Merton C. Flemings

Bio: Merton C. Flemings is an academic researcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Eutectic system & Dendrite (crystal). The author has an hindex of 41, co-authored 164 publications receiving 7325 citations. Previous affiliations of Merton C. Flemings include Norton Abrasives.

Behavior of metal alloys in the semisolid state

Abstract: During dendritic solidification of castings and ingots, a number of processes take place simultaneously within the semisolid region. These include crystallization, solute redistribution, ripening, interdendritic fluid flow, and solid movement. The dendritic structure which forms is greatly affected by convection during the early stages of solidification. In the limit of vigorous convection and slow cooling, grains become spheroidal. Alloys with this microstructure possess rheological properties in the semisolid state which are quite different from those of dendritic alloys. They behave thixotropically, and viscosity can be varied over a wide range, depending on processing conditions. The metal structure and its rheological properties are retained after solidification and partial remelting. The semisolid alloys can be formed in new ways, broadly termed «semisolid metal (SSM) forming processes». Some of these are now employed commercially to produce metal components and are also used to produce metal-matrix composites

Rheological behavior of Sn-15 pct Pb in the crystallization range

Abstract: Rheological behavior of Sn-15 pct Pb alloy in the solidification range has been investigated using a Couette type viscometer. In samples partially solidified before shearing, deformation is localized and primarily intergranular. Samples containing more than about 0.15 fraction solid exhibit an “apparent yield point” which is on the order of 106 dyne per sq cm and increases with increasing fraction solid. When shearing is conducted continuously while the alloy is cooled from above the liquidus to the desired final fraction solid, shear stresses required for flow are reduced by about three orders of magnitude. The solid-liquid mixture now behaves as a fluid slurry. Structural examination shows that shear takes place throughout the cross section of the specimen and that the solid is present as a fine grained particulate suspension. Flow behavior can be described by a viscosity which depends on fraction solid, decreases with increasing shear rate and exhibits hysteresis when shear rate is changed. For shear rates of 200 sec−1, at 0.40 fraction solid, viscosity is about 5 poise which is equivalent to that of heavy machine oil at room temperature. The fact that the slurry is highly fluid at large fractions solid suggests potential applications in new and existing metal casting processes.

Interdendritic fluid flow and macrosegregation; influence of gravity

Abstract: An analysis is given of interdendritic flow behavior during solidification of castings and ingots, assuming resistance to flow is as in other types of porous media. Driving forces for the flow are solidification contractions and gravity acting on a fluid of variable density. Detailed flow calculations are given for horizontal, unidirectional, steady-state solidification, using aluminum-copper alloys as examples. Conditions are quantitatively described under which gravity induced convection becomes an important contributory cause of macrosegregation. A critical condition of flow is shown to produce local melting with resulting formation of “channel-type” segregates. Qualitative examples are given of application of the ideas presented to interpretation of macrosegregation in commercial ingots, with specific reference to centerline segregation and “channel-type” segregation, including “V” segregates, “A” segregates and “freckles”.

Semisolid solidification of high temperature superconducting oxides

Abstract: Experiments are reported on two techniques for melt‐texture processing Ba2YCu3O6.5 by directional solidification from a semisolid melt containing particles of BaY2CuO5 and a copper‐rich liquid. One of these employs an electric resistance furnace with ambient or oxygen enriched atmosphere; the other is a laser‐heated furnace operating at 1.3 atm oxygen. Solidification interface morphologies and other structural features were examined in quenched specimens. Depending on growth rate and temperature gradient, three different types of growth morphologies of the growing 123 phase were observed: ‘‘faceted plane front,’’ ‘‘cellular dendritic’’ or ‘‘equiaxed blocky.’’ The interface temperature decreased markedly with increasing growth rate for the faceted plane front specimens. In the remaining specimens, solidification took place over a range of temperatures. The temperature of the ‘‘root’’ of the solidification front dropped, but temperature of the solidification front ‘‘tip’’ did not. A solidification model is ...

Elimination of Solute Banding in Indium Antimonide Crystals by Growth in a Magnetic Field

Abstract: Samples of tellurium‐doped indium antimonide that exhibited solute banding when solidified in a horizontal boat under ordinary conditions showed no bands when solidified in the presence of a vertical dc magnetic field. The effect of the field was to damp the thermal convection in the molten sample to the point of suppressing turbulence, thereby eliminating the temperature fluctuations in the liquid that cause the bands.

Phd by thesis

Abstract: Deposits of clastic carbonate-dominated (calciclastic) sedimentary slope systems in the rock record have been identified mostly as linearly-consistent carbonate apron deposits, even though most ancient clastic carbonate slope deposits fit the submarine fan systems better. Calciclastic submarine fans are consequently rarely described and are poorly understood. Subsequently, very little is known especially in mud-dominated calciclastic submarine fan systems. Presented in this study are a sedimentological core and petrographic characterisation of samples from eleven boreholes from the Lower Carboniferous of Bowland Basin (Northwest England) that reveals a >250 m thick calciturbidite complex deposited in a calciclastic submarine fan setting. Seven facies are recognised from core and thin section characterisation and are grouped into three carbonate turbidite sequences. They include: 1) Calciturbidites, comprising mostly of highto low-density, wavy-laminated bioclast-rich facies; 2) low-density densite mudstones which are characterised by planar laminated and unlaminated muddominated facies; and 3) Calcidebrites which are muddy or hyper-concentrated debrisflow deposits occurring as poorly-sorted, chaotic, mud-supported floatstones. These

Particle reinforced aluminium and magnesium matrix composites

Abstract: Particle reinforced metal matrix composites are now being produced commerically, and in this paper the current status of these materials is reviewed. The different types of reinforcement being used, together with the alternative processing methods, are discussed. Depending on the initial processing method, different factors have to be taken into consideration to produce a high quality billet. With powder metallurgy processing, the composition of the matrix and the type of reinforcement are independent of one another. However, in molten metal processing they are intimately linked in terms of the different reactivities which occur between reinforcement and matrix in the molten state. The factors controlling the distribution of reinforcement are also dependent on the initial processing method. Secondary fabrication methods, such as extrusion and rolling, are essential in processing composites produced by powder metallurgy, since they are required to consolidate the composite fully. Other methods, suc...

Particulate reinforced metal matrix composites — a review

Abstract: The physical and mechanical properties that can be obtained with metal matrix composites (MMCs) have made them attractive candidate materials for aerospace, automotive and numerous other applications. More recently, particulate reinforced MMCs have attracted considerable attention as a result of their relatively low costs and characteristic isotropic properties. Reinforcement materials include carbides, nitrides and oxides. In an effort to optimize the structure and properties of particulate reinforced MMCs various processing techniques have evolved over the last 20 years. The processing methods utilized to manufacture particulate reinforced MMCs can be grouped depending on the temperature of the metallic matrix during processing. Accordingly, the processes can be classified into three categories: (a) liquid phase processes, (b) solid state processes, and (c) two phase (solid-liquid) processes. Regarding physical properties, strengthening in metal matrix composites has been related to dislocations of a very high density in the matrix originating from differential thermal contraction, geometrical constraints and plastic deformation during processing.