Semisolid metallurgy (SSM) is now some 37-years-old in terms of time from its conception and ?rst reduction to practice in the laboratory. In the intervening years, there has been a steadily growing body of research on the subject and the beginning of signi?cant industrial applications. The overall ?eld of SSM comprises today a large number of speci?c process routes, almost all of which fall in the category of either “Rheocasting” or Thi- casting.” The former begins with liquid metal and involves agitation during partial solidi?cation followed by forming. The latter begins with solid metal of suitable structure and involves heating to the desired fraction solid and forming. Research over the past 37 years, and particularly over the last decade, has provided a detailed picture of process fundamentals and led to a wide range of speci?c SSM processes and process innovations. Industrial studies and actual p- duction experience are providing a growing picture of the process advantages and limitations. At this time, the conditions for eventual wide adoption of SSM appear favorable, both for nonferrous and ferrous alloys. It must, however, be recognized that major innovations, such as SSM become adopted only slowly by industries where capital costsarehigh,pro?tmarginsaremodest,andfailuretomeetcustomercommitments carries a high penalty.

This text seeks to provide a comprehensive technical foundation and practical examples for casting process modelling technology. It highlights fundamental theory for solidification and useful applications for industrial production. It also details shape and ingot castings, semi-solid metalworking, and spray forming.

Semi-solid metal (SSM) processing, as a viable alternative manufacturing route to those of conventional casting and forging, has not yet been fully exploited despite nearly half a century since its introduction to the metal industry. The slow pace of adopting SSM routes may be due to various reasons, including capital costs, profit margins, and, most importantly, the lack of detailed analysis of various SSM processes in open literature to confidently establish their advantages over more conventional routes. Therefore, the SSM community must disseminate their findings more effectively to generate increased confidence in SSM processes in the eyes of our industrial leaders. As such, we have embarked on the task to invite the leaders in SSM research to share their findings in a Special Issue dedicated to semi-solid processing of metals and composites. SSM processing takes advantage of both forming and shaping characteristics usually employed for liquid and solid materials. In the absence of shear forces, the semi-solid metal has similar characteristics to solids, i.e., easily transferred and shaped; by applying a defined force, the viscosity is reduced and the material flows like a liquid. These unique dual characteristics have made SSM routes attractive alternatives to conventional casting on an industrial scale. With the intention of taking full advantage of SSM characteristics, it is crucial to understand SSM processing, including topics such as solidification and structural evolution, flow behavior through modelling and rheology, new processes and process control, alloy development, and properties in general. This Special Issue focuses on the recent research and findings in the field with the aim of filling the gap between industry and academia, and to shed light on some of the fundamentals of science and technology of semi-solid processing.

This text seeks to provide a comprehensive technical foundation and practical examples for casting process modelling technology. It highlights fundamental theory for solidification and useful applications for industrial production. It also details shape and ingot castings, semi-solid metalworking, and spray forming.

This book describes in great detail the semi-solid processing of aluminum alloys. The authors examine the fundamentals of semi-solid metal processing, provide guidelines for research, illustrate the tools that are employed, and explain the measured parameters for semi-solid processing characterization.

Manufacturing and Design presents a fresh view on the world of industrial production: thinking in terms of both abstraction levels and trade-offs. The book invites its readers to distinguish between what is possible in principle for a certain process (as determined by physical law); what is possible in practice (the production method as determined by industrial state-of-the-art); and what is possible for a certain supplier (as determined by its production equipment). Specific processes considered here include metal forging, extrusion, and casting; plastic injection molding and thermoforming; additive manufacturing; joining; recycling; and more. By tackling the field of manufacturing processes from this new angle, this book makes the most out of a reader's limited time. It gives the knowledge needed to not only create well-producible designs, but also to understand supplier needs in order to find the optimal compromise. Apart from improving design for production, this publication raises the standards of thinking about producibility. - Emphasizes the strong link between product design and choice of manufacturing process - Introduces the concept of a "production triangle" to highlight tradeoffs between function, cost, and quality for different manufacturing methods - Balanced sets of questions are included to stimulate the reader's thoughts - Each chapter ends information on the production methods commonly associated with the principle discussed, as well as pointers for further reading - Hints to chapter exercises and an appendix on long exercises with worked solutions available on the book's companion site: http://booksite.elsevier.com/9780080999227/

Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 10th International Conference on Semi-Solid Processing of Alloys and Composites, S2P 2008, September 16th -18th, 2008, Aachen, Germany and Liège, Belgium

Semi-solid processing of metallic alloys is gaining increasing application in industry for producing components.Modelling die fill is critical to sucessful application, making die design efficient and effective and giving higher quality components.The subject is a challenging one to understand the scientific basis so that modelling can be improved.The chapters are written by leading specialists in the field and aim to give a throrough background. Topics covered include : a general introduction;fundamentals of rheology;one phase fluid dynamics modelling;two phase modelling;the similarities and differences between modelling approaches based on solid mechanics and those based on fluid mechanics;micromechanics and homogenization techniques;and the experimental determination of parameters for modelling.

The second edition of this fascinating work examines the concepts needed to characterize rheological behavior of fluid and semisolid foods. It also looks at how to use various ingredients to develop desirable flow properties in fluid foods as well as structure in gelled systems. It covers the crucially important application of rheology to sensory assessment and swallowing, as well as the way it can be applied to handling and processing foods. All the chapters have been updated to help readers better understand the importance rheological properties play in food science and utilize these properties to characterize food.

Chocolate is available to today's consumers in a variety of colours, shapes and textures. But how many of us, as we savour our favourite brand, consider the science that has gone into its manufacture? This book describes the complete chocolate making process, from the growing of the beans to the sale in the shops. The Science of Chocolate first describes the history of this intriguing substance. Subsequent chapters cover the ingredients and processing techniques, enabling the reader to discover not only how confectionery is made but also how basic science plays a vital role with coverage of scientific principles such as latent and specific heat, Maillard reactions and enzyme processes. There is also discussion of the monitoring and controlling of the production process, and the importance, and variety, of the packaging used today. A series of experiments, which can be adapted to suit students of almost any age, is included to demonstrate the physical, chemical or mathematical principles involved. Ideal for those studying food science or about to join the confectionery industry, this mouth-watering title will also be of interest to anyone with a desire to know more about the production of the world's favourite confectionery.