Fundamentals of the

REVIEWS
New Rheocasting Process
for Magnesium Alloys**
By Helmut Kaufmann* and Peter J. Uggowitzer
AZ71

Casting of high strength, ductile and pressure tight components at low cost
is the prerequisite for the introduction of magnesium alloys into hydraulic 100m
and structural applications. This paper introduces the New Rheocasting
process (NRC) as a novel approach for semi-solid casting of light metals, in which the slurry is pre-
pared from normal casting alloys directly at the foundry machine. The specialties of the process and
the alloy requirements are explained. Ways for increasing ductility and process stability with slight
alloy modifications and proper heat treatment are shown. The resulting mechanical properties are com-
pared with data received from classical high pressure die casting parts. New Rheocasting of the alloy
AZ71proves to be superior in strength and ductility, and shows excellent KJC values.

1. Introduction formulated: a) reliable casting equipment, b) readily available

In the past few years several automotive companies applied
thin-walled, large size, high pressure die casting parts (HPDC)
for seat, dashboard, or door applications. In these applications
pressure tightness is generally not required. Meanwhile the
engineers consider magnesium components even for hydrau-
lic parts, gear boxes, and engine blocks. These components
usually have thicker walls and should be pore free. It is well
known that most magnesium alloys show a significant ten-
dency for hot tearing, and cannot be fed sufficiently to over-
come solidification shrinkage and porosity in HPDC.
One approach to overcome the drawbacks of HPDC of
magnesium alloys was the application of semi-solid metal
forming processes such as thixocasting or thixomolding.
Thixocasting is a well-established process for semi-solid
forming of aluminum alloys,[1,2] while thixomolding was
especially developed for magnesium alloys applying machin-
ery ideas from plastic molding.[3] In both cases the main
drawback is the required precursor material quality, which is
not available in large quantities and competitive prices on the
market. In addition to material deficiencies, process improve-
ments such as lifetime extension of extruder steel in thixo-
molding are necessary.
From the above mentioned comments a number of devel-
opment targets for a new semi-solid forming process were
precursor material, c) little on-cost for improved quality, d)
stable processing conditions applicable in the foundry envi-
ronment, and e) the possibility to achieve new product quali-
ties for opening new market segments for magnesium alloys.
This review describes the results of the recent develop-
ment work: the new rheocasting (NRC) process.
[*] Dr. H. Kaufmann
ARC Leichtmetall Kompetenzzentrum Ranshofen GmbH
A-5282 Ranshofen (Austria)
E-mail: helmut.kaufmann@arcs.ac.at
Prof. Dr. P. J. Uggowitzer
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zrich
CH-8092 Zrich (Switzerland)
[**] The authors thank the Technologie Impulse GmbH (TIG) and
the State of Upper Austria for supporting this research work
within the frame of the Austrian Kplus-Program. Special
thanks go to Christian Haslinger and Gottfried Rettenbacher of
LKR, as well as to Ralph Potzinger of TCG Unitech for sup-
porting this research project actively.

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS 2001, 3, No. 12 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, D-69469 Weinheim, 2001 1438-1656/01/1212-0963 $ 17.50+.50/0 963
 Kaufmann, Uggowitzer/New Rheocasting Process for Magnesium Alloys

