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Materials and Manufacturing Processes

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Twin-Roll Casting of Aluminum Alloys – An Overview

a b
N. S. Barekar & B. K. Dhindaw
a
Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), Brunel University , West
London , United Kingdom
b
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur , Kharagpur , India
Accepted author version posted online: 28 Apr 2014.Published online: 03 Jun 2014.

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To cite this article: N. S. Barekar & B. K. Dhindaw (2014) Twin-Roll Casting of Aluminum Alloys – An Overview, Materials and
Manufacturing Processes, 29:6, 651-661, DOI: 10.1080/10426914.2014.912307

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 Materials and Manufacturing Processes, 29: 651–661, 2014
Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1042-6914 print=1532-2475 online
DOI: 10.1080/10426914.2014.912307

Twin-Roll Casting of Aluminum Alloys – An Overview

N. S. Barekar1 and B. K. Dhindaw2
1
Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), Brunel University, West London, United Kingdom
2
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India

Since its invention by Sir Henry Bessemer in 1865, twin-roll casting (TRC) has been the subject of extensive research, not only to develop
the technology but also to achieve an understanding of microstructural evolution. The present review confines itself to the literature on
process aspect, modeling, and quality issues. Initially, the principles of the process are outlined. Modeling of fluid flow, heat transfer,
and microstructural evolution, surface and internal defects in TRC of aluminum alloys are next discussed. The role of process parameters
on solidification during casting is reviewed. The controls of grain structure by melt treatment are also discussed in brief.

Keywords Aluminum; Casting; Defects; Microstructure; Roll; Segregation; Solidification; Twin.

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INTRODUCTION for few wide freezing range alloys [7]. There are also
One of the major consumers of wrought aluminum issues of performance of products made from TRC
products is automotive industry [1, 2], where weight strips due to centerline segregation [8].
reduction is a primary goal. Aluminum with only one-third These issues have been addressed by considerable
of the density of steel and better strength to density ratio research and development to further understand and
could provide weight reduction of nearly 50% when used improve the process. Thus this review has been undertaken
in place of steel. The major barrier to the widespread use to evaluate the past work and state of art of TRC process
of aluminum sheets in high volume is its high cost of pro- in terms of technology and the fundamental aspects.
duction. Production of aluminum sheets by continuous
casting route rather than the conventional direct chill STRIP CASTING
(DC) casting and hot mill method offers an opportunity There are two types of strip casting processes used in the
to substantially reduce the cost [3]. Because of the econom- production of sheet for Al alloys. The oldest and classical
ics and metallurgical advantages offered by twin-roll cast- form is twin belt casting (TBC). This is suitable for thicker
ing (TRC) process, it has become widely popular in slab gauges varying from 10 to 25 mm [3, 9]. Here, the
aluminum industries [4]. Currently TRC process offers dis- metal solidifies between two water-cooled counterrotating
tinct advantage in lowering of greenhouse emissions. The belts. The process has been successfully used for wide
capital investment for TRC is significantly lower than the freezing range Al alloys. The cooling rate in TBC during
conventional DC casting and hot rolling process. TRC solidification is
102 K=s. There is no significant defor-
requires low energy consumption, limited space require- mation of the strip during solidification process. Therefore
ment, and it also offers possibilities of easy diversification. defects associated with deformation during semisolid stage
In general metallurgical terms, TRC is expected to are not encountered. However, the reduction in thickness
have refined microstructure, fine intermetallic particles, from casting to final product may be as high as 60% [3].
and increased solid solubility [5], which is advantageous
for mechanical properties. Despite the above-mentioned
advantages, the aluminum industry is still looking for Principles of TRC Process
improving the economic advantage in terms of pro- The second set of process is TRC which is the topic of
ductivity to remain competitive with other processes this review. The schematic of horizontal twin-roll caster
and emerging flat roll products [6]. The quality has been is shown in Fig. 1, which is derived from Ferry [5]. It is
assessed for limited alloy compositions but not universal pertinent to note that industrial TRC of Aluminum is
across the wide spectrum of compositions of Al alloys. focused mainly on horizontal or near horizontal tech-
Like, for alloys with narrow solidification range, TRC nology. In TRC, the thickness of the processed sheet is
has been successful, however processing is still restricted generally between 3 and 7 mm, although less than
3 mm thickness is possible at higher casting speed [10,
Received December 13, 2013; Accepted March 24, 2014
11]. For casting high-quality thin gauge strips, TRC
Address correspondence to B. K. Dhindaw, Indian Institute of requires a set of robust rolls capable of withstanding
Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India 721302; E-mail: dhindaw@ the high roll torques and roll separation forces. It has
gmail.com been generally predicted that operating point of a
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found twin-roll caster is determined by the force exerted by
online at www.tandfonline.com/lmmp. the rolls on the strip (expressed as tons=m of strip

