Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid metal is poured inside a mold where it solidifies. The application during the casting process of a magnetic field which interacts with the thermoelectrical current generated by the temperature gradient produces electromagnetic forces that alter convection patterns in the melt. As a function of the magnetic field intensity, this can lead to alterations in solute distribution and dendrite morphology, and affect the solidification process.
This project is the continuation of a previous semester project and provides an opportunity to explore the impact of static magnetic fields with different intensities ranging from 0 to 1.5 T on the solidification of cast Al-Cu alloys. The student will be involved in the solidification of the Al-Cu alloys within an electromagnet. The student will first have to reproduce the results previously obtained by the previous student. Afterwards, the student will analyze and further investigate the samples using standard metallographic techniques including optical microscopy, and interpret results on the basis of the literature and the theory of alloy solidification.
Project supervisors: William Le Bas and Julie Gheysen
Contact: [email protected] and [email protected]