Materials Science Forum, Vol.488-489, 345-348, 2005
Investigation on low-frequency electromagnetic DC casting of AZ91 magnesium alloy
Direct chill (DC) casting is a dominant way of producing aluminum and copper alloy billets. In the past we developed a new technique, namely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Casting (LFEC), in which low-frequency electromagnetic field (LFEF) is incorporated to DC casting processing. In this work, LFEF was introduced to the magnesium DC casting processing. Experimental investigations and numerical simulation indicate that application of LFEF to DC casting magnesium alloy can significantly improve the surface quality of the AZ91 billets, refine microstructure and reduce both macro and micro segregations. It was also found that high casting velocity become possible for magnesium alloys through LFEC processing.