Study on the Microstructure of Forged Simulated Casting‐Forging Integrated Forming During the Solidification Process of Al–Cu Alloy

In the integrated casting and forging process, the casting‐forging interval has a significant impact on the quality of the casting. It controls the microstructure of the casting, including grain morphology and defect quantity, by regulating the solid‐phase fraction, thereby affecting the performance of the casting. In this study, experiments are conducted on a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulator using a custom‐modified. Through the real‐time data acquisition system, curves of temperature and stroke versus time during the alloy solidification‐forging process are obtained. The macroscopic defects and microstructures of the alloy under different solid‐phase fractions during forging are investigated. The alloy microstructure is characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and three‐dimensional computed tomography. As the casting‐forging interval increases, the number of defects in the alloy samples decreases, and the grain morphology evolves from dendritic to equiaxed. At a casting‐forging interval of 16 s, the alloy exhibits deformed structures and a low number of porosity defects.