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A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metal Casting, Forming and Heat Treatment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 27596

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Prof. Dr. Wenchao Yang

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State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China
Interests: solidification; casting; simulation; characterization; alloys
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Establishing control of the cast structure is the underlying object of solidification metallurgy. Recent advances and developments in solidification are enabling the production of high-purity castings for superalloys, aluminum, magnesium, titanium and copper alloys, rapidly solidified structural components and castings with unique microstructures. Additionally, recent developments in processing technology allow for better productivity and reliability in some metal castings. These developments have all stemmed from a good understanding of the science of solidification metallurgy as well as an appreciation of the merits of structural control using advanced solidification processing. In addition, numerous works have also been developed on both experimental and analytical/computer modeling aimed at disclosing the fundamental aspects of metallurgical process, phase formation and growth within liquid melts, and many calculated software were used to clarify the solidification. These included ProCAST, AnyCasting, Magma, Micress, etc.

Accordingly, this Special Issue of Metals, entitled “Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys,” is intended to review the latest developments in the various aspects of solidification metallurgy. Specifically, we aim to cover: (a) metallurgical control of the composition and microstructure of metals or castings; (b) micro- and macrosegregation mechanisms, as well as the microstructural evolution of solidification microstructures; (c) multi-scale experiments and simulations for solidification using different calculated methods; (d) fundamental aspects such as nucleation, grain growth, and the development of the mushy zone; and (e) thermal, compositional effects on the development/avoidance of casting defects, etc.

It would be a rather difficult task to condense all of the ongoing advances in the various areas of solidification research in this brief overview. However, the proposed issue is intended to provide a comprehensive account of the “state of the art” in current endeavors, aimed at elucidating the fundamental mechanistic aspects of phase formation during solidification. Thus, we invite submissions covering all of the aspects related to recent advances in solidification fields, including metallurgy, processing, fluid flow, solute and thermal transport based on experimental, analytical and computer simulations.

Prof. Dr. Wenchao Yang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

solidification and casting process
nucleation and growth
casting technology
additive manufacturing
solidification modeling
multi-scale experiments and simulations
advanced characterization methods
microstructure–property relationship
industrial applications

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Related Special Issue

Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys (2nd Edition) in Metals (1 article)

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

6 pages, 162 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys

by Wenchao Yang

Metals 2025, 15(1), 87; https://doi.org/10.3390/met15010087 - 18 Jan 2025

Viewed by 982

Abstract

Establishing control of the cast structure is the underlying object of solidification metallurgy [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

11 pages, 5353 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Formation Mechanism of Oxide Inclusions in a High-Aluminum Ni-Based Superalloy during the Vacuum Induction Remelting Process

by Lihui Zhang, Erkang Liu, Weijie Xing, Zhaojiang Xue, Wenjie Fan, Yunsong Zhao, Yushi Luo, Changchun Ge and Min Xia

Metals 2024, 14(6), 654; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14060654 - 30 May 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1245

Abstract

Oxide inclusions in Ni-based superalloys play a crucial role in determining their mechanical properties, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance at high temperatures. In this paper, the source and formation mechanism of different types of oxide inclusions in a high-aluminum Ni-based superalloy were systematically studied. An automatic field emission scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer and a self-designed superalloy inclusion analysis standard was utilized to quantitatively reveal the oxide inclusion characteristics of the high-aluminum Ni-based superalloy prepared via vacuum induction melting (VIM) and vacuum induction remelting (VIR) processes. The experimental results indicate that the typical oxide inclusions in the Ni-based superalloy before the VIR process are irregular MgO·Al₂O₃ inclusions with sizes of less than 2 μm. After the VIR process, the typical oxide inclusions in the Ni-based superalloy are also MgO·Al₂O₃ inclusions. However, these oxide inclusions can be classified into three categories: (i) endogenous irregular MgO·Al₂O₃ inclusions, less than 4.3 μm in size, inherited from the master alloy; (ii) several hundred-micron film-like MgO·Al₂O₃ inclusions generated as interface reaction products between the MgO crucible and melts; and (iii) millimeter-scale MgO·Al₂O₃ inclusions and several tens of microns of MgO inclusions from the exfoliation of the MgO crucible matrix. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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14 pages, 5682 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strip Casting of Sm₂TM₁₇-Type Alloys for Production of the Metastable SmTM₇ Phase

by Richard Sheridan, Joseph Gresle-Farthing, Alice Appleby and Mangaliso Brown

Metals 2024, 14(5), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14050517 - 29 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1444

