A series of investigations for Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) castings were carried out by using the specimens with various chemical compositions and heat treatment conditions. The rolling wear characteristics of alloyed austempered ductile irons under an unlubricated dry rolling condition was evaluated by the Amsler type test with 9.09% sliding ratio. Generally, the wear amount was increased with the austempering temperature and decreased when the hardness of the matrix was higher. The alloying elements also influenced the austempering reaction, the microstructure and the mechanical properties. In this study, the mechanical properties (i.e.) ultimate tensile strength (UTS), hardness, elongation) and the wear resistance are analysed to show the relationship between the alloying elements and the austempering temperatures. Mo, Cu and Ni are alloyed individually or in combination. It has been found that when Cu and Ni alloyed individually to a casting, the wear amount is increased than others with elements alloyed in combination. The amount of rolling wear loss was decreased when Mo was alloyed in cast iron, individually or in combination.

White cast iron of 3%C-10%Cr-5%Mo-5%W was casted, and then heat treated with three different methods such as homogenizing, austenitizing and tempering to observe its effects on the microstructure, hardness and abrasive wear resistance. In uni-directional soldification, bamboo tree-like $M_7C_3$ carbide grew along with the heat flow direction, and fishbone-like $M_6C$ carbide was dispersed randomly among $M_7C_3$ carbides. While almost pearlitic structures were observed in the as-cast specimen, those of the heat treated specimens consisted of secondary carbide, retained austenite and tempered martensite. In austenitized specimen, the amounts of retained austenite were 60.88% due to the higher cooling rate encountered in forced air cooling. On the other hand, the amounts of retained austenite were reduced from 60.88% to 23.85% in tempered specimen due to the transformation of austenite into tempered martensite. The hardness of tempered specimen showed the highest value, and then decreased in the order of austenitized, as-cast and homogenized specimens. But, the abrasive wear resistance of austenitized specimen was the highest, and then decreased in the order of tempered, as-cast and homogenized specimens.

Microstructural characteristics and strengthening behavior in Mg-5wt%Zn-0.6wtZr alloys have been investigated by a combination of optical, secondary electron and transmission electron microscopy, differential thermal analysis, and hardness and tensile, creep property measurements. The result have been compared with those of Mg-5wt%Zn alloys. The as-squeeze cast microstructure consisted of dendrite ${\alpha}-Mg$, interdendrite or intergranular $Mg_7Zn_3$ and fine dispersoids of $ZnZr_2$. The size of secondary solidification phases in Mg-5wt%Zn-0.6wtZr alloys was significantly smaller than that of the Mg-5wt%Zn alloys due to the existence of fine dispersoid of $ZnZr_2$ which also effected the refinement of grain size. TEM study showed that the main cause of age hardening is formation of fine rodlike ${\beta}_1\;'$ precipitates as well as fine $ZnZr_2$ dispersoids. Due to the observed microstructural characteristics mechanical propeties of Mg-5wt%Zn-0.6wtZr alloys was found to be superior to those of Mg-5wt%Zn alloys.

Squeeze casting process has been used in the field of a commercial manufacturing method, in which metal is enforcedly solidified under pressure enough to prevent the cast defects such as either gas porosity or shrinkage defect. In this paper, to clarify the relationship between applied pressures and macro ${\cdot}$ microstructural behaviors in gravity and direct squeeze casts, specimens were cast by various squeezing pressures during solidification of 7000 series Al wrought alloy in the metal die designed specially. The applied pressures used in this study were 0, 25, 50, and 75 MPa. The microstructural morphologies of squeeze cast were more fine and dense with increasing the applied pressures, because of the greater solidification rate of billet resulting from the applied pressure. A normal segregation phenomenon of an increasing in amount of eutectics towards the center of the billet was observed for squeeze casts, whereas gravity cast showed an inverse segregation phenomenon of an increasing in amount of eutectics towards the edge in the billet. This change in segregation pattern which is normal or inverse is due to a higher radial temperature gradient and reduced time in the semi solid state for squeeze casting.

