EP1981668A2 - Procede de preparation de structure metallique appropriee pour un traitement de metal semi-solide - Google Patents

Procede de preparation de structure metallique appropriee pour un traitement de metal semi-solide

Info

Publication number
EP1981668A2
EP1981668A2 EP07763446A EP07763446A EP1981668A2 EP 1981668 A2 EP1981668 A2 EP 1981668A2 EP 07763446 A EP07763446 A EP 07763446A EP 07763446 A EP07763446 A EP 07763446A EP 1981668 A2 EP1981668 A2 EP 1981668A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
alloy
solid
metal
solid medium
gas bubbles
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP07763446A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1981668A4 (fr
EP1981668B1 (fr
Inventor
Jessada c/o Prince of Songkla Univ. WANNASIN
Raul A. c/o Selmet Inc. MARTINEZ
Merton C. c/o Massachusetts Institute Of Technology FLEMMINGS
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
National Science and Technology Development Agency
Original Assignee
National Science and Technology Development Agency
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by National Science and Technology Development Agency filed Critical National Science and Technology Development Agency
Publication of EP1981668A2 publication Critical patent/EP1981668A2/fr
Publication of EP1981668A4 publication Critical patent/EP1981668A4/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1981668B1 publication Critical patent/EP1981668B1/fr
Not-in-force legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D17/00—Pressure die casting or injection die casting, i.e. casting in which the metal is forced into a mould under high pressure
    • B22D17/007—Semi-solid pressure die casting
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21—METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21C—PROCESSING OF PIG-IRON, e.g. REFINING, MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL; TREATMENT IN MOLTEN STATE OF FERROUS ALLOYS
    • C21C7/00—Treating molten ferrous alloys, e.g. steel, not covered by groups C21C1/00 - C21C5/00
    • C21C7/04—Removing impurities by adding a treating agent
    • C21C7/072—Treatment with gases
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22C—ALLOYS
    • C22C1/00—Making non-ferrous alloys
    • C22C1/12—Making non-ferrous alloys by processing in a semi-solid state, e.g. holding the alloy in the solid-liquid phase