Abstract

Conventional book casting of Sm₂TM₁₇-type alloys (where TM = Co, Fe, Cu, Zr) leads to a coarse, highly segregated microstructure, predominantly due to the slow, variable cooling rate from the mould surface towards the centre of the ingot. These cast alloys require a long homogenisation treatment to remove this segregation and develop a super-saturated, metastable SmTM₇-type hexagonal phase. This SmTM₇ phase is a vital precursor phase required during magnet production to develop the complex cellular structure responsible for high magnetic properties. In this work, strip casting was employed to facilitate rapid solidification to develop thin flakes (<0.5 mm thick) with a columnar grain structure. Rapid cooling has the potential to produce a homogenous microstructure consisting predominantly of the metastable SmTM₇ phase. This could remove or significantly reduce the need for the energy-intensive homogenisation treatment usually required in conventional magnet manufacture. This paper investigates the effect of wheel speed (and hence cooling rate) on flake thickness, microstructure, and phase balance of the cast alloys. It was shown that for wheel speeds between 1.1 and 3.0 m/s, the microstructure showed large variation; however, in all cases, evidence of the columnar SmTM₇ phase was presented. The adhesion between the melt and the wheel was deemed to be critical for the nucleation and subsequent columnar growth of SmTM₇ grains, where the wheel speed controlled both the flow of the alloy onto the wheel and the thickness of the resultant flake. It was determined that in order to achieve a homogenous columnar SmTM₇ structure, the maximum flake thickness should be limited to 270 μm to avoid the formation of equiaxed Sm₂TM₁₇ grains through insufficient cooling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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12 pages, 3680 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Methodology to Define the Niyama Criterion Reinforced with the Solid Fraction Analysis: Application to Sand Casting of Steel Bars

by María Carmen Manjabacas and Valentín Miguel

Metals 2023, 13(10), 1777; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13101777 - 20 Oct 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3839

Abstract

Niyama and solid fraction criteria are used to predict the solidification porosity and microporosity in computing simulation of casting processes. The solid fraction permits us to determine the areas that solidify last and that are a candidate for presenting porosity if a feeding system is not correctly designed. The Niyama criterion is locally obtained based on the thermal and cooling gradients at a point of the liquid casting. The Niyama value at a casting point varies rapidly from low rates to high ones during the last part of the metal solidification, which demands that the percentage of solidification of the metal is defined to determine the Niyama number. In addition, the Niyama threshold that establishes the soundness of the workpiece can vary according to the nature of the metal or the casting system. In this paper, a methodology to determine the solidification percentage is presented. The method is based on the Niyama number evolution during the solidification process at different key points. These points are validated by the solid fraction criterion as healthy or, on the contrary, as candidates for containing porosity. In addition, some considerations of the solid fraction criterion are visited since the threshold value for which the isolation of the last solidification areas can be defined is not clear. The research is validated by the empirical casting criteria existing in the literature for obtaining sound parts and applied to low-carbon steel bars produced by sand casting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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14 pages, 4905 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Simulation of Mold Filling and Solidification Characteristics of Hypereutectic High-Chromium Cast Iron by Lost Foam Suspension Casting

by Hongliang Ma and Hanguang Fu

Metals 2023, 13(10), 1761; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13101761 - 17 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1852

Abstract

In this paper, the finite element software ProCAST version 14.5 was used to simulate the temperature field, flow field and defect prediction in the filling and solidification process of hypereutectic high-chromium cast iron. The effects of pouring temperature, negative pressure and the amount of suspension agent added during the technological process were explored. The optimum process parameters were presented. It was found that the suspension agent has a certain hindrance to the filling process, but the filling process remains stable. In the solidification stage, 89.4% of the suspension agent melted, resulting in a relative supercooling degree of 50 °C, which had a certain chilling effect and improved the solidification rate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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16 pages, 11564 KiB

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Microstructure and Anisotropy of Mechanical Properties of Al-3Li-1Cu-0.4Mg-0.1Er-0.1Zr Alloys Prepared by Normal Rolling and Cross-Rolling

by Zhikun Ma, Tao Zhong, Dongpeng Sun, Bingyu Qian, Nodir Turakhodjaev, Sergey Betsofen and Ruizhi Wu

