Rheological behavior of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys in the mushy state obtained by partial remelting and partial solidification at high cooling rate

This work investigates the mechanical behavior of two aluminum alloys in the mushy state, the alloy AA6056 and an alloy based on mixing AA6056 and AA4047. These alloys have been studied to give insight into the susceptibility to hot tearing, which occurs during laser welding of AA6056 with 4047 filler wire. Two types of isothermal tensile tests have been conducted: (1) tests during partial remelting and (2) tests after partial solidification at a high cooling rate. Results show that the maximum tensile stress increases with increasing solid volume fraction. Both materials exhibit visco-plastic behavior for solid fractions in the range 0.9 to 0.99, except for a critical solid fraction of 0.97, where the semisolid material also shows minimum ductility. The stress levels observed for the remelting experiments are larger than those found for partial solidification experiments at the same solid fraction due to the influence of the microstructure. The influence of temperature and strain rate on the maximum stress is described by using a constitutive law that takes into account the fraction of grain boundaries wetted by the liquid.     

Thermal strain in the mushy zone related to hot tearing

A volume-averaged two-phase model addressing the main transport phenomena associated with hot tearing in an isotropic mushy zone during solidification of metallic alloys has recently been presented elsewhere along with a new hot tearing criterion addressing both inadequate melt feeding and excessive deformation at relatively high solid fractions. The viscoplastic deformation in the mushy zone is addressed by a model in which the coherent mush is considered as a porous medium saturated with liquid. The thermal straining of the mush is accounted for by a recently developed model taking into account that there is no thermal strain in the mushy zone at low solid fractions because the dendrites then are free to move in the liquid, and that the thermal strain in the mushy zone tends toward the thermal strain in the fully solidified material when the solid fraction tends toward one. In the present work, the authors determined how variations in the parameters of the constitutive equation for thermal strain influence the hot tearing susceptibility calculated by the criterion. It turns out that varying the parameters in this equation has a signiicant effect on both liquid pressure drop and viscoplastic strain, which are key parameters in the hot tearing criterion. However, changing the parameters in this constitutive equation will result in changes in the viscoplastic strain and the liquid pressure drop that have opposite effects on the hot tearing susceptibility. The net effect on the hot tearing susceptibility is thus small.     

The reheating-cooling method: A technique for measuring mechanical properties in the nonequilibrium mushy zones of alloys

The mushy zone of an alloy is in nonequilibrium during solidification. The mechanical properties of alloys in this nonequilibrium mushy zone, especially at small liquid fractions, are closely related to the formation of hot tears during the solidification of castings. It is difficult to measure the mechanical properties in the nonequilibrium mushy zones of alloys at a small liquid fraction, as the liquid fraction decreases rapidly during heating and during the isothermal hold needed to measure mechanical properties, due to backdiffusion in the solid. This article describes a new experimental method for determining mechanical properties in the nonequilibrium mushy zones of alloys. Initial results indicate that the method is better than traditional methods in capturing the brittle nature of alloys at temperatures close to the nonequilibrium solidus temperature.     

Research on the Effect of Pouring Temperature on Hot-Tear Susceptibility of A206 Alloy by Simulation

Cast alloys with wide solidification ranges are prone to hot tearing. This study deals with prediction of hot tearing location and its intensity by computer simulation. The simulation was performed at different pouring temperatures on A206 aluminum alloy. As superheat increases, the critical fraction solid time increases which means the alloy is more susceptible to hot tearing. These theoretical predictions are in complete accordance with experimental results.     

Relationship between tensile and shear strengths of the mushy zone in solidifying aluminum alloys

Strength development in the mushy zone during solidification of three aluminum alloys (Al-4 wt pct Cu, Al-7 wt pct Si-1 wt pct Cu, and Al-7 wt pct Si-4 wt pct Cu) has been measured with two different techniques—horizontal tensile testing and direct shear cell testing. The strength results from the two methods correspond with one another to a much higher degree than suggested by the results presented in the literature. Tensile strength starts to develop at the maximum packing solid fraction, confirmed by the shear strength measurements. The maximum packing fraction represents the point where the internal network structure of the mushy zone is established and ligaments of the network must be broken to rearrange the dendrites. The data indicate a converging trend of the shear and tensile strength at high solid fractions, therefore indicating that the deformation mechanisms are also becoming similar. The results presented in this article suggest that it is possible to develop constitutive equations for the mechanical properties of the mushy zone over the entire solid fraction regime, i.e., from coherency to complete solidification. These equations could be used for the prediction of stress development as well as defect formation.     

