R-HPDC Process with Forced Convection Mixing Device for Automotive Part of A380 Aluminum Alloy

The continuing quest for cost-effective and complex shaped aluminum castings with fewer defects for applications in the automotive industries has aroused the interest in rheological high pressure die casting (R-HPDC). A new machine, forced convection mixing (FCM) device, based on the mechanical stirring and convection mixing theory for the preparation of semisolid slurry in convenience and functionality was proposed to produce the automotive shock absorber part by R-HPDC process. The effect of barrel temperature and rotational speed of the device on the grain size and morphology of semi-solid slurry were extensively studied. In addition, flow behavior and temperature field of the melt in the FCM process was investigated combining computational fluid dynamics simulation. The results indicate that the microstructure and pore defects at different locations of R-HPDC casting have been greatly improved. The vigorous fluid convection in FCM process has changed the temperature field and composition distribution of conventional solidification. Appropriately increasing the rotational speed can lead to a uniform temperature filed sooner. The lower barrel temperature leads to a larger uniform degree of supercooling of the melt that benefits the promotion of nucleation rate. Both of them contribute to the decrease of the grain size and the roundness of grain morphology.