Aluminum Components for Automobiles Casting LowCost, High英文资料.pdfVIP

Energy Laboratory research and related activities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology April–June 1998 Aluminum Components for Automobiles: Casting Low-Cost, High-Quality Parts o meet the needs of today’s auto Slow cooling and long stirring produce Traditionally, manufacturers of metal industry, manufacturers have particles that are large and spherical, components worked with metals that Tbegun producing aluminum while fast cooling and short stirring were fully liquid or fully solid. They forged components by pouring the produce small, jagged particles that and machined solid pieces, or they cast metal into molds when it is already tend to stick together. As a result, the liquid metals in molds. Using a material partially solidified. The lightweight larger particles slide by each other more that was partly solid and partly liquid was precision parts produced cost less than easily than the smaller ones do, produc- not an option because such semisolids those made by forging and machining ing a semisolid with less resistance would not flow well enough to fill the solids and are stronger and more to flow. High-speed videos show that nooks and crannies of typical molds. reliable than those made by conven- the semisolid advances smoothly and However, in 1971 an MIT doctoral tional casting of liquids. “Semisolid evenly, producing parts with a consis- student made a surprising discovery. processing” became possible 25 years tent microstructure, smooth finish, In the course of studying how molten ago, when an MIT graduate student