Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid metal is poured inside a mold where it solidifies. Applying a magnetic field during this casting process will lead to the interaction of a magnetic field with a thermoelectrical current generated by the temperature gradient alog the liquid/solid interface, thus, producing electromagnetic forces. These in turn will affect 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.
To apply for this project, please send a single email to:
Project supervisors: William Le Bas, Dr Abdellah Abdesselam and Dr Julie Gheysen
Contact: [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]