2. The New Rheocasting Process (NRC) cooling. For the ladling of the cup the melt must not be super-
REVIEWS

heated excessively, otherwise nuclei formation will not take

In the NRC process the conventional vertical indirect
squeeze casting technology is combined with an innovative
method for preparing the globular precursor material with
thixotropic properties. A fully liquid melt is taken from the
holding furnace and poured into specially designed steel
cups, which are placed on a cooling carousel (slurry maker
carousel) next to the NRC machine. By controlled cooling of
the melt into the semi-solid region a globular microstructure
is attained. In the final position of the carousel the tempera-
ture is equalized over the cross-section of the cup. The semi-
solid melt is then poured into the inclined sleeve of a squeeze
casting machine, the sleeve docks to the die, and the slug is
cast into shape. Die filling is slow and runs from the bottom
upwards, as in low pressure die casting. That allows a lami-
nar flow and the air is pushed out of the die cavity without
being entrapped within the casting. Final solidification occurs
in the die at high pressure. After part extraction the runner
system is cut off and returned to the melt shop of the foundry
for in-house recycling.[4]
The concept of NRC is based on forced multiple nucleation
of a-grains, which continue to grow in globular shape due to
controlled cooling.[4] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of
the process, indicating the essential process parameters.
The essential metallurgical feature of the process is the
forced nucleation of a-particles on the wall of the steel cup,
which continue to grow in globular shape due to controlled
cooling under conditions that avoids constitutional super-
place on the cup wall or nuclei already present in the cup will
be destroyed again. From experimental observation 1020 C
superheat are recommendable.
For reproducible high quality castings the process and the
resulting thixotropic material must fulfill various criteria. Ide-
ally, the semi-solid slug should be very stable at the time of
transfer from the steel crucible into the vertical sleeve, and
then become fluid with low viscosity under limited shear
stress to achieve excellent flow and die filling properties.
This means that the a-particles should have a shape as
round as possible and be interconnected with a-bridges,
which can be torn apart by shear stress in the in-gate area of
the die. After solidification bridging of the particles would
again be advantageous for increased elongation and fracture
properties.
Indicators for the quality of the semi-solid slug are the
microstructural parameters grain size Da, shape factor Fa,
and contiguity volume faCa.[5] It was shown for various alloys
and part geometries that the upper limits for these para-
meters are 150 lm, 2.0 and 0.3, respectively.[6] For various
aluminum and magnesium alloys the authors could show
that NRC slugs with 50 % solid fraction yield average values
of Da < 80 lm, Fa ~ 1.2 and faCa ~ 0.15.
These excellent microstructural parameters can only be
achieved with suitable alloys and proper process control. In
NRC the semi-solid condition is controlled by temperature
measurements with thermocouples directly in the melt and

Dr. Helmut Kaufmann received his M.S. (Mehcanical Engineering) and Ph.D. (Materials Science) from
the Montanuniversitt Leoben (Austria) in 1987 and 1992, respectively. After 1 year as Visiting Scien-
tist at the Materials Science Department at MIT, USA, in 1989, he joined AMAG and started his
research work in casting technology. In 1994 he moved to Ube Europe GmbH in Dsseldorf, before
returning to Austria and taking the position of Head of LKR. In 2000 LKR became a subsidiary of
Austrian Research Centers (ARCS) and Dr. Kaufmann took the position of Managing Director.

Peter J. Uggowitzer is currently Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH).
He received his diploma degree from Montan University Leoben, Austria. As a member of the scientific
staff at the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Austrian Academy of Science he earned his doctor's
degree in 1980. In 1981 he joined the ETH Zurich where he received habilitation in the field of metal
research in 1993. Prof. Uggowitzer's reserch interest encompasses the alloy and process development of
light metal alloys. Current topics are focused on semi-solid processing of aluminium and magnesium
alloys.

