Research progress on microstructure evolution of semi-solid aluminum alloys in ultrasonic field and their rheocasting

The effects of ultrasonic vibration (UV) treatment on microstructure of semi-solid aluminum alloys and the application of UV in rheocasting process are reviewed. Good semi-solid slurry can be produced by high-intensity UV process for aluminum alloys. The microstructures of Al-Si, Al-Mg and Al-Cu alloys produced by rheocasting assisted with UV are compact and with fine grains. The mechanical properties of the UV treated alloys are increased by about 20%-30%. Grain refinement of the alloys is generally considered because of cavitation and acoustic streaming caused by UV. Apart from these mechanisms, a hypothesis of the fuse of dendrite root caused by capillary infiltration in the ultrasonic field, as well as a mechanism of crystallites falling off from the mould-wall and crystal multiplication by mechanical vibration effect in indirect ultrasonic vibration are proposed to explain the microstructure evolution of the alloys.