Comparison of the techniques to produce non-dendritic feedstocks for thixoforming

Abstract

Preparation methods of feedstock billets for thixoforming including Semi-Solid Rheocasting (SSR), Cooling Slope (CS), Magneto-Hydrodynamic stirring (MHD) and Semi-Solid Rheocasting with Cooling Slope (SSR+CS) are studied in this paper. On the base material of aluminum A201, non-dendritic feedstocks for thixoforming were prepared and compared by analysing their microstructures. The main variation between the microstructure provided by these technologies are presented, and a comprehensive review is made of the potential mechanisms that lead to microstructural alterations during the preparation of feedstocks.