Study on the effects of the length and angle of inclined plate on the thixotropic microstructure of A356 aluminum alloy

Application of inclined plate in the casting processes is a simple process with low equipment, which is able to produce feedstock materials for semisolid processing. In the inclined plate method, several parameters such as length, angle, inclined plate materials and superheat affect final microstructure. In this work, effects of the angle and length of a copper-made inclined plate on the thixotropic microstructure of A356 aluminum alloy were investigated. Therefore, the molten alloy with 680 degrees C superheat was poured on the surface of the inclined plate in various angles (20 degrees, 30 degrees, 40 degrees, 50 degrees) and lengths (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 cm). It was found that the angle and length of inclined plate affect the size and morphology of alpha-Al phase. The results indicate that 40 degrees and 40 cm condition is optimum inclined plate angle and length presenting the minimum grain size of 28 mu m and maximum shape factor of 0.70 with highest uniformity. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.