Microstructural evolution of cast Hastelloy X during thermal exposure has been investigated. OM, SEM, and TEM microscopy were carried out on the as-cast, the standard heat treated, and the thermally exposed conditions. Tensile tests were also conducted to understand the effect of microstructural evolution on the degradation of tensile properties. Coarse $M_6C$ and fine $M_{23}C_6$ carbides were found in as-cast Hastelloy X with fine carbides on sub-boundary. Some of $M_{23}C_6$ carbide dissolved into the matrix during solution heat treatment and dislocation network formed at the interface between the carbide and the matrix due to the misfit strain. There was no significant microstructural difference between the exposed specimens at $400^{\circ}C$ and the solution heat treated specimen. A large amount of $M_{23}C_6$ carbides precipitated along and near grain boundaries and sub-boundaries after exposure at $650^{\circ}C$. Exposure at $870^{\circ}C$ of the alloy caused precipitation of $M_6C$ and ${\mu}$. The strength increased and the elongation decreased by thermal exposure at $650^{\circ}C$ and $870^{\circ}C$ because carbides interfere with the movement of the dislocation. It was found that the precipitation of carbide gave significant effects on the tensile properties of Hastelloy X.

The effects of minor additives on the casting properties of AC4A aluminum alloys were investigated. Measurements of the cooling curve and microstructure observations were conducted to analyze the effects of Ti-B and Sr minor elements during the solidification process. A fine grain size and an increase in the crystallization temperature for the ${\alpha}-Al$ solution were evident after the addition of 0.1wt% Al-5%Ti-1%B additive. The modification effect of the eutectic $Mg_2Si$ phase with the addition of 0.05% Al-10%Sr additive was prominent. A fine eutectic $Mg_2Si$ phase and a decrease in the growth temperature of the eutectic $Mg_2Si$ phase were evident. Fluidity, shrinkage and solidification-cracking tests were conducted to evaluate the castability of the alloy. The combined addition of Al-5%Ti-1%B and Al-10%Sr additives showed the maximum filling length owing to the effect of the fine ${\alpha}-Al$ grains. The macro-shrinkage ratio increased, while the micro-shrinkage ratio decreased with the combined addition of Al-5%Ti-1%B and Al-10%Sr additives. The macro-shrinkage ratio was nearly identical, while the micro-shrinkage ratio increased with the addition of the Al-10%Sr additive. The tendency of the occurrence of solidification cracking decreased owing to the effect of the fine ${\alpha}-Al$ grains and the modification of the $Mg_2Si$ phase with the combined addition of Al-5%Ti-1%B and Al-10%Sr additives.

In the present study, the microstructural evolution and deformation behavior of AA 2014 aluminum alloys with different microstructures in a semi-solid state were investigated. For a given alloy, applied load and deformation time, the measured strain was higher at a higher temperature, indicative of a lower solid fraction. When a large proportion of the liquid was present as intragranular droplets, the alloy would not as easily deform because the effective liquid fraction between the solid grains had decreased. Greater deformation was achieved with higher grain boundary misorientations due to the enhanced wetting of the grain boundaries with liquid. A semi-empirical constitutive model is proposed for semi-solid deformation under the conditions in the present study. The mechanism of semi-solid deformation incorporates the initial flow of the liquid in the early stages of deformation, followed by a more gradual increase in the strain due to deformation by grain sliding accompanied by self-diffusion in the solid grains.