The present work is an attempt to evaluate the relationship between dendrite arm spacing and average cooling rate in gasatomized $Al_{87.3}misch$ $metal_{8.3}Ni_{4.4}$ powder by means of the following methods. One is calculation of heat transfer coefficient and average cooling rate, which are derived from estimated particle velocity during gas-atomization. The other is measurement of secondary dendrite arm spacing, which are observed on the particle surface. Then, we make experimental equation for this relationship in case of permanent mold casting and compare it with similar equation in case of rapidly solidified powder. Both average cooling rates and solidification rates are considered to represent the variance of dendrite arm spacings in two types soidification route. Even though there is a considerable difference in each average cooling rate, the dendrite arm spacing values are similar in two cases; particle diameter, $100\;{\mu}m$, and casting width, 2.05 mm. It is because that each solidification route has similar solidification rate.

In order to increase the wettability between ceramic fiber and metal matrix, ceramic fibers are generally coated with metal. In this paper, we examined how the nickel layers coated on continuous graphite fiber to increase the wettability are affected with variation applied pressure. In order to examine the behavior of nickel layer with variation of applied pressure, microstructure and nickel mapping of composites were investigated with SEM, and tensile properties of the composite were tested with UTM. As the applied pressure increases, nickel layers were resolved into the aluminum matrix and ultimate tensile strength of the composite decreased.

Eutectic and off-eutectic Al-Fe alloys were unidirectionally solidified at the solidification rate of $1{\sim}50\;mm/min$ under the temperature gradients $75{\sim}80^{\circ}C/cm$. The investigation has been carried out for the microstructural variation, phase transition, mechanical properties by means of detailed analyses of stress-strain, micro-Vickers hardness and scanning electron micrography. The thermal stability at elevated temperature has been studied on $Al-Al_6Fe$ eutectic alloy held at $600^{\circ}C$ for $0{\sim}150$ hours. When the solidification rate was less than 10mm/min, the X-ray diffraction and EDS analysis showed the presence of $Al_3Fe$ compound. As the solidification rate more than 20 mm/min, $Al-Al_3Fe$ eutectic phase was transfered into $Al-Al_6Fe$ eutectic phase. The mechanical properties of unidirectionally solidified off-eutectic Al-Fe alloy is better than those of unidirectionally solidified eutecic Al-Fe alloy Maximum ultimate tensile strength was obtained in Al-2.25% Fe alloy which was unidirectionally solidified at the solidification rate of 20 mm/min. The metastable $Al-Al_6Fe$ phase was transferred into stable $Al-Al_3Fe$ phase at $600^{\circ}C$ held for 150 hours.

Strip casting process, a new casting technology which makes thin strip of $0.5{\sim}5\;mm$ thickness directly from molten metal, has been dramatically developed for past 10 years and faced commercialization in the case of STS304 strip. In this study, ductile cast iron strip which is 1.1 mm thick and 100 mm wide is manufactured by the twin roll strip caster. Graphite and matrix structure of the strip can be controlled through heat treatments and the mechanical properties are examined. The microstructure of the as-cast strip consists of cementite and pearlite. Especially the equiaxed crystal zone of pearlite exists in the center region of the thickness due to the characteristics of the strip casting process. Matrix structure can be transformed into fully ferrite or ferrite/pearlite mixed structures by the different graphitization heat treatments. The heat-treated strip with ferrite/pearlite matrix structure showed higher hardness and tensile strength than that with full ferrite matrix structure.

In this study, CV cast iron was reverse transformed to produce harder second phase surrounding graphite nodules, and then the microstructure and related mechanical properties of the reverse transformed CV cast iron were investigated by using optical microscopy and by carrying out hardness, tension and impact test. The formation of hard second phase surrounding graphite nodules increased the hardness in CV cast iron. The marked increase in hardness was resulted from the formation of martensite surrounding graphite nodule. It is expected from these results that the formation of martensite surrounding graphite nodule would improve the wear resistance of CV cast iron. The formation of both martensite and pearlite surrounding graphite nodule improved the tensile properties. Impact properties were decreased with increasing the volume fraction of hard second phase. However, the reduced impact properties could be recovered through phase transformation of martensite into pearlite and sorbite by tempering.