Effect of inoculation on the grain macrostructure of Al-Si alloys obtained by unidirectional solidification. / Efeito da inoculação na macroestrutura de grãos de ligas AI-Si obtidas por solidificação unidirecional.

AUTOR(ES)

Diego Alfonso Pineda Arango

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

The development of various industrial sectors, such as the automotive and the aerospace industry, demand premium aluminum castings with strict control of mechanical properties. To fulfill these requirements, the control of solidification processes and the knowledge of relations between the processing variables and the casting properties are necessary. The mechanical properties of a cast part depend strongly on its macrostructure, which are directly related to the grain size and distribution of porosity. Although the study of the macrostructure formation is important to establish the relationship between processing variables and properties, some important effects were not studied thoroughly. The main objective of the present work is to study the effect of inoculant addition on the grain macrostructure, particularly the columnar-to-equiaxial transition, of Al-3%Si and Al-7%Si alloys solidified directionally. Several experiments of directional upwards solidification have been carried out in a electric resistance furnace. Different contents of a master-alloy (Al-3%Ti-1%Ti) traditionally used for grain refining in the aluminum industry were added to the melt before solidification. The directional solidification occurred in a stainless steel crucible with a water-cooled base and with lateral walls and top with thermal insulation. The macrostructures of the longitudinal section of ingots were revealed and thermal parameters, such as isotherm velocity and temperature gradients were calculated from the cooling curves measured during solidification by thermocouples inserted within the crucible. An increase in the inoculant addition resulted in a series of different ingot macrostructures that ranged from completely columnar to completely equiaxed grain structures. Without inoculant addition, the columnar-to-equiaxed transition region was abrupt, whereas the addition of inoculant gave rise to a mixed structure of columnar and equiaxed grains. The amount of inoculant that had to be added to the Al-7%Si to cause this mixed structure and decrease the equiaxed grain size was nearly one order o magnitude larger than the amount of inoculant added to the Al-3%Si alloy.

ASSUNTO(S)

metallurgical processes aluminium structure of materials refining estrutura dos materiais alumínio refino processos metalúrgicos

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