964 ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS 2001, 3, No. 12

Kaufmann, Uggowitzer/New Rheocasting Process for Magnesium Alloys
T G = T L + (10-50)C controlled cooling
air cooling
T1 > T2
700
650
l range. The alloy requires some modification and the cooling
TG
temperature, T, [C]
T1
600 T2
550 fL - 50%
500
equ.
450
nonequ.
+ the sleeve as well as equalizing of the temperature over the
400
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
aluminium content, [weight-%]
Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of the development of thixotropic semi-solid structure in the
NRC-process: ladling into a steel cup for nucleation, controlled cooling, and growth of
globular a-particles, then transfer to a vertical squeeze casting machine. TL is the liquefac-
tion temperature, TG the temperature in the holding furnace, TSS1 to TSS3 the semi-solid-
temperatures during controlled cooling, and TF the semi-solid-forming temperature.
the resulting slug, respectively. In order to control the process
on an industrial scale, it is necessary to work in a temperature
range, where the fraction of solid does not change signifi-
cantly with temperature. Therefore, the first important indica-
tor for the applicability of a given alloy for semi-solid casting
is the width of the solidification range, DTSL (what is stated
here is applicable to other semi-solid processes as well). How-
ever, since semi-solid casting is generally performed with
solid fractions between 40 and 60 %, especially this tempera-
ture range DT40/60 is of interest. It documents the sensitivity
of the solid fraction to temperature changes in the semi-solid
working range. In case a temperature variation of 2.5 C
leads to variations of 10 % in solid fraction, as it might be the
case with a DT40/60 of 5 C, the reproducibility of the product
quality will be very limited.
It is often claimed that the latent heat represents an inertia
against changes of the fraction of solid caused by temperature
changes. This is conceptually correct but not necessarily help-
ful in achieving uniform temperature fields. However, a high
sensitivity of enthalpy to temperature variations might be
favorable, and therefore L* = dH/dT at a solid fraction of
about 50 % is an essential parameter too.
Table 1 summarizes the above-mentioned indicators of
some magnesium alloys, calculated by means of ThermoCalc
ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS 2001, 3, No. 12
Table 1. Freezing range, DTSL, semi-solid working range DT40/60, and enthalpy sensi-
REVIEWS
tivity L* = dH/dT of several magnesium alloys (aluminum alloy AlSi7Mg for compa-
rison).
(Mg database), compared to the aluminum alloy AlSi7Mg,
the classical semi-solid casting alloy.
Except for the general tendency to freeze more quickly
> T3 = TF
than aluminum alloys, the alloys AZ91 and AZ71 are excel-
lent semi-solid casting alloys, and AM60 is expected to have
good NRC properties as well. AE42 becomes critical in terms
of sensitivity to temperature variations and solidification
profile in the steel crucible has to be adjusted.
T3 In order to perform the necessary control of the cooling
profile and to provide thixotropic slugs for high production
rates, NRC uses slurry maker systems with up to ten cooling
stations on a carousel. The final position of the slurry maker
is a high frequency coil for heating up the outer surface area
of the slug for better sliding of the slug from the crucible into
14
whole volume. Taking into account the lower heat content of
Mg-alloys compared to Al-alloys, less cooling stations may be
used (Note the enthalpy difference between liquid and 50 %
solid, i.e., the energy that has to be reduced by means of con-
trolled cooling of the cups: ~4.6 kJ mol1 K1 (0.33 kJ cm3 K1)
for Mg-alloys; ~6 kJ mol1 K1 (0.59 kJ cm3 K1).
3. Microstructural Considerations and Mechanical
Properties
The currently used magnesium alloys with aluminum as
main alloying element are single-phase alloys, which should
not exhibit eutectic phase when solidified in equilibrium con-
dition. Because of the reduced diffusivity of Al in Mg and the
fast cooling in the die, solidification occurs in non-equilib-
rium (see sketch on the right hand side in Fig. 1). This results
in the formation of unexpected eutectic phase, namely b-
phase, Mg17Al12. The volume fraction of the brittle b-phase
depends not only on the solidification condition but also on
the aluminum content, i.e., the amount of eutectic phase de-
creases with decreasing Al-content.
Figures 2a and b show the microstructures of AZ91 NRC
and AZ71 NRC, respectively, in the as-cast condition. The
bright phase represents the primary a-phase, which was pre-
dominantly formed in the semi-solid state, the eutectic phase
appears as dark regions. It is obvious that alloy AZ71 shows
less eutectic phase. While a lower Al-content and therefore a
lower content of eutectic phase is known to reduce the cast-
ability with conventional casting technologies, no deterio-
rated die filling ability was observed with NRC.
965

