Preparation and Rheo-Die casting of Semi-Solid A356 Aluminum Alloy Slurry through a Serpentine Pouring Channel

摘要

The semi-solid slurry of A356 aluminum alloy was prepared through a serpentine pouring channel, which is a new method proposed recently for semi-solid forming process, and the effect of pouring temperature and bend number in the channel on the slurry microstructure was investigated and the slurry was finally rheo-die cast. The results show that when the pouring temperatures are between 640°C and 680°C, the slurry of A356 aluminum alloy with spherical primary α-Al grains can be prepared under the given conditions. The more the bend numbers in the channel are, the better the slurry is, i.e. the primary α-Al grains are more spherical and finer. The results also show that the as-cast ultimate strength and elongation of the rheo-die castings can reach 250MPa and 8.6～13.2% respectively. After T6 heat treatment, the ultimate strength and elongation of the rheo-die castings can reach 320MPa and 8.0～11.3% respectively. The work undertaken demonstrates eventually that the serpentine pouring channel process is a good method for semi-solid rheo-die casting or rheo-forming of metallic materials, the process is simple and the slurry cost is not expensive.