Rapid solidification behaviour of Fe and Al based alloys

Abstract: Rapid solidification experiment on Fe-Cr-Mo-Mn-Si-C alloy was performed to investigate metastable phases formed during the solidification. A wide range of cooling rate was used to analyse the sample from melt spinning technique (~107 K/s) to water quenching method (~102 K/s). A single phase featureless structure was obtaind initially in the melt spinning experiment for 77Fe-8Cr-6Mn-5Si-4C alloy. Reduction of C and addition of Mo led to form a complete featureless structure for 2.85 mm rod for 72.8Fe-8Cr-5Mo-6Mn-5Si-3.2C. Subsequent investigation of influence of Mo, Cr and Mn on the single phase featureless structure concludes that 7.5 mm thick complete featureless phase could be formed at 63.8Fe-15Cr-7Mo-6Mn-5Si-3.2C alloy composition. In a separate attempt, powder samples of 40 ?m dia. size complete featureless powders were produced for three slightly different compostions for the same alloy system.Characterisation of the featureless phases reveals that it could be a single phase metastable structure of ? phase or austenitic solid solution with high amount of alloying element dissolved in it. Subsequent heat treatment of this featureless phase of the rod and the powder at different temperatures formed bainitic ferrite with fine carbides dispersed in the austenitic matrix. Hardness values measured on featureless phase found to have influenced by the alloying element specially Mo, Cr and Mn.In an attempet to improve clean melting condition to extend the featureless phase and to form amorphous, an elliptic short arc lamp vaccum furnace was designed with 10 kW lamp power. Around 30 g of iron based alloy system was melted and cast as a 7 mm rod sample in a copper mould. Design details of new mirror and the lamp furnace are presented.In a separate study, influence of the melt temperature on Al-Y and Al-Si alloys were investigated by levitaion casting in a silver mould at around 2000 K/s cooling rate. Plate like structure of Al8Y3 primary phase was observed at low melt temperature with small percentage of peritectic transformation of Al8Y3 and liquid melt into Al9Y2. A pre-dentritic star like crystal of Al3Y was observed in a fine eutectic matrix at very high melt temperature. Amount and number of primary Si crystals formed in a unit area during the solidification increases as the melt temperature increases.