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Metals
Special Issues
Solidification and Casting of Light Alloys
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Solidification and Casting of Light 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: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1843

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Giulio Timelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Strad. San Nicola 3, 36100 Vicenza, Italy
Interests: light alloys; foundry; numerical simulation of metallurgical processes; heat treatments; surface engineering; high-temperature alloys; solidification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The processes of casting and solidification play a key role in determining the final microstructure and characteristics of light alloys. Controlling and optimising these processes can improve the efficiency and application of these materials. Therefore, the careful analysis and design of these processes is essential.

This Special Issue aims to showcase the most recent advancements in technology, featuring modern techniques, structural developments, and the properties of light alloys, such as aluminium, magnesium, and titanium alloys. Papers dealing with experimental, theoretical, and numerical analyses of the casting and solidification processing of light alloys are welcome.

Investigations about the effects of process parameters on the structure, casting defects, and properties of light alloys, together with contributions that use advanced methods to investigate the relationship between structure and the mechanical and functional properties of light alloys, will be included in this Special Issue. Studies devoted to the effects of alloying elements, impurities, and additives (modifiers, grain refiners, reinforcers, etc.) into the melt on the solidification process; the technological properties of light alloys (fluidity, shrinkage, hot tearing, etc.); and the structure and mechanical properties of light alloys are strongly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Giulio Timelli
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 2600 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
  • casting
  • aluminium
  • magnesium
  • titanium
  • microstructure
  • casting defects
  • solidification modelling
  • processing–microstructure–properties relationship

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1098 KB  
Article
Shrinkage Depression Formation and Yield of Ti–48 at.% Al–2 at.% Nb–2 at.% Cr Ingots Produced by Bottom-Pouring Cold Crucible Induction Melting
by Tomohiro Nishimura, Daisuke Matsuwaka, Hitoshi Ishida, Masami Nohara, Tetsuya Nakamura, Yusuke Yamada and Aoi Shoji
Metals 2026, 16(5), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16050477 (registering DOI) - 28 Apr 2026
Abstract
In this study, a Ti–48 at.% Al–2 at.% Nb–2 at.% Cr alloy was cast by bottom-pouring cold crucible induction melting (CCIM), and the shrinkage depressions formed in ingots during solidification were investigated. Ingots with different heights were produced, and shrinkage depression height and [...] Read more.
In this study, a Ti–48 at.% Al–2 at.% Nb–2 at.% Cr alloy was cast by bottom-pouring cold crucible induction melting (CCIM), and the shrinkage depressions formed in ingots during solidification were investigated. Ingots with different heights were produced, and shrinkage depression height and yield were evaluated based on longitudinal cross-sectional observations. The normalized ingot height ranged from 4 to 25, and the shrinkage depression height increased from 20 mm to 105 mm with increasing ingot height. The yield ranged from 77% to 97% and did not increase monotonically, exhibiting noticeable scatter even among ingots with similar heights. The casting rate ranged from 0.025 kg/s to 0.18 kg/s, and the shrinkage depression height increased with increasing casting rate, whereas no clear correlation was observed between the yield and the casting rate. When the nozzle inner diameter ranged from 2 mm to 5 mm, both the shrinkage depression height and the yield increased, accompanied by scatter. The Reynolds number was evaluated as a parameter representing the average flow condition of the pouring stream; however, shrinkage depression formation could not be uniquely explained by the Reynolds number alone, indicating that melt feeding behavior and heat extraction conditions must also be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Light Alloys)
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19 pages, 6581 KB  
Article
Data-Driven Design of HPDC Aluminum Alloys Using Machine Learning and Inverse Design
by Seunghyeok Choi, Sungjin Kim, Junho Lee, Jeonghoo Choi, MiYoung Lee, JaeHwang Kim, Jae-Gil Jung and Seok-Jae Lee
Metals 2026, 16(1), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16010099 - 16 Jan 2026
Viewed by 710
Abstract
This work proposes a data-driven design framework for high-pressure die-cast (HPDC) aluminum alloys that integrates robust data refinement, machine learning (ML) modeling, explainability, and inverse design. A total of 1237 tensile-test records from T5-aged HPDC alloys were aggregated into a curated dataset of [...] Read more.
This work proposes a data-driven design framework for high-pressure die-cast (HPDC) aluminum alloys that integrates robust data refinement, machine learning (ML) modeling, explainability, and inverse design. A total of 1237 tensile-test records from T5-aged HPDC alloys were aggregated into a curated dataset of 382 unique composition–heat-treatment combinations. Four regression models—Ridge regression, Random Forest (RF), XGBoost (XGB), and a multilayer perceptron (MLP)—were trained to predict yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation (EL). Tree-based ensemble models (XGB and RF) achieved the highest accuracy and stability, capturing nonlinear interactions inherent to industrial HPDC data. In particular, the XGB model exhibited the best predictive performance, achieving test R2 values of 0.819 for UTS and 0.936 for EL, with corresponding RMSE values of 15.23 MPa and 1.112%, respectively. Feature-importance and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analyses identified Mn, Si, Mg, Zn, and T5 aging temperature as the most influential variables, consistent with metallurgical considerations such as microstructural stabilization and precipitation strengthening. Finally, RF-based inverse design suggested new composition–process candidates satisfying UTS > 300 MPa and EL > 8%, a region scarcely represented in the experimental dataset. These results illustrate how interpretable ML can expand the feasible design space of HPDC aluminum alloys and support composition–process optimization in industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Light Alloys)
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16 pages, 5953 KB  
Article
On the Effect of Cooling Rate and Input Parameters on the Results of Thermal Analysis of Al-7.5%Si Alloys Continuously Cooled in Test Cups
by Doru Michael Stefanescu, EungSu Kweon, DongHoon Roh, DongYoon Kang and HuiChan Kim
Metals 2026, 16(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/met16010054 - 1 Jan 2026
Viewed by 611
Abstract
The paper presents a follow-up on the subject of the use of thermal analysis for the generation of fraction solid evolution in cast alloys, particularly in aluminum—silicon alloys. It discusses in detail the importance of correctly determining the characteristic temperatures of the cooling [...] Read more.
The paper presents a follow-up on the subject of the use of thermal analysis for the generation of fraction solid evolution in cast alloys, particularly in aluminum—silicon alloys. It discusses in detail the importance of correctly determining the characteristic temperatures of the cooling curve, including the beginning of solidification, the eutectic temperature, and the end of solidification. It demonstrates the importance of the smoothing techniques applied to the experimentally recorded temperature (cooling curve). Newtonian and Fourier analyses are used to generate the evolution of fraction of solid and the latent heat on cups of different diameters, to assess the effect of cooling rate for Al-7.5%Si alloys. Calculation results are compared with the literature data. It was found that the maximum temperature of the alloy in the cup affected the overall results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solidification and Casting of Light Alloys)
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