C. Vives et al., FABRICATION OF METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES USING A HELICAL INDUCTION STIRRER, Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials: properties, microstructure and processing, 173(1-2), 1993, pp. 239-242
The working principle and the peculiarities of a new electromagnetic r
heocaster, which is based on the use of rotating permanent magnets and
which allows the production of intense three-dimensional multiphase f
lows in solidifying semisolid alloy slurries and metal matrix composit
es, are described. This process can be applied to the direct continuou
s casting of billets, tubes and slabs and is characterized by very low
electric power consumption. Local measurement techniques are applied
to the study of the evolution of non-newtonian magnetohydrodynamic mul
tiphase flow phenomena with the rotational speed of the inductor, the
solid fraction of the aluminium alloy matrix and the size and volume p
ercentage of SiC particles. Satisfactory results concerning the micros
tructure of solidified aluminium slurries and aluminium matrix composi
tes (homogeneity, crystal shape, grain size, fraction of primary solid
, distribution of SiC particles) were obtained. A discussion is presen
ted relating the metallurgical findings to the heat and three-phase no
w measurements.