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Thixoforming : Semi-solid Metal Processing

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100j 3 Material Aspects of Steel <strong>Thixoforming</strong><br />

Table 3.10 Measured microhardness of the structural<br />

components of different material conditions of the steels<br />

X210CrW12 and 100Cr6.<br />

Heat treatment Phase Hardness<br />

X210CrW12, after quenching from 1270 C Solid (austenite) 300 HV0.1<br />

Liquid (eutectic) 450–700 HV0.1<br />

X210CrW12, microstructure after adapted Different carbides, 750–800 HV10<br />

heat treatment<br />

acicular pearlite,<br />

martensite and<br />

retained austenite<br />

X210CrW12, after conventional<br />

hardening (970 C)<br />

Austenite 760 HV10<br />

100Cr6, after quenching from 1400 C Martensite, carbides,<br />

retained austenite<br />

750 HV30<br />

100Cr6, after conventional<br />

Martensite, carbide, 830 HV30<br />

hardening (850 C/oil)<br />

retained austenite<br />

examined in detail in the scope of this research, whereas for the steel 100Cr6 further<br />

test series have to be conducted. Only after completing these examinations can a final<br />

statement about the thixoformability of steel 100Cr6 be made.<br />

3.7<br />

Conclusions<br />

<strong>Thixoforming</strong> of steel is in general possible, but still remains in an early and far from<br />

mature development stage. Not least because of the high process temperatures and<br />

the oxidation aptness of partial liquid steels, this procedure is still faced by great<br />

challenges and much optimization is needed before it can be applied industrially.<br />

The preconditions for selecting suitable alloys for thixoforming are well understood:<br />

it is mainly the temperature sensitivity and the particular liquid-phase<br />

development during heating and soaking. High-alloyed steels with precipitates that<br />

stabilize the microstructure at high process temperatures seem to be more suitable<br />

than lean-alloyed steel concepts.<br />

<strong>Thixoforming</strong> requires a thorough understanding of the microstructure development<br />

during semi-<strong>solid</strong> processing. It has been shown that this is not possible in a<br />

highly accurate manner by metallographic examination of quenched samples alone.<br />

Proper process control will therefore need instantaneous microstructure state<br />

monitoring by online numerical modelling.<br />

Characteristic features are observed in thixoformed specimens which are inherent<br />

to the thixoforming process; for example the alloy decomposition due to significant<br />

different solubilities of liquid and <strong>solid</strong> phases and due to the sponge effect in the<br />

liquid–<strong>solid</strong> suspension or the occurrence of pores and inhomogeneous grain size<br />

distributions.

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