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AZ91 AZ71
a 200m
b 200m
AZ91 AZ71
100m
c d
Fig. 2. Microstructure of alloy AZ91 and AZ71 in the as-cast condition (a,b) as well as
in the T4 condition (c,d) (400 C/24 h). Both alloys were processed at about 50 % solid
fraction.
Heat treatment of hypo-eutectic aluminum alloys, for ex-
ample AlSi7Mg, only modifies the shape of the eutectic
phase, but not the a-phase. Therefore, the contiguity volume
of the ductile a-phase faCa remains unaffected. Elongation
properties are improved by forming rounder Si-particles.
However, when MgAl alloys are subjected to heat treatment,
the contiguity volume of the a-phase changes, because the
unexpected eutectic dissolves and the ductile a-phase grows.
Figures 2c and d show the microstructures of AZ91 and
AZ71, respectively, in the solution-treated condition (400 C
for 24 h + natural aging). While there is still some eutectic
phase left in AZ91, the microstructure of AZ71 is mostly free
of brittle b-phase.
Table 2 illustrates the advantage of the NRC process in
terms of ductility, i.e., elongation to fracture A5, yield
strength Rp0.2, ultimate tensile strength, Rm, and fracture
toughness, KJC, of AZ91 and AZ71, respectively.[4,7,8] Com-
pared to die cast components, the ductility and toughness of
the NRC components is significantly higher after heat treat-
ment, while the strength in the as-cast condition stays on
comparable level.
It is important to recognize the high values of both the ten-
sile strength and the ductility in the T4 condition. They are at
least at the same level as those for extruded AZ31, AM60, or
ZK60 alloys.[9] The high ductility in the T4 condition is attrib-
uted to the low content of the brittle eutectic b-phase. While
Table 2. Typical mechanical properties of Mg-components produced by means of the
NRC semi-solid process.
966
Kaufmann, Uggowitzer/New Rheocasting Process for Magnesium Alloys
in the as-cast condition the alloy fails due to brittle fracture of
the more or less contiguous b-phase (Fig. 3a), the alloys in the
T4 condition exhibit transgranular fracture along (0001)
planes. Crack formation in T4, however, is accompanied by
excessive twinning, as shown in Figure 3b, which illustrates
the region in the vicinity of the crack tip of the KJC compact
tension specimen. Thus, it is assumed that deformation of the
alloys in the T4 condition is activated by the formation of
twins, leading to an enhancement of ductility.
NRC offers a casting quality, which permits solution treat-
ments without blistering of the castings. The disadvantage of
the low eutectic temperature and therefore low annealing
temperatures, i.e., slow diffusion of Al in Mg, cannot be
neglected. Solution treatments yield the intended success, but
are costly due to long processing times.
100m
100m 100m
a b
Fig. 3. a) Formation of microcracks along the brittle contiguous eutectic phase in the
as-cast condition of AZ91 NRC, and b) transgranular crack formation in the T4 condi-
tion, accompanied by massive twinning for AZ71 NRC. Both figures illustrate the
crack tip region of the KJC specimens.
4. Summary
NRC is an innovative way of processing semi-solid metal
slugs combined with UBE Squeeze Casting indirect vertical
squeeze casting, which is widely used for high quality struc-
tural components such as knuckles and suspension arms,
engine components such as blocks and rocker arms, as well
as brake parts such as calipers and ABS (Anti-lock Brake
System) housings. So far, all of these parts are squeeze cast in
aluminum, but are central development targets of the auto-
motive engineers for magnesium applications. For both mate-
rial systems, the casting equipment is readily available at the
machine supplier.
The NRC process starts from an only slightly super-heated
melt in the holding and dosing furnace, which is filled
smoothly in steel cups, and transferred into the semi-solid
state by controlled cooling. The resulting semi-solid slug is
then placed into the sleeve of the squeeze casting machine
and cast to shape. The essential point is that the NRC process
uses conventional magnesium alloys. No special precursor
material is required. There is no additional cost of the materi-
al compared with HPDC. Little extra cost comes from the
investment of the slurry maker, which is located next to the
squeeze casting machine and performs the controlled cooling
operation. Compared with competing semi-solid processes,
the NRC investment cost is lower.
ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS 2001, 3, No. 12
Kaufmann, Uggowitzer/New Rheocasting Process for Magnesium Alloys
The applicable processing window is sufficiently wide for
the use of the NRC process in the rough foundry environ-
ment. The width of the processing window depends on the
magnesium alloys composition, but it can be shown that the
widely used alloy systems of the AZ, AM, AE, and ZK-types
are suitable for semi-solid processing via NRC. This implies
that NRC is not restricted to foundry alloys but can also be
used for processing of wrought alloys. In-house recycling of
the alloys adds to further competitiveness of Mg-alloys and
the NRC process.
The NRC process allows to cast thin and thick-walled
sound castings with high ductility. This opens the doors to
new market segments such as hydraulic and structural com-
ponents.
It is essential to note that proper selection of the light metal
alloy or proper modifications to the compositions of existing
alloys can increase the stability of the NRC process.
Received: April 10, 2001
[1] M. Garat, L. Maenner, Giesserei 1999, 86(5), 76.
[2] G. Hirt, B. Nohn, U. Morjan, T. Witulski, Giesserei-Praxis
1999, 2, 58.
______________________
ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS 2001, 3, No. 12
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REVIEWS
Vom Werkstoff zum Bauteilsystem (Eds: H. Kaufmann,
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[4] H. Kaufmann, P. J. Uggowitzer, Magnesium Taschenbuch,
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[5] H. Kaufmann, H. Wabusseg, P. J. Uggowitzer, Alumi-
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