Semi-Solid Casting of Al-7wt%Si Alloy in Expendable Molds

Abstract

Higher viscosities of semisolid metallic slurries have practically made their gravity casting impossible and resulted in a need for some sort of mechanical force to push such viscous slurries into die cavities. High pressure die casting has been conveniently used for this purpose. However, due to high manufacturing cost of dies, only mass production of semisolid components has been economically justified and practiced so far. In this work, as the first step for exploring the possibility of production of semisolid cast components in expendable molds, fluidity of Al-7wt%Si semisolid slurry in a centrifuging sand mold was examined. This paper reports the preliminary results of the effects of solid fraction, applied force and section thickness on the fluidity of Al-7.1 wt%Si semisolid slurry in the sand mold.