Die casting

Summary

Die casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity. The mold cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have been machined into shape and work similarly to an injection mold during the process. Most die castings are made from non-ferrous metals, specifically zinc, copper, aluminium, magnesium, lead, pewter, and tin-based alloys. Depending on the type of metal being cast, a hot- or cold-chamber machine is used. The casting equipment and the metal dies represent large capital costs and this tends to limit the process to high-volume production. Manufacture of parts using die casting is relatively simple, involving only four main steps, which keeps the incremental cost per item low. It is especially suited for a large quantity of small- to medium-sized castings, which is why die casting produces more castings than any other casting process. Die castings are characterized by a very good surface finish (by casting standards) and dimensional consistency. Die casting equipment was invented in 1838 for the purpose of producing movable type for the printing industry. The first die casting-related patent was granted in 1849 for a small hand-operated machine for the purpose of mechanized printing type production. In 1885 Ottmar Mergenthaler invented the Linotype machine, which cast an entire line of type as a single unit, using a die casting process. It nearly completely replaced setting type by hand in the publishing industry. The Soss die-casting machine, manufactured in Brooklyn, NY, was the first machine to be sold in the open market in North America. Other applications grew rapidly, with die casting facilitating the growth of consumer goods, and appliances, by greatly reducing the production cost of intricate parts in high volumes. In 1966, General Motors released the Acurad process. The main die casting alloys are: zinc, aluminium, magnesium, copper, lead, and tin; although uncommon, ferrous die casting is also possible.

Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_casting

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Intermetallic phases formation is one of the phenomena, which when coupled to thermal and mechanical strains leads to the premature wear of aluminium die casting tools made out of steel. This work focuses on two aspects of this wear problem. The first and major part investigates a simplified chemical system Fe(s)–Al(l) at 700 °C in order to study the formation of the intermetallic compounds. The second part focuses on the limitations of the tool wear by testing different coatings on the steel currently used for die casting. Experiments are performed on two sample types, differentiated by their interface orientation between the two initial phases (vertical and horizontal). Observation are also of two types. Post mortem observations are performed by light microscopy and both scanning and transmission electron microscopy. In situ observation are performed by X-ray tomography, that allows to follow the evolution of the intermetallic layer with time. In the Fe(s)–Al(l) system, one main phase, namely Fe2Al5 , forms with a particular morphology called tongue-like feature in the iron matrix. Tongue tips are generally single crystals. It is also observed that these exhibit a periodical contrast at the nanometre scale. This contrast is found to be due to a slight chemical variation within the existence domain of Fe2Al5. This splitting is linked to the spinodal decomposition of the phase observed at higher temperature. At the interface between tongues and the iron matrix, a layer of about hundred nanometres that surrounds the tongues is observed. It corresponds to the Æ2 FeAl phase. Iron matrix, due to the tongue growth, suffers a plastic deformation that is observed by recrystallisation of the direct tongue surrounding. The induced strain field also leads to porosity formation at the interface between the tongues and the matrix. Pores are then trapped in the Fe2Al5 phase and partially disappear near from the liquid interface. At this interface, a layer of the order of 10μm of Fe4Al13 is observed. The thickness of this layer is stable in the explored time range of 0-4 h. However, intermetallic blocks that detach from the layer are observed in the liquid. This is interpreted as mainly due to the dissolution of the formed layer in the bath to achieve its saturation in Fe. Intermetallic thicknesses and tongue density measurements as functions of time allow to highlight the presence of three main growth regimes. The first at the beginning of the contact corresponds to rapid emergence of the tongues in the matrix. The second is linked to their progressive slow down while they start to thicken. Both thickening and tip growth are in competition from the beginning of this regime. A third regime is however defined and corresponds to a more stable growth during which thickening and tip growth still act in parallel is but their effect is less visible as they vary with the square root of time. The tongue growth observed at the beginning of the reaction is explained by a growth front destabilisation, similarly to the destabilisation of a planar front that leads to dendritic solidification described by Mullins and Sekerka. A calculation based on their model is proposed and confirms the effect of the law aluminium diffusion in iron but is limited by assumptions made for its development. Technological investigation proceeds by modification of the studied system and comparison with the fundamental one. Two ferrous materials and one aluminium alloy are studied. In addition, different coatings deposited by electroless plating on one of the ferrous substrates are tested. A quality coefficient is proposed in order to compare the result of the contact between coating and liquid aluminium. One Co-based coating is revealed as the most promising material that allows to limit the wear of the ferrous part by liquid aluminium.

EPFL2013

RESIDUAL STRESSES IN AS-CAST BILLETS: NEUTRON DIFFRACTION MEASUREMENT AND THERMOMECHANICAL MODELING

Jean-Marie Drezet

Stress relief treatment is often required prior to sawing aluminum DC cast products in order to prevent crack formation and significant safety concerns due to the presence of high residual stresses generated during casting. Numerical models have been developed to compute these residual stresses and yet have only been validated against measured surface distortions. In the present contribution, the variation in residual strains and stresses have been measured using neutron diffraction in two AA6063 grainrefined cylindrical billet sections cast at two casting speeds. The measured residual stresses compare favorably with the numerical model, in particular the depth at which the axial and hoop stresses change sign. Such results provide insight into the development of residual stresses within castings and show that the stored elastic energy varies linearly with the casting speed, at least within the range of speeds that correspond to production conditions.

Carlos E. Suarez TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society), 20122012

In the field of modern steelmaking, continuous casting has become the major manufacturing process to handle a wide range of steel grades. An important criterion characterizing the quality of semi-finished cast products is the macrosegregation forming at the centre of these products during solidification. The deformation induced interdendritic melt flow has been identified as the key mechanism for the formation of centreline segregation. Bulging of the solidified strand shell causes deformation of the solidifying dendrites at the casting’s centre. Hence, a fundamental knowledge about the solid phase motion during casting processes is crucial to examine segregation phenomena in detail. To investigate dendritic deformation particularly at the strand centre, a thermo-mechanical Finite Element (FE) simulation model is built in the commercial software package ABAQUS. The complex dendritic shape is approximated with a conical model geometry. Varying this geometry allows considering the influence of different centreline solid fractions on the dendrite deformation. A sinusoidal load profile is used to describe bulging of the solid which deforms the dendrites. Based on the strain rates obtained in the FE simulations the dendrite deformation velocity perpendicular to the casting direction is calculated. The velocity presented for different conditions is used as input parameter for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate macrosegregation formation inside of a continuous casting strand using the commercial software package FLUENT.

2012

EPFL2013