651
 652 N. S. BAREKAR AND B. K. DHINDAW

contact between alloy and the rotating rolls and this is

the main reason for higher cooling rate. The process
has been successfully applied to narrow freezing range
alloys and eutectics. For a large freezing range alloy
(>30 C), there is clearly less time to solidify the strip
completely. Hence controlling the casting parameters
for large freezing range alloys is very crucial.

Diversification of TRC Setup

In general, the diameters of the two counterrotating rolls
used in TRC are same. Haga et al. [14, 15] have designed
an unequal diameter (1:4 ratio) twin-roll caster with a long
solidification length to cast aluminum alloy strip with
higher casting velocity. They found that the mechanical
properties of the strip rolled from roll-cast strip were simi-
lar to that of the strip made from cast ingot. In order to
investigate the possibilities of wider casting and tighter
sheet profile tolerance, experiments were done at ASSAN
Aluminum to investigate the effect of increasing roll diam-
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eter (660 and 1120 mm) on microstructural development of

FIGURE 1.—The schematic illustration of TRC process [5].
cast strip of AA3003 alloys. However no significant differ-
ence in the segregation behavior, intermetallic particle dis-
tribution, general grain size variation range across
width), the thickness of strip on exiting the rolls (gener- thickness, and downstream mechanical performance were
ally thinner than inlet as it get rolled) and casting speed noted for the two different size roll diameters.
(m=min). The roll surfaces are usually lubricated by Haga et al. [16–18] have demonstrated to cast alumi-
spraying a water-base suspension of graphite during num alloys strips with both wide and narrow freezing
casting [12]. The aluminum alloys containing more than zones at speeds of 60–180 m=min with superior surface
2 wt.% magnesium have no sticking problem due to and microstructural properties by using a novel vertical
formation of magnesia [8]. The cooling rate during twin-roll caster called hydrostatic press twin-roll caster
solidification of alloys is in the order of
103 K=s [5]. (HPTRC). HPTRC employs higher cooling rate achieved
Thus the growth velocity is higher, and the alloy gets through improving the contact between the melt and the
deformed while passing through the counterrotating rolls due to hydrostatic pressure of the melt head. Haga
rolls. The heat is extracted from the strip to the rolls et al. [19–22] also used the melt drag twin-roll caster
over the total contact length which is the sum of the cast- (MDTRC) for rheocasting of AA5182, A356, AA1050,
ing and rolling zones. The contact pressure is consider- and Al–Si hypoeutectic alloys at higher casting speed.
ably greater than the flow stress of the solidified strip In MDTRC setup, the melt solidifies on the lower roll,
which results in plastic deformation of the strip through and upper roll is put into contact with the top surface
the roll bite [5]. Starting from the point of complete of the strip which is in the semisolid condition.
solidification to the exit point of the strip, the rolling
force (F) can be calculated by [13]
Composites by TRC
" pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi#
Rðh2  h1 Þ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi A downward melt drag twin-roll caster was devised by
F ¼ 1:55ryield W 1 þ   Rðh2  h1 Þ ð1Þ Haga et al. [23–27] to cast a clad composite strip and a
4 h1  hmean 2 mild steel wire-inserted composite strip of AA1050 and
Al–12Si alloys. Solid shells of a given alloy produced on
where each roll are pressed together between the roll bite to cast
  clad strip. The effect of melt temperature, roll speed on
ðh2  h1 Þ the interface was investigated in their study. The cladding
hmean ¼ h1  ð2Þ
2 of strips of two different aluminum alloys and insertion of
mild steel wire in aluminum matrix strip could be possible
ryield is mean yield stress, W is width of the strip, R is when proper conditions were selected. The thickness of
outer radius of the rolls, h1 is thickness of the strip at the clad strip was about 2.0 mm, and the diameter of
the point of complete solidification, h2 is thickness of the wires were less than 1 mm. Composite casting
the strip at the exit point, and hmean is mean thickness integrates TRC and insertion of reinforcement into a
of the strip. From Eq. (1), it can be deduced that the dif- single operation for production of wire-inserted alumi-
ference in the rolling force for different alloys would num alloy composites which saves the processing steps.
come from the yield stress term. For higher alloying In another study on Al-33 wt.% Cu alloy [28], the effect
addition, the rolling force would increase as the yield of different cooling rates in TRC was exploited to get
stress would increase. The deformation improves layered microstructure. The roll speeds were thus varied,
 TWIN-ROLL CASTING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS 653

