The twin screw rheo-extrusion (TSRE) is designed to take advantage of the nondendritc microstructure and thixotropic characterization of semisolid-metal slurries and produce simple metal profiles directly from melts. The extrusion equipment consists of a rotor-stator high shear slurry maker, a twin screw extruder, and a die assembly. The process is continuous and has a potential for significantly saving energy, manufacturing cost, and enhancing efficiency. The present investigation was carried out to study the process performance for processing rods of an AZ91D magnesium alloy and the microstructure evolution during processing. The semisolid slurry prepared by the process was characterized by uniformly distributed nondendritic granular primary phase particles. AZ91D rods with uniform and fine microstructures and moderate mechanical properties were produced. For the given slurry making parameters, decreasing extrusion temperature was found to improve microstructures and properties. The mechanisms of particle granulation and refinement and the effect of processing parameters on process performance and thermal management are discussed.

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The process of a novel rheo-extrusion was investigated by the combination of theoretical analysis and experimental verification based on a prototype counter rotating twin screw extruder. The investigation on the viscosity variation of AZ91D slurry and heat exchange of the system during extrusion shows both extrusion temperature and speed can affect the temperature and viscosity of the slurry. Thus, a continuous mass flow can be established by setting proper processing parameters to prevent bridging phenomenon in the extrusion according to the analysis. A thermal strategy for continuous output was setup at the highest extrusion speed of the extruder after investigation. The feasibility of the process and thermal strategy was then demonstrated by extruding an AZ91D rod using rheo-extrusion method.

Twin screw rheo extrusion (TSRE) is a continuous semisolid forming process. The process takes advantage of the thixotropic properties of semisolid metal slurry and the high shear, controllable forward driving and self-sweeping capabilities of a counter rotating twin screw mechanism, offering a one-step melt-to-product forming technology with significant savings on energy consumption and manufacturing cost. The present work was carried out to investigate the feasibility of the process for processing light alloys using an AZ91D magnesium alloy and to obtain optimized operation conditions for microstructure control. A range of processing parameters was tested for slurry making, feeding and extrusion and their effect on microstructure development was examined. Experimental results showed that slurry with non-dendritic primary phase particles of various volume fractions, typical of semisolid microstructure, was obtained prior to extrusion. The particles were further refined during extrusion due to dynamic shearing applied by the twin screw mechanism under controlled thermal schemes and the final microstructure obtained after extrusion was dominated by uniformly distributed equiaxed, non-dendritic spherical grains and the average grain size was in the range of 35-80 mm, depending on processing parameters. This paper presents the performance of the TSRE process, focussing on process optimization and microstructure control. Mechanisms of microstructural refinement and particle morphology evolution are discussed.

Sn–20 wt-%Bi and immiscible Sn–20 wt-%Bi–1 wt-%Al alloys were used to understand the effect of high-intensity shearing on microstructural refinement. Novel ACME (Axial Centrifugal Metal Expeller) shearing device, based on axial compressor and rotor–stator mechanism to generate high shear rate and intense turbulence, was used to condition the melts prior to solidification. Microstructure in the Sn–Bi alloy deviated from dendritic grains with coarse eutectic pockets under conventional solidification to compact grains with well-dispersed eutectic under semisolid-state shearing. Decreasing the shearing temperature and increasing shearing time increased the globularity of grains. Following shearing, remnant liquid solidified into fine grain structure. In the immiscible Sn–Bi–Al alloy, shearing produced uniform dispersion of refined Al-rich particles in Sn-rich matrix as opposed to severe segregation under conventional solidification. The primary effect of shearing appears to originate from the thermo-solutal homogenisation of the melt and its effect on interface stability during solidification.