Effect of Die Temperature on Tensile Property of Rheocast Phosphor Bronze

Abstract

Semi-solid slurry of phosphor bronze with fine solid granules for rheocasting was tried to make by passing the low-superheat melt through an opening between a rotating regular octagonal rotor and a circumscribed chill block. The effect of rotational speed on the structure of a solidified small ingot was mainly investigated. The ingot structures were changed from the dendrite of rotor-free condition to the rosette at the rotational speed of 50rpm, and the granular with a mean size of about 50μm at higher than150rpm. The slurries made at 150rpm were rheocast to a cylindrical shape cavity within a die kept at different temperatures from 573 to 1173K by the use of a high pressure casting machine. Microstructures of rheocast cylindrical shape products were granular at the die temperatures lower than 773K and changed to grained one as like recrystallized at higher than 973K. Together with the microstructure change, poor tensile ductility less than 3% at the lowest die temperature was improved up to about 60% at 973K.