Special Issue "Solidification and Casting of Metals and Alloys"

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: 31 December 2023 | Viewed by 603

Special Issue Editor

State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
Interests: solidification; casting; simulation; characterization; alloys
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
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
Metals 2023, 13(2), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020316 - 03 Feb 2023
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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 [...] Read more.
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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