Two-phase modeling directed toward hot tearing formation in aluminum direct chill casting

The two-phase mass and momentum conservation equations governing shrinkage-driven melt flow and thermally induced deformation are formulated for the aluminum direct chill (DC) casting process. Two main mechanisms associated with hot tearing formation during solidification and subsequent cooling are thus addressed simultaneously in the same mathematical model. The approach unifies the two-phase mushy zone model outlined by Farup and Mo, the constitutive relations that treat the mushy zone as a viscoplastic porous medium saturated with liquid outlined by Martin et al., and the “classical” mechanics approach to thermally induced deformations in solid (one-phase) materials using the linear kinematics approximation. A temperature field and a unique solidification path are considered as input to the model. The governing equations are solved for a one-dimensional (1-D) situation with some relevance to the DC casting process. The importance of taking into account the transfer of momentum from the liquid phase to the solid phase is then demonstrated through modeling examples. Furthermore, the modeling results indicate that the constitutive law governing the viscoplastic behavior of the solid skeleton of the mushy zone should take into account that the solid skeleton can be compressed/dilated as well as stress space anisotropy. Calculated peak values for liquid pressure and solid stress turn out to correlate to the hot tearing susceptibility measured in casting trials in the sense that trials having the largest cracks are those for which the highest pressures and stresses are computed.     

Thermomechanical analysis of direct chill casting using finite element method

The transient nature of the start-up phase is the most critical phase in the direct chill (DC) casting during which the quality of the ingot is questioned. The hot crack and cold crack are the two major problems in the DC casting which originate during and after the solidification. In this work, the thermal, metallurgical, and the mechanical fields of DC casting are modeled. The attention is focused on the mushy state of alloy where the chances are high for the hot tearing. The heat conduction and metallurgical phase-change phenomenon are modeled together in a strongly coupled manner. An isothermal staggered approach is followed to couple the thermal and mechanical parts within a time step. Finite element method is used to discretize the thermal and mechanical field equations. A temperature-based fixed grid method is followed to incorporate the latent heat. The mushy state of alloy is characterized through the Norton-Hoff viscoplastic law and the solid phase is modeled through the Garafalo law. An axisymmetric round billet is simulated. The casting material is considered as AA1201 aluminum alloy. It is found that all the components of stress and viscoplastic strain are maximum at the billet center. Further, the start-up phase stresses and strains are always higher than the steady state phase. Therefore, the chances of hot crack formation are higher during the start-up phase and specifically at the billet center. It is proved that through the ramping procedure, the vulnerability of start-up phase can be lowered.     

Modeling freckle formation in three dimensions during solidification of multicomponent alloys

The formation of macrosegregation defects known as “freckles” was simulated using a three-dimensional finite element model that calculates the thermosolutal convection and macrosegregation during the dendritic solidification of multicomponent alloys. A recently introduced algorithm was used to calculate the complicated solidification path of alloys of many components, which can accommodate liquidus temperatures that are general functions of liquid concentrations. The calculations are started from an all-liquid state, and the growth of the mushy zone is followed in time. Simulations of a Ni-Al-Ta-W alloy were performed on a rectangular cylinder until complete solidification. The results reveal details of the formation of freckles not previously observed in two-dimensional simulations. Liquid plumes in the form of chimney convection emanate from channels within the mushy zone, with similar qualitative features previously observed in transparent systems. Associated with the formation of channels, there is a complex three-dimensional flow produced by the interaction of the different solutal buoyancies of the alloy solutes. Regions of enhanced solid growth develop around the channel mouths, which are visualized as volcanoes on top of the mushy zone. The prediction of volcanoes differs from our previous calculations with multicomponent alloys in two dimensions, in which the volcanoes were not nearly as apparent. These and other features of freckle formation phenomena are illustrated.     

Simulation of Stresses during Casting of Binary Magnesium-Aluminum Alloys

A viscoplastic stress model is used to predict contraction forces measured during casting of two binary Mg-Al alloys. Force measurements from castings that did not hot tear, together with estimates from data found in the literature, are used to obtain the high-temperature mechanical properties needed in the stress model. In the absence of hot tearing, the simulation results show reasonably good agreement with the measurements. It is found that coherency of the semisolid mush starts at a solid fraction of about 0.5 and that the maximum tensile strength for the Mg-1 and 9 wt pct Al alloys at their final solidification temperatures is 1.5 and 4 MPa, respectively. In the presence of hot tearing, the measured stresses are generally overpredicted, which is attributed to the lack of a fracture model for the mush. Based on the comparison of measured and predicted stresses, it is also shown that coupling of the stress model to feeding flow and macrosegregation calculations is needed in order to accurately predict stresses in the presence of hot tearing.     

