4032 aluminum alloy billet fabricated by continuous casting process with heat insulating and rapid cooling mold

Abstract

In order to improve on the quality of Al-Si alloy billets, which are used as the feed stock for precision forging, a new vertical semi-continuous casting process has been adopted using a heat insulating and rapid cooling mold HI-RCM casting process. In our study, 4032 aluminum alloy billets with smooth surfaces have been obtained by controlling casting rates of HI-RCM process. Distributions of primary silicon, eutectic structure and secondary dendrite arm spacing DAS in the conventional DC casting billets were compared with the smooth surface billets fabricated by HI-RCM casting process under optimum conditions, and the latter one had finer and more homogeneous microstructures than those in the former billets.

Microstructural Softening of Eutectic and Hyper-eutectic Al-Si-X Continuous Casts by Annealing

“…The most promising method of refining microstructures is rapid solidification. A new vertical semi-continuous casting process using an adiabatic and rapid cooling mold has been developed to produce a billet with smooth surface for eutectic or hyper-eutectic Al-Si-Cu-Mg-(Ni, Fe, Mn) alloys [3]. Without peeling and hot-extrusion processes the cast billet has been successfully applied to warm forging.…”