Abstract
To improve the quality of 7050 aluminum alloy ingots, low-frequency electromagnetic (LFE) field was applied during the conventional hot-top casting process. Macrostructures and microstructures of the ingots by the conventional and LFE hot-top casting processes were studied. The experimental results show that when the LFE field is turn off during the hot-top casting process, cold folding appears, and the as-cast structure becomes very coarse. Additionally, the thickness of the shell zone is much thinner during the low-frequency electromagnetic hot-top casting process than that during the conventional hot-top casting process. Some reasons for low-frequency electromagnetic field improving the surface quality, refining the structure of the ingot, and minimizing the thickness of the shell zone have been studied.
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This work was financially supported by the Major State Basic Research and Development Project of China (No.2005CB623707) and the Innovative Research Team Project of Northeastern University (No.N090109001).
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Wang, Xj., Cui, Jz., Zuo, Yb. et al. Effects of low-frequency electromagnetic field on the surface quality of 7050 aluminum alloy ingots during the hot-top casting process. Int J Miner Metall Mater 18, 165–168 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-011-0417-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-011-0417-x