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| Author(s): |
Daniel Monteiro Rosa
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | Campinas, SP. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica |
| Defense date: | 2007-05-31 |
| Examining board members: |
Amauri Garcia;
Maria Clara Filippini Ierardi;
Celia Marina de Alvarenga Freire
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| Advisor: | Amauri Garcia |
| Abstract | |
The morphologies of as-cast microstructures, characterized mainly by cellular and dendritic patterns, and their scales represented by primary, secondary and tertiary arm spacings, control the segregation profiles and the formation of secondary phases within intercellular and interdendritic regions, which determine the final properties of castings. The present work aims to contribute to the understanding of microstructural development of binary alloys by analyzing two binary systems, which possess high industrial importance in the manufacture of as-cast automotive components and battery grids: Al-Si and Pb-Sb, respectively. Experiments have been carried out by using two castings assemblies, which were designed in such way that heat was extracted only through the water-cooled system, located at the bottom (upward solidification) and at the top (downward solidification) of the casting. The solidification thermal variables have been determined from thermal readings acquired by thermocouples located inside of the casting in different positions from the cooled surface. Such experimental thermal variables have been compared with theoretical predictions of a numerical model of solidification. Macrostructural and microstructural aspects along the casting were characterized by optical microscopy. For Al-Si alloys a complementary analysis of the influence of thermosolutal convection on the tertiary dendrite arm spacing during the downward unsteady-state directional solidification has been carried out. Hypoeutectic Pb-Sb alloys have been used to analyze the influences of solute concentrations and solidification thermal variables in the development of cellular structures, the cellular/dendritic transition and dendritic structures. Experimental cellular and dendritic spacings have been compared with the theoretical predictions furnished by the main steady-state and unsteady-state growth models from the literature. The effect of cooling rate on the cellular growth of a Pb 0.85wt%Sb alloy and the influences of cell size and of the corresponding macrosegregation profile on the resultant corrosion behavior have also been examined. (AU) | |