Mechanical Behavior of AA6061 Aluminum in the Semisolid State Obtained by Partial Melting and Partial Solidification

The tensile properties of a 6061 aluminum alloy have been studied in the semisolid state at large solid fractions. The tests have been carried out either after a partial melting treatment or after partial solidification. Results show the following: (1) the mechanical behavior depends on the liquid-phase distribution and, therefore, on the way the semisolid state has been achieved (melting or solidification); (2) there is a critical solid fraction range where the semisolid alloy is relatively brittle; and (3) the mushy alloy exhibits viscoplastic behavior with the occurrence of micro-superplasticity at low strain rate. Modeling of this behavior is carried out by considering either the area fraction of grain boundaries wetted by the liquid or a cohesion parameter of the solid phase, which depends on solid fraction and thermal treatment.     

A new investigated method on hot tearing behavior in aluminum alloys

A new investigated method based on the applied forces for assessment on hot tearing behavior in aluminum alloys is introduced in the paper. In this method, molten metal is cast in the rod-shaped mold cavity. One side of the casting specimen is hooked by a steel bolt which restrains its free contraction and transfers the tensile forces during solidification. A steel threaded rod connected to a load cell which records the realtime measurement of the tensile forces during every experiment. Thermal history is monitored by k-type thermocouple. The data of the temperature and tensile forces are acquired by a data acquisition system. Through the use of this method, it is possible to estimate the initiation of hot tearing, its propagation and cracking during solidification. It is also obtained the critical tensile stress for hot tearing initiated and fractured. Experiment is conducted with A356 alloys to investigate the accuracy of the apparatus and modify its operating parameter. Accordingly, the tensile forces curves, the temperature curves and the microstructure of the test specimen are obtained. This data provide useful information about hot tearing formation and solidification characteristics, from which their quantitative relations are derived. In this manner, the hot tearing behavior in aluminum alloys can be studied.     

Finite element method simulation of mushy zone behavior during direct-chill casting of an Al-4.5 pct Cu alloy

In this article, the stresses, strains, sump depth, mushy zone length, and temperature fields are calculated through the simulation of the direct-chill (DC) casting process for a round billet by using a finite-element method (FEM). Focus is put on the mushy zone and solid region close to it. In the center of the billet, circumferential stresses and strains (which play a main role in hot cracking) are tensile close to the solidus temperature, whereas they are compressive near the surface of the billet. The stresses, strains, depth of sump, and length of mushy zone increase with increasing casting speed. They are maximum in the start-up phase and are reduced by applying a ramping procedure in the start-up phase. Stresses, strains, depth of sump, and length of mushy zone are highest in the center of the billet for all casting conditions considered.     

Simulation of Semi-Solid Material Mechanical Behavior Using a Combined Discrete/Finite Element Method

As a necessary step toward the quantitative prediction of hot tearing defects, a three-dimensional stress–strain simulation based on a combined finite element (FE)/discrete element method (DEM) has been developed that is capable of predicting the mechanical behavior of semisolid metallic alloys during solidification. The solidification model used for generating the initial solid–liquid structure is based on a Voronoi tessellation of randomly distributed nucleation centers and a solute diffusion model for each element of this tessellation. At a given fraction of solid, the deformation is then simulated with the solid grains being modeled using an elastoviscoplastic constitutive law, whereas the remaining liquid layers at grain boundaries are approximated by flexible connectors, each consisting of a spring element and a damper element acting in parallel. The model predictions have been validated against Al-Cu alloy experimental data from the literature. The results show that a combined FE/DEM approach is able to express the overall mechanical behavior of semisolid alloys at the macroscale based on the morphology of the grain structure. For the first time, the localization of strain in the intergranular regions is taken into account. Thus, this approach constitutes an indispensible step towards the development of a comprehensive model of hot tearing.     