Metals 2023, 13(9), 1564; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13091564 - 6 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1672

Abstract

The influence of normal rolling and cross-rolling on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and anisotropy of Al-3Li-1Cu-0.4Mg-0.1Er-0.1Zr alloy was investigated. With an increase in the rolling reduction amount, both the strength and plasticity of the alloy are enhanced. Among them, the alloy in the normal rolling state with a deformation amount of 90% exhibits the best properties, with a tensile strength of 362 MPa and an elongation of 19.1% along the rolling direction. During the rolling process, the intergranular Cu-containing phase in the alloy is continuously broken and dissolved, leading to a decrease in both size and quantity, turning from continuous distribution along grain boundaries to a granular distribution. Moreover, a large quantity of the Al₃Li phase and Al₃(Er, Zr, Li) core–shell composite phase are precipitated in the alloy. Recrystallization occurs mainly through the particle stimulated nucleation (PSN) mechanism. Cross-rolling eliminates the brass-type texture <111> produced by normal rolling and enhances the brass R-type texture {111}<112>. The index of plane anisotropy (IPA) of the strength decreases from 10.1% for normal rolling to 5.5% for cross-rolling, and the IPA of elongation decreases from 12.8% to 3.3%. Cross-rolling provides an effective method to reduce the anisotropy of Al-Li alloys. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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10 pages, 4343 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Stray Grains from Fragments in the Rejoined Platforms of Ni-Based Single-Crystal Superalloy

by Miao Huo, Chuyue Chen, Hangyue Jian, Wenchao Yang and Lin Liu

Metals 2023, 13(8), 1470; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13081470 - 15 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1551

Abstract

Nickel-based single crystal superalloy is the most important material for blade preparation. However, some solidification defects inevitably occur during the process of preparing single-crystal blades through directional solidification. In this study, in order to study the origin of misorientation defects during solidification, a model with rejoined platforms was designed according to the geometry of single-crystal guide vanes. Electron Back-Scattering Diffraction (EBSD) was used to quantify the orientation deviation of the dendrites and identify the solidification defects in the rejoined platforms. The results showed that stray grain defects appeared in the platforms and their misorientation changed gradually, not abruptly. Combined with the simulation results, it was proposed that the stray grains formed as the result of the dendrites fragment, which was induced by solute enrichment in the mushy zone during solidification. Meanwhile, it was accompanied by a obvious dendritic deformation, which was caused by solidification shrinkage stress. This suggested that the fragmentation was induced by multiple factors, among which, the concave interface shape provided favorable conditions for solute enrichment, and the dynamic variability in the local thermal gradient and fluctuations of the solidification rate might play catalytic roles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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13 pages, 24405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cracking Behavior and High-Temperature Thermoplastic Analysis of 09CrCuSb Steel Billets

by Zhixian Peng, Tao Mei, Jian Zheng, Yuan Yuan and Liwang Wang

Metals 2023, 13(6), 1058; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13061058 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1764

Abstract

This paper characterizes the surface crack morphology and elements of 09CrCuSb steel continuous casting slabs and studies the high-temperature thermo-plasticity of continuous casting slabs using a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulator. Combining the macro/micro fracture morphology and microstructure characteristics, the formation rules of slab cracks are discussed. The research results show that the increase in Ae3 temperature caused by changes in alloy elements results in the precipitation of a thin, film-like coexisting ferrite along the grain boundaries at a certain temperature, as well as the element segregation behavior of low-melting-point alloy elements at the original austenite grain boundaries, which are the main factors inducing cracks in 09CrCuSb steel continuous casting billets. The plasticity of 09CrCuSb steel at high temperatures is poor at 800~900 °C. In continuous casting process control, it is necessary to try to avoid long-term stay of the billet at this temperature range. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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15 pages, 6002 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Solidification Kinetics of an Al-Ce Alloy with Additions of Ni and Mn

by Jordan Roger Kozakevich, Joshua Stroh, Dimitry Sediako and David Weiss

Metals 2023, 13(5), 955; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13050955 - 15 May 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4108