and different combinations of microstructure across the geometry that in turn depends upon the alloy type, roll
strip thickness were obtained varying from lamellar eutectic material, roll diameter, rolling speed, and pouring tem-
to wavy=flowery morphologies. It was concluded that TRC perature. The three important parameters that decide
could be utilized for direct production of layered composite the solidification structure are related to setback distance,
strips provided the casting speed is sufficiently high. sump depth, and mushy zone depth. The three lengths are
Although it is possible to cast composites by TRC, shown in Fig. 2. Solidification commences by nucleation
limited attempts have been made due to complicated at the roll surface as the melt exits the tip of tundish
fluid flow and heat transfer during solidification in TRC. and proceeds by dendritic growth. The distance required
to solidify the strip as it exits the nozzle is the sump depth,
and the distance between the tip of nozzle and the roll nip
MOLTEN METAL SUPPLY TO THE TWIN-ROLL CASTER is termed as setback. The degree of deformation during
It was recognized long back that proper design of TRC is less for bigger diameter rolls at the same setback
tundish is important to maintain precise control of mol- and roll gap whereas it is more for smaller roll gap for the
ten metal head in the tundish and to ensure a regular, same setback and roll diameter [5].
uniform, turbulent-free melt to the roll bite at any cast-
ing speed. A typical metal feeding system to the roll gap
for TRC of aluminum alloys is given in reference [29]. MODELING OF FLUID FLOW AND HEAT
Inclusions in the melt can be reduced by passing the TRANSFER DURING TRC
molten metal through degassing and filtration units No clear perspectives about the exact geometrical
[12]. In TRC of aluminum alloys, temperature of the
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implications of the mushy zone, sump depth during

melt is close to the melting point as it enters the roll TRC are available as direct observation is not possible.
and as low as 250 C as it leaves the roll gap [29]. However, significant research has been carried out to
The proper feeding of molten metal into the roll gap model the fluid flow and heat transfer or temperature
depends on tip positioning. It is characterized by setback distribution in this region. Most of the modeling res-
which affects the velocity field and temperature distri- earch has been carried out for TRC of carbon steel and
bution (and hence the shape of solidification front) at stainless steel [31, 32]. Several papers deal with modeling
the outlet of the tip that brings the metal into the roll in vertical twin-roll casters, and few papers deal with
bite. Turbulence and nonuniform temperature gradients fluid flow and heat transfer modeling in horizontal twin-
can lead to various casting defects. In TRC of aluminum, roll caster, more prevalent in aluminum industry [33].
the nozzle can be made from ceramic materials [5]. Miyazawa and Szekely [34] first attempted modeling
Sakaguchi et al. [30] have also incorporated a cooling slope of aluminum solidification in a vertical twin-roll caster.
that was mounted on the high-speed vertical twin-roll cas- However, the strip thickness they consider was a micron
ter for casting Al alloys. The cooling slope apparently low- size, and the aim was to model rapid solidification of
ers the superheat of the melt before it enters the roll gap. aluminum. Saxena and Sahai [35] developed a two-
The range of alloy applicability of twin-roll caster is dimensional finite element-based model of coupled
inherently limited because of the squeezing action of turbulent fluid flow, heat transfer, and solidification in
the solidifying mushy zone. The elemental segregation horizontal twin roll thin strip caster. Their studies con-
is severe, and therefore most of the industrial applica- cluded that the sump depth decreased by lowering the
tions have been the low alloyed products. The thin strip casting speed, increasing the heat transfer between the
quality in terms of two vital parameters, microstructure, strip and rolls. It was predicted that there exists a nar-
and segregation is significantly affected by the solidifi- row range of operating variables which can lead to mini-
cation characteristic of the strip. Figure 2 shows the mization of sump depth. However, the remedy suggested
typical illustration of the solidification process during for reducing centerline segregation was to lower the sol-
TRC. It is characterized by the mushy zone extent and ute content. Gupta et al. [36] claimed that the severity of
centerline segregation increases with casting speed and
melt superheat and decreases for higher heat transfer
across roll-strip interface. As per Bradbury’s study [37,
38], the depth of the sump increases with the casting
velocity. The sump depth slightly increases at higher set-
backs while the end point of the mushy zone moves sig-
nificantly towards the entry side of the caster at higher
setbacks. For a large freezing range alloy, the sump
depth is larger and extends into the roll bite. Undesired
sump depth can generate defects in strips such as heat
lines or centerline segregation as will be discussed in
the next section. Sarioglu and Thevoz [39] used commer-
cial software Calcosoft-2D and Calcosoft-3D to model
the TRC process. They first did 2D calculations and
finetuned by performing 3D calculations. They parti-
FIGURE 2.—Schematic illustration of solidification process during TRC [3]. cularly addressed the issue of strip roll interface heat
 654 N. S. BAREKAR AND B. K. DHINDAW