Prediction of hot tearing tendency for multicomponent aluminum alloys

It is of practical importance to be able to predict the hot tearing tendency for multicomponent aluminum alloys. Hot tearing is one of the most common and serious defects that occurs during the casting of commercial aluminum alloys, almost all of which are multicomponent systems. For many years, the main criterion applied to characterize the hot tearing tendency of an alloy system was based on the solidification interval. However, this criterion cannot explain the susceptibility-composition relation between the limits of the pure base metal and the eutectic composition. Clyne and Davies correlated the susceptibility-composition relationship in binary systems based on the concept of the existence of critical time periods during the solidification process when the structure is most vulnerable to cracking. The Scheil equation was used in their model using constant partition coefficient and constant liquidus slope estimated from the phase diagram. In the current study, the authors followed Clyne and Davies’ general idea, and directly coupled the Scheil solidification simulation with phase diagram calculation via PanEngine, a multicomponent phase equilibria calculation interface, and extended the model to higher order systems. The predicted hot tearing tendencies correlated very well with the experimental results of multicomponent aluminum alloys. This article is based on a presentation made in the John Campbell Symposium on Shape Casting, held during the TMS Annual Meeting, February 13–17, 2005, in San Francisco, CA.     

Two-phase modeling of mushy zone parameters associated with hot tearing

A two-phase continuum model for an isotropic mushy zone is presented. The model is based upon the general volume-averaged conservation equations, and quantities associated with hot tearing are included, i.e., after-feeding of the liquid melt due to solidification shrinkage is taken into account as well as thermally induced deformation of the solid phase. The model is implemented numerically for a one-dimensional model problem with some similarities to the aluminium direct chill (DC) casting process. The variation of some key parameters that are known to influence the hot-tearing tendency is then studied. The results indicate that both liquid pressure drop due to feeding difficulties and tensile stress caused by thermal contraction of the solid phase are necessary for the formation of hot tears. Based upon results from the one-dimensional model, it is furthermore concluded that none of the hot-tearing criteria suggested in the literature are able to predict the variation in hot-tearing susceptibility resulting from a variation in all of the following parameters: solidification interval, cooling contraction of the solid phase, casting speed, and liquid fraction at coherency.     

An A Priori Hot-Tearing Indicator Applied to Die-Cast Magnesium-Rare Earth Alloys

Hot-tearing susceptibility is an important consideration for alloy design. Based on a review of previous research, an a priori indicator for the prediction of an alloy’s hot-tearing susceptibility is proposed in this article and is applied to a range of magnesium-rare earth (RE)-based alloys. The indicator involves taking the integral over the solid fraction/temperature curve between the temperature when feeding becomes restricted (coherency) and that when a three-dimension network of solid is formed (coalescence). The hot-tearing propensity of Mg-RE alloys is found to vary greatly depending on which RE is primarily used, due to the difference in the solidification range. Mg-Nd alloys are the most susceptible to hot tearing, followed by Mg-Ce-based alloys, while Mg-La alloys show almost no hot tearing. The proposed indicator can be well applied to hot-tearing propensity of the Mg-RE alloys. It is expected that the indicator could be used as an estimation of the relative hot-tearing propensity in other alloy systems as well.     

Effect of Process Parameters on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties in Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloy

Friction stir welding process is a promising solid state joining process with the potential to join low melting point materials, particularly aluminum alloys. The most attractive reason for this is the avoidance of solidification defects formed during conventional fusion welding processes. Tool rotational speed and the welding speed play a major role in deciding the weld quality. In the present work an effort has been made to study the effect of the tool rotational speed and welding speed on mechanical and metallurgical properties of friction stir welded joints of aluminum alloy AA6082-T651. The micro hardness profiles obtained on welded zone indicate uniform distribution of grains in the stir zone. The maximum tensile strength obtained is 263 MPa which is about 85% of that of base metal. Scanning electron microscope was used to show the fractured surfaces of tensile tested specimens.     

The energy and solute conservation equations for dendritic solidification

The energy equation for solidifying dendritic alloys that includes the effects of heat of mixing in both the dendritic solid and the interdendritic liquid is derived. Calculations for Pb-Sn alloys show that this form of the energy equation should be used when the solidification rate is relatively high and/or the thermal gradients in the solidifying alloy are relatively low. Accurate predictions of transport phenomena in solidifying dendritic alloys also depend on the form of the solute conservation equation. Therefore, this conservation equation is derived with particular consideration to an accounting of the diffusion of solute in the dendritic solid. Calculations for Pb-Sn alloy show that the distribution of the volume fraction of interdendritic liquid (g _L) in the mushy zone is sensitive to the extent of the diffusion in the solid. Good predictions ofg _L are necessary, especially when convection in the mushy zone is calculated. Formerly Research Associate, The University of Arizona. Formerly Graduate Student, The University of Arizona.