Abstract

Heat-treated aluminum–silicon (Al-Si)-based alloys have dominated the cast lightweight alloy industry for several decades. However, in the last decade, Al-Ce-based alloys have shown promise in replacing Al-Si alloys as they remove the need for costly heat treatments. As the properties of Al-Ce alloys depend on the as-cast microstructure, it is important to characterize the solidification kinetics of these alloys. Therefore, this study focused on characterizing the solidification of an Al-Ce alloy with additions of Ni and Mn (nominal composition Al-12.37Ce-3.26Ni-0.94Mn-0.12Fe in weight percent). The alloy was cast in a wedge mold configuration, resulting in cooling rates between 0.18 and 14.27 °C/s. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with the energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques characterized the evolution rate of solid phases. The SEM/EDS data revealed that an Al₁₀CeMn₂ phase was present at higher cooling rates. At lower cooling rates, near the center of the casting, a primary Al₂₃Ce₄Ni₆ phase was more present. It was observed that up to 2.6 atomic percent (at.%) of Mn was dissolved in this primary Al₂₃Ce₄Ni₆ phase, thereby removing a large portion of the available Mn for forming the Al₁₀CeMn₂ phase. DSC analysis showed differences in the samples’ liquidus temperatures, which indicated compositional variations. Inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Scheil solidification simulations correlated the compositional differences with phase formation, which agreed with the SEM and DSC results. This experiment provides insight into novel Al-Ce-Ni-Mn alloys and where their potential lies in industrial applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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20 pages, 6642 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Evaluation of Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Segregated Al-Mg-Si Alloy Filled with Alumina and Silicon Carbide through Different Types of Casting Molds

by Mohammed Y. Abdellah, Bandar M. Fadhl, H. M. Abu El-Ainin, Mohamed K. Hassan, Ahmed H. Backar and Ahmed F. Mohamed

Metals 2023, 13(2), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020316 - 3 Feb 2023

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 1977

Abstract

A 6061 aluminum alloy has almost 0.8–1.2 wt.% Mg and 0.4–0.8 wt.% Si content. These two components, along with other alloying elements, therefore, were characterized by high mechanical and abrasive strength. The aims of the present work were to understand the effect of different types of cooling rates through different molds materials and to investigate the effect of casting with ceramic additives on segregation of the aluminum alloy itself as a composite material forum. Therefore, a series of mechanical tests were conducted, such as compression test, Vickers hardness, and pin-on-disc wear test. The samples were cast at 650 °C and in electric furnaces for 2 h to ensure that the metal achieved adequate homogeneity and temperature. Then, abrasive macroparticles of Al₂O₃ and Sic with a size close to 40–60 µm were used. The particles were poured under constant stirring for 1 min. Then, they were cast in two types of molds: steel and graphite. The cast specimens were obtained as a reference without particles and with 0.5 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 2 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 4 wt.%, and 8 wt.%. The thermal effect and the heat due to conduction and radiation were calculated. The maximum compressive strength was found to increase by ≈21% with SiCp casted in graphite molds, and HV was found to increase by ≈29% with SiC casted in graphite molds. The same was found for wear resistance, which became good with SiC casted in graphite molds, and it was generally found that the cooling rate through the mold weakened the alloy due to the segregation effect. The presence of tough particulate through the aluminum matrix barrier created a number of loads. Additionally, the high specific heat of graphite, which plays a dominant role in the slaw cooling rate of casting, led to grain enlargement, whereas the higher cooling rate of steel led to grain refinement. These concepts are the main rules of heat treatments through the casting process itself, and they save time and effort. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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Review

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17 pages, 4743 KiB

Open AccessReview

Grain Refinement of Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys by Sc and Zr

by Zhiguo Lei, Shengping Wen, Hui Huang, Wu Wei and Zuoren Nie

Metals 2023, 13(4), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13040751 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 5849

Abstract

Rare earth elements and transition elements are widely used in aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys and copper alloys due to their unique microalloying effects. With regard to in-depth research on the grain refinement characteristics of rare earth elements and transition elements, the combination of grain refinement and microalloying in the master alloys has a great impact on the theories and technical research of refinement, and the broadening of the application field of master alloys. This paper first summarizes the grain refinement mechanisms and analyzes the effects of rare earth elements and transition elements on the grain refinement of aluminum and aluminum alloys, and summarizes the elements suitable for the preparation of Al-M master alloys and their refinement mechanism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys)

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