 150-1000 oC were obtained. The results obtained during the examinations presented in the paper can be helpful when formulating boundary conditions during the computer aided simulation of the processes of heat and mass transfer in the system: casting (ingot) – mould riser (ingot head) – ambient, which uses the investigated insulating sleeves [2, 3]. The method of determining thermal properties can be also used for other foundry materials, e.g. sands or cores.

New developments on optimizing properties of high-Zn aluminium cast alloys

Foundry alloys with Al-based matrices have a wide range of uses in todays global economy and there is a high demand for castings of Al alloys, including Al-Zn alloys. In this paper, investigations on the grain refinement of high-Zn aluminium cast alloys are presented. Aluminium alloys with relatively high zinc content have a tendency to be coarse-grained, especially in the case of castings with low cooling rates such as are found in sand moulds. The coarse-grained structure degrades the plasticity, specifically the elongation. Therefore, for aluminium alloys of high (10-30 wt.%) zinc content, inoculation is attractive, aiming to break up the primary dendrites of the a-phase solid solution of zinc in aluminium. Such dendrites are the principal microstructural component in these alloys. On the other hand, a finer grain structure usually reduces the damping (e.g. as measured by attenuation of ultrasound) in these alloys. In the present investigations, a binary sand-cast Al-20 wt.% Zn alloy was inoculated with different additions of AlTi3C0.15 (TiCAl) and ZnTi-based master alloys. The sand-cast samples were subjected to mechanical-property measurements (tensile strength and elongation), image analysis to determine grain size, and measurements of the attenuation of 1 MHz ultrasound. It is found that both of the master alloys used cause significant refinement of the a-AlZn primary dendrites and change their morphology from linear-branched to semi-globular, increase the elongation by about 40%, and decrease the attenuation coefficient by about 25% in comparison with the initial alloy without inoculation.

Property enhancement by grain refinement of zinc-aluminium foundry alloys

Development of cast alloys with good mechanical properties and involving less energy consumption during their melting is one of the key demands of todays industry. Zinc foundry alloys of high and medium Al content, i.e. Zn-(15-30) wt.% Al and Zn-(8-12) wt.% Al, can satisfy these requirements. The present paper summarizes the work [1-9] on improving properties of sand-cast ZnAl10 (Zn-10 wt.% Al) and ZnAl25 (Zn-25 wt. % Al) alloys by melt inoculation. Special attention was devoted to improving ductility, whilst preserving high damping properties at the same time. The composition and structural modification of medium- and high-aluminium zinc alloys influence their strength, tribological properties and structural stability. In a series of studies, Zn - (10-12) wt. % Al and Zn - (25-26) wt.% Al - (1-2.5) wt.% Cu alloys have been doped with different levels of added Ti. The melted alloys were inoculated with ZnTi-based refiners and it was observed that the dendritic structure is significantly finer already after addition of 50 - 100 ppm Ti to the melted alloys. The alloys structure and mechanical properties have been studied using: SEM (scanning electron microscopy), LM (light microscopy), dilatometry, pin-on-disc wear, and tensile strength measurements. Grain refinement leads to significant improvement of ductility in the binary high-aluminium Zn-(25-27) Al alloys while in the medium-aluminium alloys the effect is rather weak. In the ternary alloys Zn-26Al-Cu, replacing a part of Cu with Ti allows dimensional changes to be reduced while preserving good tribological properties. Furthermore, the high initial damping properties were nearly entirely preserved after inoculation. The results obtained allow us to characterize grain refinement of the examined high-aluminium zinc alloys as a promising process leading to the improvement of their properties. At the same time, using low melting ZnTi-based master alloys makes it possible to avoid the excessive melt overheating needed for TiCAl or TiBAl refiners and reduces the possibility of gas pick-up and material loss.

The Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of the Ni-Al-V Alloys Prepared by Levitation and Crystallization in Copper Mould

Microstructure and mechanical properties of NiAlV alloys of the composition belonging to the pseudo-binary Ni3Al-Ni3V cross-section were investigated. The samples were prepared by the cold crucible levitation melting (CCLM) and by re-melting and crystallizing in the small volume copper mould. The phase composition of the samples, with should result from the eutectoidal decomposition was not found. Instead the Ni3(Al,V) and Ni(Al,V) solid solution or seldom disordered solid solution were retained due to the relatively high cooling rates. In the compression test the NiAlV alloys crystallized in the copper mould revealed high ductility and strength.

Heat Balance of the Model Ingot Head

The paper brings data about heat balance of the killed steel ingot head. The balance is obtained on basis of the temperature measurement in the system: ingot body - ingot head - ingot mould - insulating sleeves – radiation shield - ambient. The measurements were performed using model sys-tem (1:5) of the 20000 kg flat ingot. The balance shows that about 86% of the heat issued during solidification of the ingot head is transferred to the ingot mould through the insulating sleeves. In order to decrease this heat, insulating sleeves of low thermal conductivity are required, which should allow reducing dimensions of the ingot head and increasing the metal yield.