• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.240-248
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• 2005

The rheocasting characteristics are strongly influenced by the microstructural morphology such as particle size, form factor and contiguity. In this study, the effect of structural morphology on fluid flow characteristics of A356 semi-solid alloy was investigated with a vacuum suction fluidity test. Semi-solid metal slurry was made by the mechanical stirring, the liquidus casting, and H-NCM to be analysed. H-NCM could obtain uniform and fine globular microstructures of 0.9 form factor and 55 ${\mu}m$ particle size. Inoculation was found to be effective for reducing particle size, however, for H-NCM it should be avoided due to the cause of increasing contiguity. The fluidity test indicated that the non-stirring method had higher fluidity and smaller liquid segregation in the same solid faction of 0.4 than the stirring method, for smaller particle size and higher form factor. It was observed that liquid segregation decreased as the particle size is smaller and form factor is higher. The results of die-casting experiment were a good agreement with those of fluidity test.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.17 no.7 s.94
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• pp.1740-1750
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• 1993

The aluminar short fiber reinforced composite materials for hot extrusion were fabricated by semi-solid stirring method, and extruded at extrusion temperature $400^{\circ}C$ with various extrusion ratio. The hot extrusion load of volume fraction 15% metal matrix composites and base alloy Al7075 has been compared. The fiber length distribution, fiber breakage and fiber orientation are investiged to know the fiber behaviour in before and after hot extrusion. The tensile strength of the hot extruded billet are experimentally determined for different of extrusion ratios, and compared with theorically calculated strength.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.265-269
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• 2009

The optimum RRA heat treating conditions and SCC (stress corrosion cracking) resistance of semi-solid Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy fabricated by inclined cooling plate were compared with those of conventional mould cast alloys. The non-stirring method characterized by using a cooling plate can effectively eliminate dendritic structure and form a fine globular semisolid microstructure in as-cast Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy and the SCC resistance of semi-solid Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy was higher than that of conventional mold cast alloy. Also, after retrogressed treatment at RRA heat treatment of semi-solid Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy, retrogressed treatment time has increased more than 10 minutes at $180^{\circ}C$ to recovery the T6 heat treatment strength.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.359-368
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• 1993

Mg-9wt.%Al and Mg-9wt.%-1.6wt%Zn/SiCp(particle size $40{\mu}m$) metal-matrix-composite specimens were manufactured by rheo-compocasting method, known for its effect of improving the wettability. The ceramic reinforcement particles(SiCp) were dispersed in the semi-solid magnesium alloy matrix slurry being vigorously stirred in a high frequency induction furnace under inert atmosphere. A microstructural study of the dispersed particles in the specimens, prepared under different conditions as regards the time(10min, 20min, 30min) and temperature of the stirring, was made with the aid of optical microscope and SEM. The effect of superheating was also observed. It is revealed that 30 minutes' stirring time of the semi-solid at 40% solid fraction temperature(Mg-9wt.%Al : $590^{\circ}C$, AZ91 : $576^{\circ}C$), as determined by the lever rule, gives a satisfactorily uniform distribution of the particles. The superheating is observed to enhance further the uniformity.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.389-394
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• 2000

The studies on gram size refinement for rheocast processing of hypereutectic Al-18%Si alloys have been investigated in the present study. To increase the efficiency of mechanical stirring, sieve type stirrer are newly designed and implemented for rheocasting of hypereutectic Al-18%Si alloy. Mechanical stirring of semi-solid slurry by using sieve type mechanical stirrer results in morphological changes of the primary Si particles, from angular rod shape to near spherical shape and uniform distribution of proeutectic Si. The remarkable spheroidization of Primary Si Particles and distributional uniformity of proeutectic Si show well the efficiency of sieve type mechanical stirring method which can accelerate the coalescence-fracture-wear of the individual particles by strong turbulent flow between lattices during rotation of sieve type stirrer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.163-166
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• 1997

Aluminium foam material is a highly porous material having complicated cellular structure defined by randomly distributed air pores in metallic matrix. this structure gives the aluminium a set of properties which cannot be achieved by any of conventional treatments. The properties of aluminium foam material significantly depend on its porosity, so that a desired profile of properties can be tailored by changing the foam density. Melting method is the one of foaming processes, which the production has long been considered difficult to realize becaues of such problems as the low foamability of molten metal, the varying size of. cellular structures, solidification shrinkage and so on. These problems, however, have gradually been solved by researchers and some manufacturers are now producing foamed aluminum by their own methods. Most of all, the parameters of solving problem in electric furnace were stirring temperature, stirring velocity, foaming temper:iture, and so on. But it has not considered about those in induction heating, foaming velocity and foaming temperature in semi-solid state yet. Therefore, this paper presents the effects on these parameter to control cell size, quantity and distribution.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.40-46
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• 2003

Semisolid forming requires alloys with non-dendritic microstructure of the thixotropy. Recently, low pouring temperture method without stirring, i.e. liquidus casting has been found out new fabrication method of the semisolid metals. Effects of melt superheat and mold conditions on the globulization of primary Al of $AlSi_7Mg$ alloy were investigated in gravity casting process without stirring. The microstructures of primary Al as function of melt superheat and mold temperature show globular, rosette and dendritic shapes. The conditions for globular microstructure of primary Al were low melt superheat < 35 K and low mold temperature < 500 K. The thermal conditions for globular microstructure of primary Al were undercooled melt at early solidification stages and slow cooling < 0.6 K/s. It was found that the initial microstructure was maintained throughout the solidification and the globules of primary Al can be obtained by high nucleation of fine and spherical nuclei due to enhanced undercooling of melt.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.99-107
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• 1995

The morphological changes of primary solid particles as a function of process time on hypereutectic Al-15.5wt%Si alloy during semi-solid state processing with a shear rate of $200s^{-1}$ are studied. In this alloy, it was observed that primary Si crystals are fragmented at the early stage of stirring and morphologies of primary Si crystals change from faceted to spherical during isothermal shearing for 60 minutes. To understand the role of Al dissolved in the primary Si crystal by shear stress at high temperature, lattice parameters of the primary Si crystals are determined as a variation of high order Laue zone(HOLZ) line positions measured from convergent beam electron diffraction(CBED) pattern. The lattice parameter of the primary Si crystal in the rheocast Al-15.5wt%Si alloy shows tensile strain of about 5 times greater than that of the gravity casting. Increase of the lattice parameter by rheocasting is due to the increased amount of Al dissolved in the primary Si crystal accelerated by shear stress at high temperature. The amounts of solute Al in the primary Si crystal are measured quantitatively by EPMA method to confirm the CBED analysis.