Effect of Melt Temperature Cleanout Cycl (1)

The main processing factors that control the solidification of castings, and consequently, microstructure and mechanical properties, are chemical composition, liquid metal treatment, cooling rate, and temperature gradient. In this work, the influence of melt temperature; cleanout cycle, continuous casting direction (horizontal/vertical), and super-cooler size on tensile strength and elongation percentage of continuous cast copper alloys has been characterized using a tensile machine and confirmed by microstructure examination. A significant difference in tensile strength and elongation percentage was observed by changing the processing parameters. By optimizing these parameters, the mechanical properties of continuous copper alloys can be substantially improved. As a particular example, super cooler size could enhance the elongation of samples from 38% to 45%, while the cleanout cycle could improve the tensile strength of samples from 532 MPa to 561 MPa. Copper and copper alloys rank third in industry behind iron and steel materials, as well as aluminium alloys, due to their beneficial characteristics and extensive applications.