solidified strip. Therefore the microstructure evolution

and defects in TRC sheets arise due to combination of
solidification and applied load [42–45]. In general, TRC
sheets do not show the ideal ingot structure where at the
surface chilled zone is seen followed by columnar zone
as move inwards and finally equiaxed zone in the center.
Because of deformation and faster cooling involved, the
structure tends to be either completely columnar with
grain oriented towards roll direction or fully equiaxed
with varying grain size through thickness as shown in
Fig. 4. Extensive work was carried out by Lockyer
et al. [42, 43] in correlating defects with microstructure
generation. Three main categories of defects were ident-
FIGURE 3.—The schematic of velocity profile of Al-33% Cu in the molten ified: surface defects or bleed, internal defects, and
pool [41]. microscopic buckling. The investigation mostly related
to AA1xxx series and some work on 3xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx,
transfer coefficient and the nonuniform inlet velocity and 8xxx series was also reported.
profile. Position of sump was rationalized in terms of
different casting parameters. In particular, data for Surface defects. Surface bleeds are pockets of solute
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AA3003 alloy were used to do the calculations. No rich material that form on the strip surface and also
details about the validation of the model with actual contain higher concentration of intermetallic particles.
casting situation were given although it was mentioned Surface bleed example is shown in Fig. 5. Not all surface
that it helped in improving the process. In a communi- bleed had similar structure. It was suggested [42] that
cation, Das et al. [40] show the temperature distribution initially a thin film forms as the molten metal solidifies
in the strip during TRC by numerical modeling. It was on the roll. As it approaches the roll gap, it meets
suggested that the temperature at the center of the speci- material that is traveling more slowly due to backward
men is higher compared to surface for higher rolling slip, and the resultant differences in velocities cause the
speed of 5 rpm and was attributed to lower contact time. film to lose contact with the roll surface. Because of
A comprehensive computational fluid dynamics the load acting, semisolid material in this region forces
mathematical model for high-speed TRC of molten the solute rich liquid to the gap formed on the surface.
Al-33 wt.% Cu alloy was developed using FLUENT The formation of surface bleed mostly depends on the
6.3. 16 platform [41]. The model was validated exper- freezing range of the alloy. In summary, surface bleeds
imentally using Jackson-Hunt plot for Al-33 wt.% Cu, have been identified as the major defects in twin-roll cast
and the effect of process parameters on solidification aluminum sheets. It has been reported [45] that high
front speed was studied. The details of the modeling casting speed (low casting load), thin strip thickness,
procedure and experiment conducted for validation are alloys with freezing ranges 10–30 C and reasonable
given in reference [38]. Interesting velocity profile of the amount of liquid present prior to completion of solidifi-
movement of liquid melt in the molten pool was pre- cation promote the formation surface bleeds.
dicted. Figure 3 shows the schematic of velocity profile Forbord et al. [46] studied the formation of surface
that correlates with general flow patterns expected in segregates during TRC of AA5052 aluminum alloys by
molten metal pool in TRC. The schematic is derived employing a technique termed as stop sample. In this,
from reference [41]. The reversal of the flow direction
in the middle of the pool before it entered the roll bite
region was shown. The solidification front speed and
solidified shell thickness for roll speed varying from 3
to 500 rpm were presented. The experimental validation
essentially involved calculations of interlaminar spacing
by using Jackson-Hunt relationship for this alloy. As
predicted by the model, the microstructure of the solidi-
fied Al-33 wt.% Cu strip was not uniform, and two dis-
tinct zones were observed. This was rationalized in
terms of variation of solidification speeds. However
above work is related with vertical TRC.

