The microstructural evolution during the hot rolling of coarse grain sized austenite has been modeled taking into consideration all the microstructural mechanisms (dynamic, static and metadynamic recrystallization, strain induced precipitation) that could take place during the industrial TSDR production of a Nb microalloyed steel. Based on the results obtained from the model, processing maps have been drawn for a 0.035%Nb microalloyed steel. Optimum processing conditions to exploit all the benefits of Nb microalloying have been defined considering a final gauge thickness range between 1.5 and 12.65 mm.

Primary AlSi10MnMg alloy is the most widely used alloy for manufacturing of vacuum assisted high pressure die castings (VPDC) with high ductility requirements. In this alloy, die soldering is avoided by a high Mn level (0.5 - 0.6 wt. %) while Fe is kept low (< 0.25 wt. %). Such combination guarantees that the Al-Fe-Mn-Si intermetallic compounds are of the α-iron rich polyhedral or Chinese script type, which is less harmful to the ductility. However, secondary alloys are cheaper and their production requires less energy than the one of primary alloys. The higher amount of Fe, a common impurity in secondary alloys, reduces ductility but also die soldering and thus manufacturing costs. Microadditions based on Mn are known to be very effective in transforming the harmful needle/platelet shaped β-compounds into α-iron compounds with a less harmful morphology. In this work a secondary alloy with 0.60 wt. % Fe and different Mn microadditions has been cast in test parts with different wall thicknesses using VPDC technology. The Mn content of the new alloy has been optimized. Mechanical properties of the optimised alloy have been determined in different heat treatment conditions and been compared to the corresponding AlSi10MnMg primary alloy. Mechanical properties similar to those of the primary alloy have been achieved.

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In this present work, an assessment of eutectic modification based on thermal analysis was performed on modified A356 alloy. The effect of various cooling rates which were achieved by means of casting samples with various moduli in sand and metallic moulds was investigated. Cooling curves recorded from thermocouples inserted in the centre of the samples showed characteristic undercooling and recalescence associated with (Al)-Si eutectic modification. The results showed that cooling rate has a role in observed modification level. Furthermore, differential thermal analysis was included to determine the eutectic melting temperature.

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In this contribution strain induced precipitation of niobium carbides has been analyzed making use of different hot-rolling simulators and combining the advanced precipitation characterization methods of selective chemical extraction and transmission electron microscopy. A laboratory cast Fe-0.1C-0.07Nb alloy has been employed for the study. Thermomechanical simulations were carried out by torsion, plastodilatometry and plane strain compression techniques. The results have shown that, in spite of the different deformation modes a relatively good correlation is obtained between the measurements of the precipitate size and the amount of Nb precipitated in the different experiments.

The necessity of preserving resources and to reduce environmental pollution makes light weight concepts highly interesting for the transportation market, with light weight being essential for newly developed electric and hybrid vehicles. However, some components cannot be replaced only by aluminium, but need to be combined with steel in order to achieve the desired mechanical characteristics. Therefore, there is great interest in developing processes to manufacture aluminium/steel hybrid structures that present a good bond.In the present work a range of processing conditions for improving the bond strength between S355J2H steel inserts and AlSi7Mg casting alloy were investigated. Before casting, different chemical, thermal and mechanical treatments were applied to the steel insert: As-received condition, preheating, shot blasting, pickling, hot dip aluminizing, hot dip galvanizing, zinc coating and nickel/copper plating. The steel/AlSi7Mg interfaces were characterized by optical microscopy (LOM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Special attention was paid to the presence of defects, formation of oxides and/or intermetallic phases in the reaction zone. The interface shear strength has been assessed by the push-out test, and the results have been correlated with microstructural observations at the interfaces. Combinations of different insert treatments were also investigated.