Semisolid casting and forging device and method, and cast and forged product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016228946-A1
Application number	US-201415022119-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 9, 2014
Priority date	Oct 9, 2013
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An excellent cast and forged product that is superior in mechanical properties and has a microstructure and which may not only be a thin but also be a thick product can be made without using complicated process steps or equipment. A semisolid casting and forging method is provided in which a metal melt is teemed so that it is supercooled into a lower die in a press so controlled that the metal melt has a rate of solidification as desired, thereby preparing a semisolid slurry; an upper die is brought into contact with the semisolid slurry; and thereafter at least one of the upper and lower dies is moved relatively towards the other at a rate of movement between 0.1 and 1.5 m/sec, thereby compressing the semisolid slurry to mold it into a product. The semisolid slurry preferably has crystal grains of a grain size of 50 μm or less.

First claim

1 . A semisolid melt forging apparatus in which a metal melt is teemed into a cavity of a lower die, and at least one of the lower and an upper die is moved relatively towards the other at a rate of movement to initiate molding of the metal melt in a semisolid state, the apparatus being adapted to adjust said rate of movement so that a time interval had between an instant at which the metal melt is teemed and an instant at which the molding is initiated ranges between 0.1 second and 10 seconds.

2 . A semisolid melt forging apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said apparatus is adapted to adjust said rate of movement so that the time interval had between the instant at which the metal melt is teemed and the instant at which the molding is initiated ranges between 0.1 second and 5 seconds.

3 . A semisolid melt forging apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upper and lower dies are spaced from each other at a distance between 30 and 50 cm at the instant at which said metal melt is teemed into the cavity.

4 . A semisolid melt forging apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rate of movement between the upper and lower dies is variable at least in a range between 0.03 meter and 5 meters per second.

5 . A semisolid melt forging method in which a metal melt is teemed into a cavity of a lower die, and at least one of the lower and an upper die is moved relatively towards the other at a rate of movement to perform molding of the metal melt in a semisolid state, the method comprising the steps of:
preparing from said metal melt teemed a slurry so that it has grains of a grain size of not more than 50 μm formed therein, and initiating the molding at a lapse of time ranging between 0.1 second and 10 seconds following an instant at which the metal melt is teemed.

6 . A semisolid melt forging method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said rate of movement is adjustable so that said lapse of time between the instant at which the metal melt is teemed and the instant at which the molding is initiated ranges between 0.1 second and 5 seconds.

7 . A semisolid casting and forging method, comprising the steps of:
teeming a metal melt so that it is supercooled into a lower die in a press so controlled that the metal melt has a rate of solidification as desired, thereby preparing a semisolid slurry; bringing an upper die into contact with the semisolid slurry; and thereafter moving at least one of the upper and lower dies relatively towards the other at a rate of movement between 0.1 and 1.5 meter per second at least after an instant at which the upper die comes in contact with said semisolid slurry, thereby compressing said semisolid slurry to mold it into a product.

8 . A semisolid casting and forging method, comprising the steps of:
teeming a metal melt so that it is supercooled into a lower die in a press so controlled that the metal melt has a rate of solidification as desired, so as to make a semisolid slurry having crystal grains of a grain size such that fluidity of the slurry is rising when it is compressed; bringing an upper die into contact with the semisolid slurry; and thereafter moving at least one of the upper and lower dies relatively towards the other at a rate of movement between 0.1 and 1.5 meter per second at least after an instant at which the upper die comes in contact with said semisolid slurry, thereby compressing said semisolid slurry to mold it into a product.

9 . A semisolid casting and forging method, comprising the steps of:
teeming a metal melt so that it is supercooled to be teemed into a lower die in a press so controlled that the metal melt has a rate of solidification as desired, so as to make a semisolid slurry having crystal grains of a grain size of not more than 50 μm; bringing at least an upper die into contact with the semisolid slurry; and thereafter moving at least one of the upper and lower dies relatively towards the other at a rate of movement between 0.1 and 1.5 meter per second at least after an instant at which the upper die comes in contact with said semisolid slurry, thereby compressing said semisolid slurry to mold it into a product.

10 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the metal melt as it is teemed is of a temperature higher by 10 to 30° C. than its liquid phase or liquidus temperature.

11 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the metal melt is cooled passing through a liquidus curve at a rate of cooling of not less than 2° C. per second.

12 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said lower die is of a temperature of 200° C.±100° C.

13 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said upper die is of a temperature different from that of said lower die.

14 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the temperature of at least a portion of said upper die is lower than the temperature of said lower die.

15 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the ratio in mass of a product to a raw material is not less than 0.9.

16 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the semisolid slurry has a different member embedded therein so that the product is comprised of a composite material.

17 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said upper die has a pin rod inserted therein of which an end has a different member removably held and coupled thereto.

18 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 16 , wherein the different member is held and coupled to said pin rod by a magnetic or vacuum chucking force.

19 . A semisolid casting and forging method as set forth in claim 5 , using a powdery die release agent as a die release agent.

20 . A semisolid cast and forged product, having a spheroidized structure of not more than 50 μm in grain size and having in part a forged structure.

21 . A semisolid cast and forged product as set forth in claim 19 , wherein it has a different member embedded therein, which is embedded in a metal melt when it is cast and forged from the metal melt.

22 . A semisolid cast and forged product as set forth in claim 21 , wherein it has a forged structure in the vicinity of said different member.

23 . A semisolid cast and forged product as set forth in claim 19 , wherein the semisolid cast and forged product is a connecting rod.

24 . A semisolid cast and forged product produced by a method as set forth in claim 5 .

Assignees

• Univ Tohoku

Inventors

• Itamura Masayuki
• Anzai Kouichi

Classifications

• B22D19/04

  for joining parts · CPC title

• B22D17/007

  Semi-solid pressure die casting · CPC title

• B22D27/04

  Influencing the temperature of the metal, e.g. by heating or cooling the mould · CPC title

• B22D17/229

  with exchangeable die part (B22D17/2245 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B22D19/00

  Casting in, on, or around objects which form part of the product (B22D23/04 takes precedence; alumino-thermic welding B23K23/00; coating by casting molten material on the substrate C23C6/00) · CPC title