DEFECTS AND MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION IN

TRC OF AL ALLOYS
Surface and Internal Defects
Unlike the majority of continuous casting which sim- FIGURE 4.—Microstructures of TRC strip showing the variation in the
ply acts as moving molds, TRC also requires rolling of grain structure.
 TWIN-ROLL CASTING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS 655

flows from a cold to a hot region in a casting, the liquid

must change its composition. Thus subsequent solidifi-
cation results in the formation of solute-rich channel.
The channel segregates form near the center of the strip
and are promoted at higher roll speed. The deformation
segregates form when solid and liquid are deformed
together [42]. They are manifested as small equiaxed
grain regions were liquid pockets are not elongated.
The more common phenomenon in the TRC strips is
the occurrence of banded structure, that invariable
manifest more in the central region. This is again
because of the interplay of the load and speed. It appears
if the central region of the strip is pushed back towards
the liquid, structure here is generally finer. The typical
examples of channel segregates, deformation segregates,
FIGURE 5.—Surface bleeds (indicated by an arrow) in a twin-roll cast
and banded structure observed in aluminum alloys are
Al–Mg alloy.
shown in Fig. 6. The authors [42–45] thus attributed
the cause of formation of the above-mentioned defects
to interplay of strip thickness, indirectly referring to
the strip rolling was interrupted by power off to the the heat transfer characteristic and specific load. Specific
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rolls. The strip stuck in the roll gap region was charac- load would be function of rolling speed. They went on to
terized for microstructure development to investigate draw defect limit diagrams. The tendency of segregation
segregation. The studies were supplemented in a limited increases with increasing casting speed and casting gauge
way by modeling. It was proposed that when a certain [47]. At given casting conditions, the centerline segre-
productivity=casting speed is exceeded, the enriched gation in twin-roll cast strip increases as the solute con-
liquid in interdendritic regions connects and eventually tent in the alloy (and hence freezing range) increases.
becomes transport paths to the surface. This flow is For the central region, the researcher [44] believed that
further enhanced by low-pressure surface zones. These enriched liquid in the deep sump transform to equiaxed
segregations appear as protrusions on the surface. How- segregates. However there is no direct evidence or con-
ever, these protrusions bend towards casting direction sistency in this mechanism. They generalized the proces-
and are eventually squeezed into the underlying surface. sing factors like if casting gauge and applied load are
Working with AA3105 aluminum alloy, Ch. Cras et al. small, bleeds, and center segregates form. The centerline
[44] attributed formation of surface defects to the forma- segregates are formed at lower temperature than the sur-
tion of buckle formed due to local velocity differences face bleeds and contain less primary phase. They con-
induced by backward motion of the strip when roll cluded that for a fixed alloy composition and casting
pressure is applied. The interdendritic liquid is squeezed gauge, high-speed casting definitely promotes the pro-
towards the surface into free space created by the duction of micro defects.
buckle. This liquid fills up the empty space to form dro- Kim et al. [48] demonstrated that using sufficient roll
plets and instantaneously solidify when in contact separating force can lower the occurrence of defects in
with the roll. Later the passage in the roll bite deforms the central region even for wide freezing temperature
the blister and gives the bleed saucer like shape as seen range AA6022 alloy cast during high-speed TRC. How-
the Fig. 5. ever for alloys having large content of intermetallics like
The separation of the shell from the rolls during TRC those containing Si and Mg, low level of force between
of aluminum alloys can increase the surface temperature rolls gave better structure with less harmful distribution
of the strip due to reduced heat transfer rate. This of intermetallics [49]. For a twin-roll cast Al alloy con-
results in formation of large intermetallic and coarse taining 1.04% Si and 0.56% Mg, Das et al. [50] have
grain structure as well as oxide on the rolls at the point reported the centerline segregation of Si, Mg, and Fe
of separation. During extended operation, the oxide at different speeds (3, 4, and 5 rpm), although no quan-
areas on the roll surfaces tend to develop transverse titative segregation data is provided. The sheet cast at
bands of coarse structure (i.e., ripple effect) on the high roll speed also exhibited rough surface.
strip surface [5]. On the other hand, Birol [51] has focused on the issues
of macrosegregation in twin-roll cast strips in a different
Internal defects. The centerline segregation in the way. In an interesting study, differential scanning calor-
TRC strip is due to the segregation of solute elements imetry (DSC) was employed to analyze the solidification
which are pushed to the center from the two opposite behavior of twin-roll cast AA1050, AA3003, AA5754,
advancing solid=liquid interfaces of the growing grains. and AA6016 aluminum alloys. Alloys AA3003 and
Under the roll pressure, the solute-rich cold liquid AA5754 having widest solidification range as deter-
squeezes out from the central region to the hot liquid mined by DSC showed maximum macrosegregation in
region and pumps back the hot liquid to the mushy industrially cast strips by TRC. The center line segre-
region where it melts the primary solid. When liquid gates were hardly altered by annealing [52]. Therefore
 656 N. S. BAREKAR AND B. K. DHINDAW
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FIGURE 6.—Internal defects (indicated by arrows) observed in twin-roll cast Al alloys (a) channel segregates (b) deformation segregates and (c) banded
structure.

