Direct preparation of semi-solid billets by the semi-solid isothermal heat treatment for commercial cold-rolled ZL104 aluminum alloy

Semi-solid isothermal heat treatment was proposed to directly process cold-rolled ZL104 aluminum alloys and obtain semi-solid billets. The effects of two process parameters, namely, temperature and processing time, on the microstructure and hardness of the resulting billets were also experimentally examined. Average grain size (AGS) increased and the shape factor (SF) of the grain improved as the process temperature increased. The SF of the grain also increased with increasing processing time, and the AGS was augmented when the processing time was prolonged from 5 to 20 min at 570°C. The hardness of the aluminum alloy decreased because of the increase in AGS with increasing temperature and processing time. The optimal temperature and time for the preparation of semi-solid ZL104 aluminum alloys were 570°C and 5 min, respectively. Under optimal process parameters, the AGS, SF, and hardness of the resulting alloy were 35.88 µm, 0.81, and 55.24 MPa, respectively. The Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner relationship was analyzed to determine the coarsening rate constant at 570°C, and a rate constant of 1357.2 μm³/s was obtained.