Effect of melt superheat on heat transfer coefficient for aluminium solidifying against copper chill

Solidification of metal castings inside moulds is mainly dependent on the heat flow from the metal to the mould which is in turn proportional to an overall heat transfer coefficient h which includes all resistances to heat flow such as the presence of an air gap. In the present work the heat transfer coefficient is determined using a directional solidification set-up with end chill for solidifying commercial-purity aluminium with different superheats (40 K and 115 K) against copper chill. A computer program solving the heat conduction and convection in the solidifying metal is used together with the experimental temperature history in order to determine the heat transfer coefficient at the interface. The variation of h as a function of time, surface temperature and gap temperature for each melt superheat is found. The results indicate that h reaches a maximum value for surface temperature close to the liquidus. The analysis of heat flux from the metal to the mould indicates that it is mainly by conduction. The air gap size is evaluated with time, surface temperature and with melt superheat. It is found that higher h values and smaller gap sizes are obtained with higher superheats.     

Aluminium and Al–4·5Cu alloy end chill: structural observation and heat flow analysis

Abstract

End chill experiments were performed on aluminium and Al–4·5Cu (wt-%) in order to study the effect of melt superheat (20–150 K), chill material (copper, iron, or sand), and specimen length (890–230 mm) on the type and size of macrostructure. Increasing melt superheat increases the length of columnar zone, which is shorter for the alloy than for the commercial purity metal. The columnar fraction increases with the thermal conductivity of the chill material and the heat transfer coefficient. The results are correlated with the temperature gradient, solidification rate, and growth rate obtained from a heat flow model. The columnar to equiaxed transition is found to occur at a critical temperature gradient and growth rate. These critical values differ with alloy composition. The grain size of columnar and equiaxed grains is found to follow a power relationship with solidification rate.

MST/1709     

Investigation on Structure and Properties of Brass Casting

In this work, alpha (α) brass was poured in green sand mould and metallic chill mould at about 1050℃. Sand casting method and metallic chill casting method are representing the slow and fast cooling rates of the castings, respectively. The slow cooling rate in the sand mould produces larger grains, while the metallic chill mould produces smaller grains in the castings. As the grain size decreases, the strength of the cast brass increases; micro-porosity in the casting decreases and the tendency for the casting to fracture during solidification decreases. Thus, the faster cooling rate casting offers higher strength, density and hardness compared to the slow cooling rate casting.     

Estimation of air gap and heat transfer coefficient at different faces of Al and Al–Si castings solidifying in permanent mould

Abstract

In the casting processes, the heat transfer coefficient at the metal/mould interface is an important controlling factor for the solidification rate and the resulting structure and mechanical properties. Several factors interact to determine its value, among which are the type of metal/alloy, the mould material and surface conditions, the mould and pouring temperatures, casting configuration, and the type of gases at the interfacial air gap formed. It is also time dependent. In this work, the air gap formation was computed using a numerical model of solidification, taking into consideration the shrinkage and expansion of the metal and mould, gas film formation, and the metallostatic pressure. The variation of the air gap formation and heat transfer coefficient at the metal mould interface are studied at the top, bottom, and side surfaces of Al and Al–Si castings in a permanent mould in the form of a simple rectangular parallelepiped. The results show that the air gap formation and the heat transfer coefficient are different for the different casting surfaces. The bottom surface where the metallostatic pressure makes for good contact between the metal and the mould exhibits the highest heat transfer coefficient. For the sidewalls, the air gap was found to depend on the casting thickness as the larger the thickness the larger the air gap. The air gap and heat transfer coefficient also depend on the surface roughness of the mould, the alloy type, and the melt superheat. The air gap is relatively large for low values of melt superheat. The better the surface finish, the higher the heat transfer coefficient in the first few seconds after pouring. For Al–Si alloys, the heat transfer coefficient increases with increasing Si content.     

Heat transfer during solidification of chemically modified Al–Si alloys around a copper chill

Abstract

The solidifying metal/chill contour will significantly affect the boundary heat transfer coefficients, and solidification modellers should be aware of the casting conditions for which the heat transfer coefficients are determined. The previous work carried out on solidification of Al–Si alloys in a metallic mould and solidification against bottom/top chills has shown that modification and chilling have synergetic effect resulting in a significant increase in the heat flux transients at the casting/chill interface. In the present work, the heat transfer during solidification of unmodified and chemically modified Al–Si alloys around a cylindrical copper chill was investigated. Heat flux transients were estimated using lumped heat capacitance method. Lower peak heat flux was obtained with chemically modified alloy. This is in contrast to the results reported for alloys solidifying against chills and in metallic moulds. The chill thermal behaviour and heat transfer to the chill material when surrounded by modified and unmodified alloys were explained on the basis of the decrease in the degree of undercooling in the case of modified alloy as compared to unmodified alloy and the change in contact condition and shrinkage characteristics of the alloy due to the addition of chemical modifiers.     

