Solidification of Aluminum Alloys, Charlotte, NC., United States Of America, 14 - 18 March 2004, pp.387-398, (Full Text)
A laboratory scale vacuum-sealed casting technique was designed and built for experimental study of the effect of some process parameters on the filling behavior of aluminum alloy in a step-pattern casting. Temperature measurements allowed to estimate mold filling, solidification and cooling rates of aluminum alloy. Solidification and cooling rates of aluminum alloy in sections of different thickness are studied and compared. Micrography analysis of samples from different steps permitted to determine the variation of the secondary dendrite arm spacing with cooling rate and casting thickness.