| High quality aluminum castings must contain a minimum of defects. Currently, melt treatments, including degassing and liquid metal filtering, are used to this end. Reducing hydrogen pick-up and the formation of inclusions is a more efficient way of dealing with defect control, however, the configuration of most current casting processes make prevention difficult.;This thesis proposes a new process which involves submerging a mold in the molten metal. Process improvements include the elimination of liquid metal pouring and transferring, the reduction of melt temperatures and the availability of hot liquid to feed shrinkage.;A prototype device was constructed using high temperature heat pipes to provide cooling. Excellent mold filling was attainable after optimizing the preheat temperature, the melt temperature and the submerging velocity of the mold. The process also provided directional solidification with a flat solid/liquid interface. After considering the characteristics of the prototype, an improved device is proposed. |
