Effect and kinetic mechanism of ultrasonic vibration on solidification of 7050 aluminum alloy

The work described in this paper dealt with the effect of ultrasonic vibration on the solidification of 7050 aluminum alloy. Two experiments were carried out through introducing ultrasound into the semi-continuous direct-chill (DC) casting of aluminum alloy and into alloy solidifying in a crucible, respectively. Results show that ultrasonic vibration can refine grains in the whole cross-section of a billet in the first experiment and is able to increase the cooling rate within the temperature range from 625 °C to 590 °C in the other one. The mechanism of particle resonance caused by ultrasonic vibration was illustrated on the basis of theoretical analysis of the kinetics and energy conversion during the solidification. It is demonstrated that the kinetic energy of resonant particles are mainly from the latent heat energy of solidification, which can shorten the cooling time, inhibit the crystal growth and then lead to the grain refinement.