Effect of experimental variables on casting fluidity and fluid life of liquid tin

Abstract

The extent and duration of flow (casting fluidity and fluid life) of liquid tin along tubular Pyrex moulds has been measured as a function of melt superheat, mould bore, and mould material for injection under reduced pressure, gravity, and positive pressure, both with and without prior stirring of the injected melt. Macrostructural examination of the resulting fluidity samples showed that cessation of flow was triggered by sufficient inward penetration of columnar growth (vein-closure mechanism) at some distance from the mould entrance except when stirring of the melt had been carried out at low superheat before injection. In that case, growth was fully equiaxed and within the flowing stream so that cessation of flow was then expected to be governed by sufficient solidification at the advancing tip of the flowing stream. Comparison of measured fluid life with predictions of time to complete freezing in a cylindrical mould suggests that freezing occurred under heat-transfer conditions intermediate between Newtonian and ideal.

MST/79     

Effect of modification melt treatment on casting/chill interfacial heat transfer and electrical conductivity of Al–13% Si alloy

For successful modelling of the solidification process, a reliable heat transfer boundary condition data is required. These boundary conditions are significantly influenced by the casting and mould parameters. In the present work, the effect of sodium modification melt treatment on casting/chill interfacial heat transfer during upward solidification of an Al–13% Si alloy against metallic chills is investigated using thermal analysis and inverse modelling techniques. In the presence of chills, modification melt treatment resulted in an increase in the cooling rate of the solidifying casting near the casting/chill interfacial region. The corresponding interfacial heat flux transients and electrical conductivities are also found to be higher. This is attributed to (i) improvement in the casting/chill interfacial thermal contact condition brought about by the decrease in the surface tension of the liquid metal on addition of sodium and (ii) increase in the electronic heat conduction in the initial solidified shell due to change in the morphology of silicon from a acicular type to a fine fibrous structure and increase in the ratio of the modification rating to the secondary dendrite arm spacing.     

Influences of solute content, melt superheat and growth direction on the transient metal/mold interfacial heat transfer coefficient during solidification of Sn–Pb alloys

Several factors such as alloy composition, melt superheat, mold material, roughness of inner mold surface, mold coating layer, etc., can affect the transient metal/mold heat transfer coefficient, h_i. An accurate casting solidification model should be able to unequivocally consider these effects on h_i determination. After this previous knowledge on interfacial heat transfer, such models might be used to control the process based on thermal and operational parameters and to predict microstructure which affects casting final properties. In the present work, three different directional solidification systems were designed in such a way that thermal data could be monitored no matter what configuration was tested with respect to the gravity vector: vertical upward and downward or horizontal. Experiments were carried-out with Sn–Pb hypoeutectic alloys (5 wt.% Pb, 10 wt.% Pb, 15 wt.% Pb and 30 wt.% Pb) for investigating the influence of solute content, growth direction and melt superheat on h_i values. The experimentally obtained temperatures were used by a numerical technique in order to determine time-varying h_i values. It was found that h_i rises with decreasing lead content of the alloy, and that h_i profiles can be affected by the initial melt temperature distribution.     

Effect of casting/mould interfacial heat transfer during solidification of aluminium alloys cast in CO2-sand mould

The ability of heat to flow across the casting and through the interface from the casting to the mold directly affects the evolution of solidification and plays a notable role in determining the freezing conditions within the casting, mainly in foundry systems of high thermal diffusivity such as chill castings. An experimental procedure has been utilized to measure the formation process of an interfacial gap and metal-mould interfacial movement during solidification of hollow cylindrical castings of Al-4.5 % Cu alloy cast in CO₂-sand mould. Heat flow between the casting and the mould during solidification of Al-4.5 % Cu alloy in CO₂-sand mould was assessed using an inverse modeling technique. The analysis yielded the interfacial heat flux (q), heat transfer coefficient (h) and the surface temperatures of the casting and the mould during solidification of the casting. The peak heat flux was incorporated as a dimensionless number and modeled as a function of the thermal diffusivities of the casting and the mould materials. Heat flux transients were normalized with respect to the peak heat flux and modeled as a function of time. The heat flux model proposed was to estimate the heat flux transients during solidification of Al-4.5 % Cu alloy cast in CO₂-sand moulds.     

Grain refinement of DC cast AZ91D Mg alloy by intensive melt shearing

Abstract

Melt conditioning by advanced shear technology (MCAST) is a new process for microstructural refinement of both cast and wrought magnesium alloys. Melt conditioned direct chill (MCDC) casting combines the MCAST process with conventional direct chill (DC) casting. In the present work, melt conditioning has been combined with permanent mould casting to simulate the production of DC cast AZ91D billets and slabs. The results show that the MCDC process can achieve significantly finer grain size and more uniform microstructure than conventional DC process for both billets and slabs. Grain refinement in the MCDC process is due to the fine and well dispersed oxide particles produced after processing in the MCAST unit.     

