Semisolid metal (SSM) processingis a relatively new technology for metal forming. Different from the conventional metal forming technologies which use either solid metals (solid state processing) or liquid metals (casting) as starting materials, SSM processing deals with semisolid slurries, in which non-dendritic solid particles are dispersed in a liquid matrix. Semisolid metal slurries exhibit distinctive rheological characteristics: the steady state behaviour is pseudoplastic (or shear thinning), while the transient state behaviour is thixotropic. All the currently available technologies for SSM processing have been developed based on those unique rheological properties, which in turn originate from their non-dendritic microstructures. Year 2001 marks the 30th anniversary of the concept of SSM processing. Today, SSM processing has established itself as a scientifically sound and commercially viable technology for production of metallic components with high integrity, improved mechanical properti...

Semisolid metal processing

A new criterion for the appearance of hot tears in metallic alloys is proposed. Based upon a mass balance performed over the liquid and solid phases, it accounts for the tensile deformation of the solid skeleton perpendicular to the growing dendrites and for the induced interdendritic liquid feeding. This model introduces a critical deformation rate (
 
$$\dot \varepsilon _{p,\max } $$

 ) beyond which cavitation, i.e., nucleation of a first void, occurs. As should be expected, this critical value is an increasing function of the thermal gradient and permeability and a decreasing function of the viscosity. The shrinkage contribution, which is also included in the model, is shown to be of the same order of magnitude as that associated with the tensile deformation of the solid skeleton. A hot-cracking sensitivity (HCS) index is then defined as 
$$\dot \varepsilon _{_{p,\max } }^{ - 1} $$

 . When applied to a variable-concentration aluminum-copper alloy, this HCS criterion can reproduce the typical “Λ curves” previously deduced by Clyne and Davies on a phenomenological basis. The calculated values are in fairly good agreement with those obtained experimentally by Spittle and Cushway for a non-grain-refined alloy. A comparison of this criterion to hot cracks observed in ring-mold solidification tests indicates cavitation depression of a few kilo Pascal and tensile stresses in the coherent mushy zone of a few mega Pascal. These values are discussed in terms of those obtained by other means (coherency measurement, microporosity observation, and simulation). Even though this HCS criterion is based only upon the appearance of a first void and not on its propagation, it sets up for the first time a physically sound basis for the study of hot-crack formation.

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A New Hot-Tearing Criterion

A comprehensive model is developed for solving the heat and solute diffusion equations during solidification that avoids tracking the liquid—solid interface. The bulk liquid and solid phases are treated as regular solutions and an order parameter (the phase field) is introduced to describe the interfacial region between them. Two-dimensional computations are performed for ideal solutions and for dendritic growth into an isothermal and highly supersaturated liquid phase. The dependence upon various material and computational parameters, including the approach to conventional sharp interface theories, is investigated. Realistic growth patterns are obtained that include the development, coarsening, and coalescence of secondary and tertiary dendrite arms. Microsegregation patterns are examined and compared for different values of the solid diffusion coefficient.

Prediction of dendritic growth and microsegregation patterns in a binary alloy using the phase-field method

Mechanical properties in the semi-solid state and hot tearing of aluminium alloys

High-strength austenitic stainless steels can be produced by replacing carbon with nitrogen. Nitrogen has greater solid-solubility than carbon, is a strong austenite stabilizer, potent interstitial solid-solution strengthener, and improves pitting corrosion resistance. Although the solubility of nitrogen in liquid iron is very low, 0.045 wt.% at 1600 °C and atmospheric pressure, nitrogen levels above 1 wt.% can be obtained through alloying and specialized high-pressure melting techniques. An austenitic stainless steel should be considered “high-nitrogen” if it contains more nitrogen than can be retained in the material by processing at atmospheric pressure; for most alloys, this limit is approximately 0.4 wt.%. This article describes melting and processing technologies applicable to high-nitrogen steels and the effects of interstitial nitrogen on a variety of material properties. Thermal stability, nitride precipitation kinetics, and the effects of nitride formation on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance are discussed.

