Influence of an Inclined Cooling Plate on the Production of A356/CNF and A356/SiC MMC by Compocasting

The influence of an inclined cooling plate utilized as a modification in the compocasting process of aluminum alloy is studied in this paper. Based on the crystal separation theory, molten A356 is poured on the inclined copper plate in order to produce solidification nuclei inside the fluid metal, which is, then, mechanically stirred while reinforcement is added through its surface. Carbon nano fibers (CNF) and particulate SiC were utilized as reinforcement, in quantities varying from 0.5 to 15vol%. Dispersion of the reinforcements was observed by macro and microstructure analysis. For CNF, addition of quantities up to 1vol% resulted in homogeneous dispersion through the matrix, although SEM analysis showed the presence of clusters of up to 50μm in some points of the samples. SiC was properly mixed into matrix until 10vol%. Globular crystals were obtained, but some coarsening occurred, especially for small quantities of reinforcement. Utilization of the inclined cooling plate produced good inclusion and homogenization for two different reinforcements through an A356 matrix. The best results were obtained for a 180mm cooling plate, with inclination of 60o. The pouring temperature utilized was 10oC over the melting point of the alloy, and temperature of the tundish was kept around 598oC during stirring.