to handle these alloys for TRC would require very change in cooling rate across the section. The intermetal-
judicious control of casting parameters such as setback, lics also doubled in size from surface to center. An array
tip orifice, casting gauge, and the casting speed in order of segregates were also seen spaced more or less equally
to minimize the defects. from one edge to the other and roughly marked the cen-
terline of strip. The rolling component of TRC is defi-
Buckling. Buckling in thin twin-roll cast sheets nitely responsible to these defects. Beng et al. [53]
(thickness < 3 mm) has been reported by Lockyer et al. showed that microstructure was function of the strip
[42], where one side of the sheet is tight and the other thickness for twin-roll cast AA5052 alloys. For thicker
is long. For the wide freezing range alloys, the long edge strips (5 mm), dual grain structure consisting of coarse
deformed heavily compared with the short edge. They dendritic head and a cellular tail was seen. Cast strips
related the buckling to the nonuniformity of the solidifi- of 1.9 mm thick showed finer and purely equiaxed struc-
cation process resulting in more forward slip over the ture. The equiaxed grains were somewhat elongated. A
part of the strip. The buckling was found to be alloy spe- deeper mushy zone with a more vertical solidification
cific and could be reduced or eliminated by increasing front can explain these results.
the coiler tension. Okayasu et al. [54] while studying mechanical proper-
ties of TRC sheets of Al–Si–Cu alloys found that micro-
structural characteristics of the TRC samples were
Microstructural Evolution dominated by an anisotropic microstructure formed by
As cast microstructure of TRC strips. In a separate a fine dendritic columnar and equiaxed grains in longi-
study [52] of a twin-roll cast AA8011 alloy (Fe  0.7, tudinal directions. They associated such microstructural
Si  0.77, Cu  0.038, Mn  0.006) widely used to pre- characteristics with the casting conditions like metal
pare thin foils, some interesting observations regarding temperature, mold temperature, and casting speed.
the microstructure variation across the thickness of the Slamova et al. [55] studied the microstructural character-
strip were seen. It was observed that secondary dendrite istic of AA5052 and AA5182 alloy prepared by DC cast-
arm spacings (SDASs) were finer along the outer surface ing and TRC processes. It was also reported that TRC
and gradually coarsened towards interior indicating process gave finer microstructure for both the alloys
 TWIN-ROLL CASTING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS 657