Microstructure and Wear Characteristics of Al-4.5Cu-5Pb Alloy

Al-4.5Cu-5Pb alloy was prepared by sand and chill casting. The same alloy was also spray deposited at a gas pressure of 1.6 MPa. The microstructural features exhibit a coarse to fine dendritic morphology for sand and chill cast alloys. Equiaxed grains were observed for spray fOrmed alloys. Wear testing employing a pin-on-disc type set-up, reveaIs considerably lower wear of spray deposited alloy compared to that of chill and sand cast alloys. The morphological features of wear track on specimen and debris indicated a mixed oxidative-cum-adhesive wear mechanisms for these alloys tested in the present investigation     

差压铸造薄壁铝硅合金铸件的位置效应

采用差压铸造工艺,研究垂直缝隙式浇注系统浇注的铝合金硅铸件不同位置的组织和力学性能变化.采用石英砂型、SiC砂型和冷铁,浇口处铸件的晶粒最细小,致密度高、力学性能最好;铸件冷端的组织和性能次之;位于两者之间的铸件的组织和性能最差.分析表明对于具有垂直缝隙式浇注系统,差压铸造凝固压力对金属的凝固作用具有位置效应,浇口处液态金属温度高,凝固时间长,凝固压力对浇口处金属的凝固作用显著;铸件冷端金属凝固时间短,凝固压力对该处金属的凝固作用不显著,铸型的冷却速度对铸件组织和性能的影响起显著作用.浇口处与冷端之间的金属液体的凝固受压力和冷却速度的影响小,铸件的晶粒尺寸最大、密度最小、性能最低.冷却速度提高,铸件的任意位置的组织和性能都相应得到提高.     

Optimized cast components in the drive train of wind turbines and inner ring creep in the main bearing seat

Using large components made of nodular cast iron (GJS) in wind turbines enables the application of lightweight construction through the high degree of design freedom. Besides the sand-casting process, casting into a permanent metal mould, i.e. chill casting, leads to a finer microstructure and higher quasi-static mechanical properties as well as higher fatigue strength. Unfortunately, in present design methodologies specific fatigue data is only available for sand cast and not for chilled cast GJS. Thus, lightweight design strategies for large, chilled cast components are not achievable, which led to the publicly funded project “Gusswelle”. Based on material investigations of EN-GJS-400-18-LT chill cast, an optimized hollow rotor shaft is developed. The design process and the resulting shaft design are presented. The optimized hollow rotor shaft prototype will be tested on a full-scale test bench to validate the design methodology. The intended validation plan as well as the test bench setup is shown in this paper. Furthermore, the decreasing wall thickness influences the interference fit between main bearing and hollow rotor shaft. Thus, through the applied bending moment, inner ring creep is more probable to occur in the main bearing seat. The creeping behaviour is investigated with finite element simulations and a measuring method is presented.

     

An ultrasonic technique for the determination of casting-chill contact during solidification

Heat transfer between a solidifying aluminium alloy casting and a mould is dominated by the thermal resistance created by the interface. Interfacial heat transfer occurs by conduction through the atmosphere between the two surfaces and by conduction through the points of actual contact. (Heat transfer by radiation is probably significant only for ferrous castings.) The extent of real physical contact between two surfaces is difficult to quantify. This paper explains a method, using ultrasonic flaw detection techniques, whereby an estimate of the propagation of an ultrasonic signal through a casting-chill interface is used to infer the degree of actual contact occurring between them.In experiments involving casting and solidification of an aluminium alloy onto a copper chill the technique was found to give information for the first two seconds of the casting process only. In this time a peak in ultrasound transmission was observed, correlating to a maximum in the area of casting-chill contact, followed by a decrease in the ultrasound transmission that corresponded to actual contact areas between the casting and the chill in the region of 5 to 10%.     

An ultrasonic technique for the determination of casting-chill contact during solidification

Heat transfer between a solidifying aluminium alloy casting and a mould is dominated by the thermal resistance created by the interface. Interfacial heat transfer occurs by conduction through the atmosphere between the two surfaces and by conduction through the points of actual contact. (Heat transfer by radiation is probably significant only for ferrous castings.) The extent of real physical contact between two surfaces is difficult to quantify. This paper explains a method, using ultrasonic flaw detection techniques, whereby an estimate of the propagation of an ultrasonic signal through a casting-chill interface is used to infer the degree of actual contact occurring between them.In experiments involving casting and solidification of an aluminium alloy onto a copper chill the technique was found to give information for the first two seconds of the casting process only. In this time a peak in ultrasound transmission was observed, correlating to a maximum in the area of casting-chill contact, followed by a decrease in the ultrasound transmission that corresponded to actual contact areas between the casting and the chill in the region of 5 to 10%.     