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method to prepare non-dendritic, semi-solid metal slurries for semi-solid casting and forming.
  • the invention flows gas bubbles through at least one solid medium inserted into or accommodates therein the liquid metal or alloy thereby cooling the liquid metal or alloy to a temperature below the melting temperature thereof while agitating the liquid metal or alloy with the gas bobbles and forming solid fractions therein.
  • Thixocasting is a process in which a non-dendritic structure is obtained by reheating a fully solidified billet back into the solid-liquid temperature range then forming it into a part.
  • Rheocasting is a process in which a slurry with non-dendritic structure is created from liquid alloy, and then formed into a part.
  • thixocaster would buy these billets, reheat them into the solid-liquid temperature range, and form them into parts. Even though high quality aluminum parts are obtained, issues such as operating cost and process control have prevented wide-spread adoption of thixocasting.
  • thixocasting process was estimated to represent only about 1% of the 2.5 million tons of aluminum castings in North America, Europe, and Japan (or about 25,000 tons) in an article by P. Kapranos et al. entitled "Near net shaping by semi-solid metal processing" (Materials and Design, (21), 2000, pgs 387-394).
  • This invention utilizes the principle presented by Martinez and Flemings that if a combination of localized chill with vigorous convection is applied to a melt held just above its liquidus temperature, a non-dendritic structure can form in a matter of seconds after solidification begins.
  • this invention it has been found that by flowing gas bubbles through a solid object into a molten metal alloy held at a temperature above the liquidus temperature, non-dendritic, semi-solid metal slurry is obtained.
  • gas bubbles provide vigorous convection while also provide some localized chill. Localized chill is also achieved through the use of a solid object.
  • this invention uses gas bubbles as the medium to provide agitation, not solid objects such as impellers or cylindrical rods as in the prior art.
  • this invention describes a method to prepare non-dendritic, semi-solid metal slurries by introducing gas bubbles through a solid object into a molten metal alloy held at a temperature above the liquidus temperature.
  • the solid object is not rotating, several advantages can be anticipated. With no rotating parts, a cooling system and sensory systems can be applied with simple designs. Since a vortex is not formed in the molten metal alloy, increased metal oxidation due to the vortex is avoided.
  • a porous solid object is used to provide gas bubbles, wetting and reaction between the molten metal alloy and the immersed medium are avoided since the flow of gas bubbles out of the pores on the solid medium acts as a protective layer between the molten metal alloy and the medium surfaces.
  • the flow of gas bubbles inside the molten metal alloy help remove slag, dissolved gases, and any impurities from the molten metal alloy, these widely used processes are known as degassing or de-slagging processes.
  • FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment of an apparatus for preparing non-dendritic, semisolid metal slurries according to the invention.
  • FIG. 2 shows the second embodiment of an apparatus for preparing non-dendritic, semi-solid metal slurries according to the invention.
  • FIG. 3 shows the third embodiment of an apparatus for preparing non-dendritic, semisolid metal slurries according to the invention.
  • FIG. 4 shows the fourth embodiment of an apparatus for preparing non-dendritic, semi-solid metal slurries according to the invention.
  • FIG. 5 shows a representative micrograph of a dendritic microstructure provided without applying the invention.
  • FIG. 6 shows a representative micrograph of the non-dendritic, semi-solid structure provided according to the invention.
  • FIG. 7 shows a representative micrograph of another microstructure provided according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
  • FIG. 1 Shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus for preparing non-dendritic, semi-solid metal slurries in accordance with an embodiment of this invention.
  • the apparatus includes a holding vessel for receiving and hold a molten metal alloy, a lance (a hollow cylindrical tube) for providing inert gas bubbles, and a solid object to provide more localized chill.
  • the lance is immersed in the molten metal alloy which is held at a temperature above the liquidus temperature.
  • inert gas is flowed through the lance creating gas bubbles while a solid object is lowered into the molten metal alloy.
  • the gas is selected of the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and a mixture of these gases.
  • the metal alloy is selected from the group consisting of aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, copper alloys, ferrous alloys, zinc alloys, nickel alloys, and titanium alloys.
  • the temperature of the metal drops below the liquidus temperature, non-dendritic, semi-solid metal slurry is being formed.
  • the metal slurry has a solid content of about 1% to about 50% by weight, the solid object is removed and the gas flow is stopped.
  • Other variations of the invention are possible, such as a pipe, an impeller, a rod, or a container. Some of them are given in FIG. 2 - FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 2 shows another embodiment. In this process, inert gas is flowed through a nozzle of a solid object. In another embodiment, FIG.
  • FIG. 4 shows another embodiment. Ih one process, inert gas is flowed through a porous solid located at the wall. Fine gas bubbles can be introduced on all the wall surfaces and the bottom surfaces or only parts of the surfaces.
  • the solid object may be made of graphite, ceramics, metals, or composites of these materials.
  • the molten metal or alloy is cooled by the flow of gas bubbles thereinto and by the contact with the solid object. Since more than one discussed-above solid object can be deployed simultaneously, the melted metal or alloy can be cooled by the contact with multiple solid objects. In addition, the solid object is cooled by flowing air, water, or any cooling fluids through itself.
  • the gas bubbles Beside the cooling and agitating functions, the gas bubbles also protect the solid object from reacting with the metal or alloy, and remove slag, dissolved gases, or impurities from the metal or alloy.
  • Example 1 A357 Alloy Processed using a Porous Graphite Diffuser
  • the following is a detailed description of a method for preparing non-dendritic, semisolid slurries of A357 alloy, with reference to FIG. 3.
  • the melt was slowly cooled down to 625 0 C, with the cooling rate of about 1 °C/minute, and the diffuser was quickly immersed introducing fine argon gas bubbles with the volumetric flow rate of about 2 liter/min.
  • the bubbling process was carried out until solid phase of about 10% in the melt was achieved before the diffuser was quickly removed and the melt allowed to cool slowly.
  • the metal temperature reached 580 0 C (about 45% solid fraction)
  • a slice of the metal in. the crucible was removed and quenched in water.
  • FIG. 5 is given to show a representative micrograph of the un-processed dendritic microstructure.
  • the micrograph shows coarse grain structure with more than 400 ⁇ m in size.
  • FIG. 6 shows a representative micrograph of the non-dendritic, semisolid structure processed by this method. In this method, the grain structure is significantly finer with less than 200 ⁇ m in size.
  • the lance was coated with boron nitride and then connected to an argon gas cylinder equipped with a gas flow meter to provide fine gas bubbles into the melt.
  • the lance was immersed in the melt while the alloy was being heated to 630 0 C.
  • the melt was slowly cooled down to 625 0 C, with the cooling rate of about 1 °C/minute, and the solid copper chill coated with graphite was quickly immersed with fine argon gas bubbles being introduced through the lance at the same time, see FIG. 1.
  • the volumetric flow rate was about 1.5 liter/min.
  • the bubbling process was carried out until solid phase of about 5% in the melt was achieved before the solid copper chill was quickly removed and the gas flow was stopped.
  • the melt was then allowed to cool slowly.
  • the metal temperature reached 580 0 C (about 45% solid fraction)
  • a slice of the metal in the crucible was removed and quenched in water.
  • the samples were then polished and examined under an optical microscope.
  • FIG. 7

