Effects of the Parameters of Sloping Plate Process on Microstructures of A2017 Alloy

In this paper, effects of the parameters of sloping plate process on microstructures of A2017 alloy were investigated, and semisolid ingot of A2017 alloy was prepared. The grain size of the ingot prepared by the wavelike sloping plate is much smaller than that prepared by the flat sloping plate. The primary grain becomes rounder and smaller with the increment of the sloping plate length. High preheating temperature of the plate reduces the nucleation rate of the melt and leads to coarse microstructure. When the casting temperature is 720°C, the sloping angle is 45°, and the wavelike plate length is between 400mm and 500mm, semisolid ingot of A2017 alloy with fine and homogeneous microstructures can be obtained. The reheated microstructure of semisolid ingot is mainly composed of spherical solid grains and the melted liquids and is suitable for semisolid forming.