Directional solidification of Ni base superalloy IN738LC to improve creep properties

Abstract

The high Cr, Ni base superalloy IN738LC has been directionally solidified on both laboratory and industrial scales using Bridgman and liquid metal cooling (LMC) methods respectively. In the Bridgman experiments, cylindrical rods were grown using a graphite chill with temperature gradient G = 5·0 K mm^-1 and a water cooled copper chill with G = 8·5 K mm^-1, and a wide range of withdrawal rates of R = 60, 120, 240, 600, and 1200 mm h^-1. In the LMC rigs, several turbine blades were grown using a wide range of withdrawal rates of R = 120, 225, 330, 420, and 630 mm h^-1. Grain and dendritic structures in both cylindrical and turbine blade specimens were evaluated in longitudinal and transverse directions. Dendritic segregation of rods was determined with SEM as a function of processing parameters. Some specimens were given a two stage heat treatment followed by tension tests at 25 and 650°C and creep tests at 152 MPa and 982°C, 340 MPa and 850°C, and 586 MPa and 760°C. It was shown that at R = 600 mm h^-1 with water cooled copper chill, directionally solidified rods with a well orientated dendritic structure and better segregation pattern gives higher tensile properties at 25°C and creep properties at 340 MPa and 850°C. Tension and creep tests of turbine blades showed that although the yield and tensile strength of directionally solidified specimens are in the range of conventionally cast ones, the creep properties of the blades have been significantly improved using the LMC process.     

Microstructure and properties of monotectic Cr—Cu cast irons

Abstract

A metal quasi-composite, containing copper inclusions within a chromium cast iron matrix was investigated. The dispersion of Cu particles was produced directly from the melt by cooling through the miscibility gap. The effect of casting parameters (pouring temperature and cooling rate) on the size and distribution of Cu particles has been studied using optical metallography, SEM, and TEM. It has been shown that Cu particles are responsible for improved machineability and wear resistance of Cr cast irons with 10 -12 wt-%Cu, since Cu particles break up the network of primary carbides and also act as a solid lubricant.     

Some observations on dendritic arm spacing in Al-Si-Mg and Al-Cu alloy chill castings

The heat flux from a cast cylinder to a steel chill was experimentally determined for a commercial Al-Si-Mg alloy (A356) and for Al-Cu alloys having different copper contents. The relationship between variation of the heat flux with time, initial temperature of the chill, and solute concentration was determined. The heat flux from the casting to the chill in the A356 alloy is higher than in an Al-7.5% Si alloy, but the microstructure of the former is coarser. The time dependence of the heat flux in an Al-Cu alloy is similar to that in A356 and in Al-7.5% Si. Calculated values for the temperature of the casting and the local solidification time as functions of the distance from the chill were obtained with the aid of the heat flux data and a program for calculating the temperature field during solidification. A good fit with experimental measurements was achieved. Measurements of the mean secondary dendritic arm spacing at different distances from the chill resulted in the relationship =at _f ^0.43 between the local solidification time (t _f) and the dendtitic arm spacing (), where a is a characteristic of the alloy and of the solute concentration. It is noted from the results that the value depends not only on the solidification time but also on the concentration of solute element. Different aspects of the evolution of structure, and some attention to growth with high temperature gradients in the presence of chill is discussed.     

Mould surface roughness and interfacial heat transfer using heat flow model

Abstract

The heat resistance at the metal/mould interface, represented by the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC), plays an important role in the rate of heat transfer from the metal to the mould. The objective of the present work was to determine the influence of the mould inner surface roughness on the IHTC using steel moulds of diameter 55 mm and height 56 mm with different surface roughnesses to solidify pure zinc with a superheat of 80 K. A computer program solving the heat conduction equation taking into consideration the convection in the molten zinc was used, together with the experimental temperature history, to determine the IHTC at the metal/mould interface. The results show that IHTC decreases as mould surface roughness increases.     

Effect of combined application of electromagnetic fields on horizontal direct chill casting of 7050 aluminium alloy

Abstract

Influence of combined electromagnetic field application on horizontal direct chill casting of 7050 aluminium alloy is investigated. Temperature measurement and structure observation are carried out to analyse the casting process under different electromagnetic fields. Combined electromagnetic field can reduce the harmful gravitational thermal effect in the horizontal direct chill casting process and improve the ingot properties. With application of combined electromagnetic field, temperature distribution in the melt is more uniform, sump of the ingot becomes flat and symmetric, surface quality of ingot improves markedly, grain morphology changes from feathery grains to equiaxed grains and grain size decreases. Distribution of copper and zinc in the transverse section of the ingot becomes more uniform.