In the present work, Cu-Pb-Sn and Q235 laminated composite were fabricated by a horizontal semisolid rolling procedure. The interfacial structure, elemental distribution, and properties of the composite were investigated. Finite-element simulation was conducted to analyze the temperature field and solidification process during the semisolid rolling. An appropriate semi-solid region was observed at a pouring temperature of 1598 K in the simulation, which would effectively kept fluidity and avoided casting defects. The experimental results showed that good interface between Cu-Pb-Sn alloy and Q235 steel was achieved by the proposed process at 1598 K, without casting defects or excessive deformation. The Cu and Fe alloys were bonded mainly by the diffusion of Fe into Cu matrix, and a handful of microscopic Pb-rich layer. Fine Pb-rich precipitates were uniformly distributed in the Cu-Pb-Sn alloy, and were considered to be advantageous to the self-lubrication property. The average tensile-shear strength of the interface was higher than 57.68 MPa at a pouring temperature of 1598 K, which fulfilled the requirements for a further extrusion process.
A three-layered composite material, consisting of an Al outer layer and a 7075-10 wt % B4C inner layer, was fabricated by semi-continuous casting and following a hot rolling process. The composite exhibits a clear layered structure with a good interfacial bond between layers. In the sessile drop experiment, the Al alloy melt dropped on the 7075-B4C composite at 650 °C, with the contact angle decreasing from 105° to 25° in 50 s, indicating that the infiltration and spreading both played important roles in the wetting process. In the inner layer, the reinforced B4C particles were distributed uniformly in the 7075 alloy matrix, and enhanced the average hardness of the inner layer to 163.4 HV, compared to that of the outer layer at 32.8 HV. The composite plate of 20 mm obtained the compression strength of 152 MPa. The electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) line scanning result showed that no harmful reaction or element diffusion occurred between B4C and the surrounding 7075 matrix. The B4C particles remained mechanically bonded into the matrix, and significantly reduced the bullet speed during the projectile impact test.
10 January 2026 in International Journal of Metalcasting
The forming of zinc dross floating on the surface of molten zinc in zinc pot is inevitable during hot-dip galvanizing production. The cleaning of zinc dross has always been a challenge and a difficult problem to solve. Based on the electromagnetic field theory and its application, a new electromagnetic dross removal technology was proposed, and the zinc dross driven by flowing molten zinc was possible to remove in an electromagnetic field circumstance. Through the coupling simulation of electromagnetic field and flow field, the electromagnetic force acting on molten zinc and the flow situation of molten zinc were simulated. The results showed that electromagnetic field can effectively act on the top surface of molten zinc and affect the flow of molten zinc. Different load conditions of electromagnetic field and the distance between the bottom surface of the iron core and the top surface of molten zinc related to zinc dross removal effect were discussed. Finally, the optimal application parameters of the electromagnetic dross removal technology were put forward.
13 August 2026 in International Journal of Metalcasting