Quantification of solidification characteristics of aluminum-silicon alloys by thermal analysis

The ability to determine the quality and properties of a casting prior to the casting process by sampling a small amount of the liquid alloy is realized by performing thermal analysis on the alloy's cooling curve.;The thermal analysis technique has been used for many years as a simple checking tool for the liquid alloy in the ferrous and nonferrous foundry. In the present work the technique's potential is expanded by utilization of higher order derivative curves and employing the concept of fraction of solid as a function of temperature. Methods of automatic detection of characteristic points on the cooling curve are also suggested. The relationships between distinctive points on the cooling curve and the solidified alloy are reviewed and new models for prediction of shrinkage porosity and liquidus temperature are proposed.