The Determination of Semi-Solid Processing Ability Using a Novel Rheo-Characterizer Apparatus

Abstract

The “Rheo-Characterizer” is an apparatus designed to assess the quality control of the semi-solid material. The working principle is based on the recording and subsequent analysis of the force required to transversally cut the semi-solid slurry at constant speed. Semi-solid slurries produced under different conditions while using the SEED process were analyzed with the “Rheo- Characterizer”. The TiB2 grain refiner was also added to evaluate the impact on the microstructure and the cutting force. The microstructural features were measured and the grain size was analyzed for the different processing conditions. The effect of the cutting temperature on the resulting curve was also investigated. The results show that the “Rheo-Characterizer” is capable of differentiating between the varied microstructural morphologies and the solid fraction of the billet.