Examination of the Microstructure and Properties of Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Casting 6060 Aluminum Alloy Billets and Bars

Abstract

This study investigated the advantages of using low-frequency electromagnetic casting (LFEC) process compared to conventional direct chill DC casting of aluminum alloy and considered possible energy savings. The obtained results have indicated that casting in low-frequency electromagnetic field offers a series of advantages regarding the quality of aluminum billet, such as smooth billet surface, uniform grain size on the cross section, finer macrostructure and balanced distribution of intermetallic phases in the alloy. This guarantees their good properties in further processing, i. e. pressing, drawing, anodizing, plasticization etc. If the material is properly prepared for melting and for the technological process of casting and if primary aluminum is used as the basic raw material, the 6xxx-series billets can be extruded with no or minor prior thermal homogenization. This is a significant argument for using low-frequency electromagnetic casting (LFEC) process, which allows for significant savings in energy and labor and simplifies the manufacturing, process as well.