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Metal Powder And Suspensions Thereof (AREA)
  • Waste-Gas Treatment And Other Accessory Devices For Furnaces (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé de formation d'un métal ou d'un alliage semi-solide ayant des structures de grain non-dendritiques utilisant des bulles de gaz, lequel procédé comprend le chauffage du métal ou de l'alliage au-dessus d'une température de fusion de celui-ci pour donner un métal ou un alliage liquide, l'écoulement des bulles de gaz à travers au moins un milieu solide inséré à l'intérieur ou d'adapté dans celui-ci d'un métal ou d'un alliage liquide refroidissant de ce fait le métal ou l'alliage liquide à une température au-dessous de la température de fusion tout en agitant le métal ou l'alliage liquide avec les bulles de gaz et formant des fractions solides dans celui-ci, et l'arrêt de l'écoulement des bulles de gaz à travers celui-ci lorsque la fraction solide d'un solide atteint une gamme de 0,01 à 0,5 en poids donnant de ce fait le métal ou l'alliage semi-solide ayant des structures de grain non-dendritiques.
EP07763446A 2006-02-02 2007-01-31 Procede de preparation de structure metallique appropriee pour un traitement de metal semi-solide Not-in-force EP1981668B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US76434806P 2006-02-02 2006-02-02
PCT/US2007/002503 WO2007092203A2 (fr) 2006-02-02 2007-01-31 Procede de preparation de structure metallique appropriee pour un traitement de metal semi-solide

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1981668A2 true EP1981668A2 (fr) 2008-10-22
EP1981668A4 EP1981668A4 (fr) 2010-03-10
EP1981668B1 EP1981668B1 (fr) 2013-01-16

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EP07763446A Not-in-force EP1981668B1 (fr) 2006-02-02 2007-01-31 Procede de preparation de structure metallique appropriee pour un traitement de metal semi-solide

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1981668B1 (fr)
JP (1) JP5242416B2 (fr)
DK (1) DK1981668T3 (fr)
ES (1) ES2403369T3 (fr)
WO (1) WO2007092203A2 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015174937A1 (fr) * 2014-05-16 2015-11-19 Gissco Company Limited Procédé de préparation de métaux en fusion pour coulée à une température de surchauffe faible à nulle

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CN104043792B (zh) * 2014-07-04 2016-05-04 机械科学研究总院（将乐）半固态技术研究所有限公司 轻合金或轻金属半固态浆料的制备装置及制备方法
CN104232953B (zh) * 2014-09-18 2016-10-26 珠海市润星泰电器有限公司 一种轻金属合金半固态浆料制备方法
CN106955980B (zh) * 2017-04-20 2022-10-18 昆山伟拓压铸机械有限公司 有色金属半固态汤料成型装置及制备方法
CN106903276B (zh) * 2017-04-21 2019-12-13 苏州金澄精密铸造有限公司 一种半固态浆料制浆机
CN106925728B (zh) * 2017-04-21 2019-12-13 苏州金澄精密铸造有限公司 半固态制浆用制浆头
CN106944599B (zh) * 2017-04-21 2022-06-14 苏州金澄精密铸造有限公司 半固态制浆用制浆机及半固态制浆方法
CN109759555B (zh) * 2019-01-28 2021-03-30 深圳市银宝山新压铸科技有限公司 一种复合场制备半固态浆料的方法
JP7247917B2 (ja) * 2020-02-19 2023-03-29 トヨタ自動車株式会社 半凝固溶湯の製造方法
CN120311069B (zh) * 2025-04-07 2025-12-16 宁波得鑫科技有限公司 一种镁铝合金成型工艺
CN120038298A (zh) * 2025-04-25 2025-05-27 深圳市尊德五金制品有限公司 铝合金反重力铸造在线半固态制浆工艺及模具
CN120696372A (zh) * 2025-08-21 2025-09-26 爱柯迪(深圳)精密部件有限公司 一种惰性气体搅拌制备铝合金半固态浆料方法

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WO2015174937A1 (fr) * 2014-05-16 2015-11-19 Gissco Company Limited Procédé de préparation de métaux en fusion pour coulée à une température de surchauffe faible à nulle
JP2017521255A (ja) * 2014-05-16 2017-08-03 ギスコ カンパニー リミテッド 低過熱温度からゼロ過熱温度における鋳込みのための溶融金属を調製するプロセス
US10675676B2 (en) 2014-05-16 2020-06-09 Grissco Company Limited Process for preparing molten metals for casting at a low to zero superheat temperature

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2007092203A2 (fr) 2007-08-16
JP2009525192A (ja) 2009-07-09
DK1981668T3 (da) 2013-04-15
ES2403369T3 (es) 2013-05-17
WO2007092203A3 (fr) 2008-03-06
WO2007092203B1 (fr) 2008-04-24
JP5242416B2 (ja) 2013-07-24
EP1981668A4 (fr) 2010-03-10
EP1981668B1 (fr) 2013-01-16

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