From Direct Strip Casting of Metals and Alloys: Processing, Microstructure and Properties
1.1 Introduction
Direct strip casting (DSC) is a near-net-shape casting process used for a number of years to produce a range of aluminium, copper, zinc and lead alloys with various steel grades recently becoming commercially viable. Large-scale production of other important metals is limited but substantial progress on the pilot-plant scale has been made for magnesium. In principle, most metals and alloys are amenable to direct casting into plate, strip or ribbons. However, a sound metallurgical understanding of these materials is needed to gauge their suitability for casting into thin-gauge strip. From a metallurgical viewpoint, account must be taken of the melting point of the alloy, freezing range, oxidation resistance in both the liquid and solid state, heat transfer behaviour, fluidity of the melt, the corrosive nature of the melt, and the number and type of liquid-to-solid and solid-state transformations that may occur. This chapter provides the metallurgical background necessary for understanding microstructural evolution of various metals and alloys during DSC. There is a particular emphasis on iron, aluminium, magnesium, copper and titanium alloys as these are the major candidates for large-scale production by this processing route.
1.2 Metallurgy of ferrous alloys
Chapter 3 provides a brief overview of the evolution of DSC for various alloy systems, including the rapid increase in popularity since the 1980's for DSC of iron alloys. Before discussing the as-cast structure of iron alloys produced by this casting route, it is important to outline some important metallurgical characteristics of these engineering materials. A large number...
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A.1 Introduction Direct strip casting is a complex process involving solidification of liquid metal directly into thin-gauge strip. To control both the process and the microstructure and properties...
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