compared to DC casting. The second phase particles for the alloys with large solidification range usually dif-
were large in number in TRC and well dispersed. It ficult to twin-roll cast. They could cast strips thinner
was found that AA5052 showed more anisotropic struc- than 3 mm and at speed of 60–180 m=min. However, sev-
ture than AA5182 which had large content of Mg and eral surface defects were seen. The defects could be mini-
Mn. Although the microstructure was fine, TRC showed mized after heat treatment. The structure in the middle
wide variation in grain size across the section of the of strip was globular. The fineness of the microstructure
strip. The variation in microstructure and texture were was attributed to low superheat and cooling ability of
analyzed for solid solubility of elements due to different roll. While Haga et al. [14, 17, 19, 26] have been quite
solidification rate. successful with innovative technologies to process strips
Das et al. [40] have reported that SDAS is large for of alloys with wide solidification range or composites
higher rpm than lower rpm twin-roll cast alloys. While under different conditions by TRC, the microstructural
the alloys twin-roll cast at roll speed of 3 and 4 rpm issues like macrosegregation and microstructural
showed elongated grains and the one cast at 5 rpm inhomogeneities have not been addressed.
showed equiaxed grains. They attributed the equiaxed
grain formation at 5 rpm to dynamic recrystallization CONTROL OF GRAIN STRUCTURE IN
taking place due to higher heat retention [50]. The TRC BY MELT TREATMENT
microstructure was also finer at this roll speed. The Grain Refiner Addition
results and discussion does show interesting pattern in
the microstructure development with increasing roll The control of grain structure by the deliberate
speed. However, the mechanism of microstructural addition of grain refiner for heterogeneous nucleation
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evolution has some contradictions. into the melt is a well-established practice. Another
expectation from grain refiner addition is the reduction
Microstructure of semisolid TRC strips. Haga et al. of macrosegregation which is a major issue in TRC.
[14] in a novel attempt used unequal diameter twin-roll Commercially available Al-3Ti-0.15C grain refiner was
caster where upper roll was four times smaller diameter employed in the TRC of AA8111 foil stock [56]. The
than lower roll. They cast the strips by introducing the grain refining performance was compared with that of
alloy AA6111 at lower temperature in the roll gap. the Al-5Ti-0.2B master alloy, the standard grain refiner
The cast strips showed some typical microstructural fea- in aluminum industry for the manufacturing of alumi-
tures of semisolid casting. They could cast with much num foil products. The addition of grain refiner to the
higher casting speed upto 60 m=min. However, the strips melt was carried out under control conditions before
were strongly influenced by two different roll diameters feeding to TRC processing. The microstructural
across the thickness. Microstructure had distinct fea- comparison was carried out by Alcoa Cold Finger test
tures on the strip surface close to smaller roll. One of samples.
the main ideas to shift the macrosegregation away from One of the major differences in TRC and normal
centerline of strip did work but could not be eliminated. casting processes is the difference in cooling rates and
In a similar TRC setup later, Haga et al. [15] cast hyper- undercooling generated due to the variation in cooling
eutectic Al-Si alloys containing 16–20% Si. The size of rates. Thus, more constitutionally undercooling related
the primary Si was smaller than 0.1 mm. The strip growth is seen in normal casting and it is thermal in
showed good ductility to be amenable to cold rolling. TRC. Thus is the above study with Al-5Ti-0.2B grain
However, the microstructure was not uniform across refiner was more effective than Al-3Ti-0.15C grain
the thickness, and most of the primary Si existed in refiner. The latter is more suitable for normal castings.
center area of thickness. These grain refiners require large undercooling to
In the MDTRC process, Haga et al. [19–22] tried to become effective. However higher addition of Al-3Ti-
cast the alloy such that semisolid layer of the alloy is 0.15C master alloy would be required which is not desir-
dragged into the roll gap. The rolls were specially able. Out of the reasons for TiC being less effective with
designed to have low separating force. Since the rolls time is its higher sinking rate due to density difference
were made of copper, it was claimed that high cooling with aluminum and consequent settling process.
rates were maintained. The microstructures presented The effect of the grain refiners of the Al–Ti–B and Al–
for AA5182 alloy strips at different roll speeds show Ti–C on as-cast structure has also been investigated in
progressively finer structure with increasing the roll conjunction with variation in strip thickness and roll
speed [19]. The window of variables to achieve sound casting speed by Yun et al. [57]. They found that Al–
strips has been provided but rationalization is mainly Ti–C have slightly better grain refining ability for the
on experience basis. No comments on macrosegregation roll cast AA8111 alloy at higher casting speeds and
have been given. As presented earlier in processing sec- thinner cast gauges.
tion, Haga et al. [17] in the modified process where a
cooling slope was used to lower superheat with the Melt Shearing
intention of casting the strip in the semisolid state, some In industrial practice, Al–Ti–B master alloys are com-
remarkable processing advantages were shown. The monly used as grain refiners for wrought Al alloys. How-
alloys cast were AA1050, AA3004, AA5083, AA5182, ever, only less than 1% of the added TiB2 particles are
AA6063, and A356. Special advantages were claimed active for nucleation of a-Al grains [58]. TiB2 particles
 658 N. S. BAREKAR AND B. K. DHINDAW

