Effects of important parameters in the production of Al-A356 alloy by semi-solid forming process

There are many routes to produce feedstock with globular microstructure. Cooling slope methods has been attracted as the result of its simplicity and also produces of the globular shape billets quicker than other methods. In this method molten metal is poured on a tilted slope that is cooled by water circulating underneath. Due to shear stress exerted to the slurry, it is solidified with globular microstructure. By simulation of semi-solid casting with cooling slope the effects of different pouring conditions on the microstructure of A356 aluminum alloy are investigated. The simulations are carried out by a CFD code called FLOW3D. The average diameter and shape factor of primary α-Al particles from experiments and the time duration of slurry presence on the slope, solid fraction of the slurry, strain rate and turbulence from the simulations were investigated. Comparing the results of simulations with experimental results showed that for having the best microstructure with higher sphericity and lowest particle size, the residence time of slurry on the cooling slope must be enough, while the shear stress and turbulence must be as high as possible. Also, combination of the process parameters including pouring temperature, tilt angle and slope length should lead to adequate value of tf, while solid fraction of slurry at the exit of slope is about 30–35%. Keywords: Semi-solid casting, Cooling slope method, Simulation, CFD code, FLOW3D softwar