Recent Advances in Solidification Processing

Control of the cast structure is the underlying object of solidification processing. Recent advances and developments in solidification processing are making possible the production of high purity castings, fine grained super alloy and titanium ingots, rapidly solidified structural components and castings having unique microstructures. In addition, recent advances in processing technology have developed which now allow us to have better producibility and reliability in aluminum castings. These developments have all stemmed from a good understanding of the science of solidification processing as well as an appreciation of the merits of structural control via processing. Specifically, the following recent developments will be reviewed and discussed: (i) Vacuum Arc Double Electrode Remelting (VADER); (ii) Rapid Solidification by Plasma Deposition (RSPD); (iii) rapid cycle casting of ferrous components by Diffusion Solidification; (iv) refining of the melt via filtration prior to casting; and (v) thermal analysis of aluminum castings.