• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.422-427
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• 2009

Computed tomography(CT) has been applied to measure micro-defects in the aluminum knuckle parts manufactured by the thixoforming process. 6061 aluminum alloys were used to form knuckle samples in the semi-solid temperature after the SIMA processing of billets. Tensile specimens were cut from the different locations in a thixoformed knuckle. The size and the distribution of forming defects in tensile specimens were analyzed using CT scanning and image analysis technology before tensile tests. It has been qualitatively shown that the stress-strain curves were significantly affected by the size and the distribution of forming defects although the defect sizes lie in the range of micro-meters.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.7-21
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• 2000

This paper describes an overview of the thixoforming and thixomolding processes. Semi-solid metalworking (SSM), which is called the thixoforming process of aluminium materials, incorporates the elements of both casting and for the manufacture of near net shape parts. The SSM has some advantages such as net shape or near net shape manufacturing, the ability to form thin walls, excellent surface finish, tight tolerance, and excellent dimensional precision. The thixomolding process of Mg alloy (AZ9l) is a combination of two technologies both conventional die casting and plastic injection molding. The feed material used is a machined chip with a geometry of approximately 1 mm square and a length of 2~3 mm. The semi-solid forming (SSF) of high quality aluminium and magnesium parts will be established in the automotive and electronic industry, in the future. The hybrid method of casting/forging has been caused attention. This process uses a preformed material made by casting instead of the wrought material and finishes it by a single forging process. This process is expected to lower costs without sacrificing the mechanical and finishes it by a single forging process. The process is expected to lower costs without sacrificing the mechanical properties. The authors, intending that the casting/forging process contributes to a reduction in production cost of aluminum automotive parts in Korea, describes the feature of the casting/forging process, aluminum alloys suitable for the cast preform, microstructure and mechanical properties of the cast preform, application examples of cast/forging, and further study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 1998.03a
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• pp.107-112
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• 1998

The semi-solid materials(SSMs) fabricated under electric-magnetic stirring condition are necessary to be applicated in the thixoforging process. The optimal reheating conditions to thixoforging process were investigated with changing the reheating time, holding time, reheating temperatures, capacity, and adiabatic material size. In the case of solid fraction fs=50%, the microstructure of SSM (specimen size:d76X 190) at the condition of the first reheating time 4min, holding time lrnin and reheating temperature 350%, the second reheating time 3min, holding time 3min and reheating temperature 575C, the thlrd reheating time lmin, holding time 2min and reheating temperature 584'C, capacity Q=8.398KW, and adiabatic material size 53mm is obtained with globular microstructure and finest.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 1999.03b
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• pp.195-198
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• 1999

For the thixoforming process beside an existing solidus-liquidus interval, the reheating conditions to obtain the globular microstructure are very important. It relies on the control of globular microstructure of semi-solid alloys that contain non-dendritic particles. To obtain the globular microstructure in cross section of billet, the optimal design of the induction coil is necessary. Therefore, in this paper the optimal coil design to minimize electromagnetic end effect will be proposed. The results of coil design were also applied to the reheating process to obtain a fine globular microstructure. Finally, reheating data base of aluminum alloys for thixoforming and FEM model for induction heating based on the optimal coil design have been proposed.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.243-248
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• 2011

Magnesium alloys have many advantages such as light-weight, high machinability, damping capacity, etc. So magnesium alloy parts have been used in transportation, mobile phone, military industries. Because of HCP atomic structure, Magnesium is very difficult in plastic deformation process, so most of magnesium products are fabricated by casting process. Magnesium alloys have low heat-capacity, high fluidity and low Fe solubility. For these reasons it is more suitable than aluminum in mass-production by casting. And various casting technologies have been developed. So casting technologies for magnesium developed recently is discussed in this paper.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.347-353
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• 2011

There is thixo-extrusion to form high strength aluminum alloy. But, it is a problem that grains become grain coarsening during reheating process because the alloy was exposed at high temperature. In order to solve grain growth during reheating process, calcium was added in Al-Zn-Mg alloys. Primary a grain sizes of semi-solid Al-Zn-Mg-(0, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.9, wt.%)Ca were measured with image analyzer after reheating. Measured primary a grain sizes were applied to LSW(Lifshitz-Slyozov and Wagner) equation to check the effect of Ca on grain coarsening. Coarsening rate constant K values of semi-solid Al-Zn-Mg-(0, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.9, wt.%)Ca alloys were $371\;mm^3s^{-1}$, $247\;mm^3s^{-1}$, $198\;mm^3s^{-1}$ and $166 mm^3s^{-1}$, respectively. As increasing calcium content, K value decreased which means grains are refined. Also, grains of calcium addition were more spherical than that of calcium free.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.55-59
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• 2003

Rotor in small-medium induction motor has been usually manufactured by aluminum diecasting. In order to improve efficiency of induction motors, however, it is desirable that pure aluminum is replaced by high electrical conductivity copper alloy. For this purpose, a rotor is thixoformed with Cu-Ca alloy. Thermomechanical processing(TMP) is carried out to modify the semi-solid microstructure of the alloy and final microstructures and filling defects of thixoformed Cu- rotors are investigated. The characteristics of thixoformed Cu-rotor such as motor efficiency and torque are compared with those of Al rotor.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.123-134
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• 1999

A new forming technology has been developed to fabricate near-net shape components by using aluminum alloys with globular microstructure. The estimations of filling characteristic in the forging simulation with arbitrarily shaped dies of SSM are calculated by finite element method with proposed algorithm. The proposed model and various boundary conditions for arbitrarily shaped die are investigated with the coupling calculation between the liquid phase flow and the solid phase deformation. The simulation processes with arbitrarily shaped dies are performed on the isothermal conditions and axisymmetric problems. To analyze the forging process simulation with SSM, new stress-strain relationship for semi-solid behaviour is described, and forging the liquid flow. Furthermore, For the purpose of getting net shape of SSM, it is important to be obtain a solid fraction in forging process with arbitrarily shaped dies. To produce a automotive part which have good mechanical properties, the filling pattern in accordance with die velocity and solid fraction distribution has to be estimated for arbitrarily shaped die.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.393-402
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• 1999

The reheating of the billet in the semi-solid state as quickly and homogeneously as possible is one of the most important aspects. From this point of view, an optimal design of the induction coil is necessary. The objective of inductive coil designsi a uniform induction heating over the length of the billet. The effect of coil length, diameter, the gap between coil surface and billet and axial position of the billet on temperature distribution of billet has been investigated. These design parameters have an important effectiveness on the electro-magnetic field. Therefore, in this study an optimal coil design to minimize electromagnetic ed effect will be proposed by defining the relationship between billet length and coil length. In particular, key point in induction heating process is focussed on optimizing the coil design with regard to the size of the heating billet and the frequency of induction heating system. After demonstrating the suitability of an optimal coil design through the FEM simulation of the induction heating process, the results of the coil design are also applied to the reheating process to obtain a fine globular microstructure. Its considered that the reheating conditions of aluminum alloys for thixoforging and a new CAE model of the induction heating process are very useful for thixoforging practitioners including induction heating ones.