Overview: high-nitrogen alloying of stainless steels

Shrinkage porosity and gas porosity occur simultaneously and at the same location when conditions are such that both may exist in a solidifying casting. Porosity formation in a solidifying alloy is described numerically, including the possible evolution of dissolved gases. The calculated amount and size of the porosity formed in Al-4.5 pct Cu plate castings compares favorably with measured values. The calculated distribution of porosity in sand cast Al-4.5 pct Cu plates of 1.5 cm thickness matches experimental measurements. The decrease of the hydrogen content by strong degassing and the increase of mold chilling power are recommended to produce sound aluminum alloy castings. The calculated results for steel plate castings are in agreement with the experimental work of Pellini. The present modeling has clarified the basis of empirical rules for soundness and suggests that the simultaneous occurrence of shrinkage and gas evolution is an essential mechanism in the formation of porosity defects.

Mathematical Modeling of Porosity Formation in Solidification

During the solidification of metal castings, an interfacial heat transfer resistance exists at the boundary between the metal and the mold. This heat transfer resistance usually varies with time even if the cast metal remains in contact with the mold, due to the time dependence of plasticity of the freezing metal and oxide growth on the surface. The present work has studied interfacial heat transfer on two related types of castings. In the first type, a copper chill was placed on the top of a cylindrical, bottom gated casting. Using the techniques of transducer displacements and electrical continuity, a clearance gap was detected between the solidified metal and the chill. The second type of casting had a similar design except that the chill was placed at the bottom. Owing to the effect of gravity, solid to solid contact was maintained at the metal-chill interface, but the high degree of interface nonconformity resulted in a relatively low thermal conductance as indicated by solution of the inverse heat conduction problem. Finally, the influence of interfacial heat transfer on solidification time with three mold ma-terials is compared by a numerical example, and criteria for utilizing Chvorinov's rule are discussed.

Metal-Mold interfacial heat transfer

The solubility of nitrogen in liquid Fe-Cr, Fe-Ni, Ni-Cr, and Fe-Cr-Ni alloys up to 20 wt pct Ni and 40 wt pct Cr was measured by the Sieverts’ method The first and second order interactions in iron between nitrogen and chromium, and nitrogen and nickel were determined Chromium increases the nitrogen solubility at lower chromium concentrations but the second order interaction term which is of the opposite sign becomes significant at higher chromium levels and compensates partly for the effect of the first order interaction term Nickel decreases the nitrogen solubility in iron Titanium nitride formation in liquid Fe-Cr, Fe-Ni, and Fe-Cr-Ni alloys also was investigated The first and second order interactions between titanium and chromium or nickel were determined at 1600°C Chromium increases the solubility product of TiN, principally by decreasing the activity of nitrogen in the melt Nickel decreases the solubility product of TiN by increasing the activities of nitrogen and titanium

Nitrogen solution and titanium nitride precipitation in liquid Fe-Cr-Ni alloys

The equilibrium nitrogen solubility and nitride formation in austenitic Fe and Fe-Ti alloys were measured in the temperature range from 1273 to 1563 K. Specimens 0.5 mm thick were equilibrated with four different nitrogen-argon gas mixtures containing 1 pct hydrogen. The nitrogen solubility in austenitic iron obeys Sieverts' law. The equilibrium nitrogen content was determined to be log (wt pct N)γ-Fe, PN2=1 atm = (539 ± 17)/T − (2.00 ± 0.01). The precipitated titanium nitride was identified as cubic TiN, and the solubility product was determined to be log(wt pct Ti) (wt pct N) = −14,400/T + 4.94.

Nitrogen solubility and nitride formation in austenitic Fe-Ti alloys

A mathematical model was developed to calculate microsegregation in binary metallic alloys. This model utilized the mathematical techniques of the method of lines combined with invariant imbedding (MOL/II) to solve the problem of combined heat and mass transfer during and after solidification. Model predictions were compared to experimental measurements in the Al-Cu system and to other microsegregation models. The MOL/II model predicted nonequilibrium second-phase contents within ±3 pct at low and intermediate cooling rates, when dendrite-arm coarsening was included in the model. It also was able to reproduce concentration profiles reasonably well. The analytical models commonly used (equilibrium cooling, Scheil equation, Brody/ Flemings model, Clyne/Kurz model, Solari/Biloni model, and Basaran equation) in micro-segregation calculations were shown to be considerably less accurate than the numerical models (MOL/II and the Ogilvy/Kirkwood model).

Robert D. Pehlke

Papers

Mathematical Modeling of Porosity Formation in Solidification

Metal-Mold interfacial heat transfer

Nitrogen solution and titanium nitride precipitation in liquid Fe-Cr-Ni alloys

Nitrogen solubility and nitride formation in austenitic Fe-Ti alloys

Mathematical Modeling of Microsegregation in Binary Metallic Alloys