FIGURE 7.—As cast microstructures of Al-5Mg alloy through thickness (5 mm) from longitudinal cross sections of strips produced by (a) TRC and
(b) MC–TRC process. MC–TRC strip shows fine grain structure and minimal centerline segregation [68].
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have a tendency to agglomerate and are detrimental in segregation is visible in the melt-conditioned TRC sheets
the final microstructure [59], particularly for products as compared to the TRC sheet cast under identical
intended for rolling. Therefore, more recently, it was thermal conditions. Another issue reported was uniform
found that by shearing the liquid metal before casting distribution of intermetallics in MC–TRC sheets as com-
using the melt conditioning through intensive melt pared to TRC sheets. Theoretically, if the solute content
shearing, it is possible to achieve a fine and uniform is more than 3%, it is difficult to cast a strip without any
microstructure and chemical composition [60]. It is well segregation. Practically, the solute content limit is 2.5%
known that oxides bifilms [61] are present in Al alloy [6]. It has been demonstrated that the melt conditioning
melt. It has been suggested [62] that these oxides can increases the range of alloys (solute content up to 7%)
act as potent nuclei if present in sufficient numbers, that can be twin-roll cast without severe segregation
favorable particle size, and size distribution. Also the [67]. Figure 7 shows the microstructure from the longi-
lattice structure of some of these oxides seems to favor tudinal cross section of as-cast Al-5Mg binary alloys
epitaxial growth of a-Al grains [63]. Thus, if these parti- strips produced by TRC and MC–TRC process.
cles are in Al alloy melt, they can act as potent nuclei, and Enhanced nucleation by melt conditioning favors the
no external addition of nucleating agent is required. advance of an equiaxed solidification front resulting in
At Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification finer microstructure and minimum centerline segre-
Technology, melt conditioning techniques have been gation. The measured hardness values of the conven-
developed where oxides present in aluminum alloys are tional TRC and MC–TRC of Al–Mg alloys strips are
dispersed inside the melt by high shear treatment of presented in Table 1. The refinement in the grain struc-
the melt. Two types of setup are used for intensive shear- ture accounts for an increase in the hardness values of
ing of the melt. In one case the melt is fed into twin MC–TRC samples.
screws [64], and in another it is sheared by a rotor stator
device [65]. The melt is intensively sheared whereby the
oxides present are finely dispersed in the melt and are SUMMARY OF PROCESS–STRUCTURE RELATIONSHIP
expected to be transformed into potent nuclei capable The outcomes from a range of TRC experiments and
of refining the microstructure. In an earlier attempt, twin modeling have been compiled in this section. Table 2
screw-sheared melt of alloy AA5754 was subjected to provides a summary of the major reported findings of
TRC [66]. The strips were cast using water-cooled steel the effect of process variables on sump depth and center-
rolls. Significant differences in microstructure and cen- line segregation.
terline segregation were reported. Very little centerline There was no significant advantage of using unequal
diameter rolls and higher roll diameter in terms of mech-
TABLE 1.—Vickers hardness (HV5) of TRC and MC–TRC Al–Mg binary
anical performance of TRC sheets and amount of segre-
alloys strips [68]. gation in the strip. It is difficult to conclude the distinct
advantages of semisolid TRC in eliminating the center-
Alloy TRC MC–TRC line segregation (particularly, deformation segregates
and banded structure) even though the globular struc-
Al-3Mg 53.73  2.8 63.5  3.5
ture is achieved. Hence, more experimental work is
Al-5Mg 67.17  2.3 72.38  3.5
Al-7Mg 83.06  3.9 84.28  3.5
required to understand the segregation behavior as
affected by process parameters. TRC of large freezing
 TWIN-ROLL CASTING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS 659
TABLE 2.—Influence of casting parameters and thermophysical properties and roll pressure are the critical parameters in deciding
of melt on sump depth and centerline segregation during TRC. the quality of the strip. Much work has been focused
Effect on sump depth (D), centerline
on understanding the defect formations in the strips dur-
Process variables segregation (Sc) ing TRC, however not many attempts have been made
to eliminate the internal defects, in particular, centerline
Casting velocity (Vs) Vs " D " S c " segregation. Further work is necessary in this direction
Melt superheat (4Ts) 4Ts " D " Sc "
to extend the range of alloys that can be twin-roll cast
Setback (d) d " D " Sc "
Freezing range (4T) 4T " D " Sc "
with tolerable amount of segregation for a particular
Roll-strip interface heat transfer q # D " Sc " end application.

# decrease, " increase.

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