Τitle

A wire cutting test to check the temperature distribution in inductively heated cylindrical aluminium billets at semi-solid material state

A fast test has been developed to evaluate the homogeneity of the temperature field within aluminium
cylindrical billets heated up to their semi-solid state. This method is based on the evaluation of force
measurements during cutting of the heated specimens by a thin wire, considering that the shear stress
of thixo-tropic Al-alloys is significantly deteriorated at thixo temperatures. The obtained results were
explained by FEM supported calculations of the occurring thermal field within the billet. Moreover, the
measured cutting forces versus the wire displacement were verified by a FEM based simulation of the
introduced test. The developed method enables a fast assessment of the specimen heating uniformity
and contributes to an undisturbed conduct of semi-solid high-pressure die casting.