Effect of the casting temperature on temperature field and microstructure of A2017 alloy during an innovative continuous semisolid rolling process with a vibrating sloping plate device

Abstract

In this paper, the effect of temperature field on microstructure of A2017 alloy during an innovative continuous semisolid rolling process with a vibrating sloping plate device was studied. The results show that the alloy temperature decreases gradually from the entrance to the exit of the roll gap. In the backward slip zone, the isothermal lines have twice buckling. In the forward slip zone, the isothermal lines have once buckling. Semisolid region moves forward from the filling mouth to the exit of the roll gap with the increment of casting temperature, and the solid fraction increases from the entrance to the exit of the roll gap. The average grain size of the product increases with the increment of casting temperature, and the plastic deformation along the rolling direction happened obviously. According to the simulation and experiment, the proper casting temperature between 650 and 680 °C is suggested. A2017 alloy strip with good surface quality was obtained. The microstructure of the product is mainly composed of fine spherical or rosette grains which were elongated along rolling direction.