Koulis A Pericleous

University of Greenwich · Centre of Numerical Modelling and Process Analysis

The impact of structural mechanics is often overlooked when modelling the solidification of dendritic microstructures, despite experimental observations that the interaction between these processes can be a factor leading to the development of crystal mosaicity throughout the microstructure which can itself lead to more serious defects. When consid...

Meltpool modulation in Selective Laser Remelting Additive Manufacturing via an oscillating magnetic field generates Thermoelectric Magnetohydrodynamics (TEMHD) flow. Numerical predictions show that the resulting microstructure can be significantly altered. A multi-scale numerical model captures the meso-scale melt pool dynamics coupled to microscal...

This work deals with the measurement of mechanical properties of single and polycrystalline Al3Zr specimens from ambient to elevated temperatures using nano-indentation experiments. In this study, we employed three kinds of intermetallic specimens produced from Al3Zr crystals chemically extracted from an Al-3 wt% Zr alloy. The properties such as el...

Ultrasonic cavitation processing (USP) is a versatile technique that has gained a lot of momentum in the last decade as a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective process. USP uses high-frequency sound to form bubbles that expand, contract, and eventually collapse, generating high-speed liquid jets, powerful shockwaves, and acousti...

Ultrasonic processingProcessing can be performed without a vibrating probe by electromagnetic induction with a suitable frequency where resonance conditions can be establishedEstablished. This contactless method is suitable for high-temperature or reactive metal alloys providing purityPurity of the meltMelt and durability of the equipment. Hydrogen...

This paper follows our earlier work where a strong high frequency pressure peak has been observed as a consequence of the formation of shock waves due to the collapse of cavitation bubbles in water, excited by an ultrasonic source at 24 kHz. We study here the effects of liquid physical properties on the shock wave characteristics by replacing water...

It is usual for computational efficiency to simulate growing alloy dendrites during solidification using a two-dimensional model. However, the fidelity of such simulations is to be questioned, since observations show that three-dimensional models lead to significantly more realistic results in comparison to experiments under many situations. Even i...

Ultrasonic melt processing (USP) has been known for decades for beneficial effects in as-cast aluminium alloys, including degassing, grain and structure refinement. In the last 10 years the authors performed a series of research projects dedicated to understanding the nature of these effects, by dedicated advanced experiments and by developing nume...

The use of a top-mounted electromagnetic induction coil has been demonstrated as a contactless alternative to traditional ultrasonic treatment (UST) techniques that use an immersed mechanical sonotrode for the treatment of metals in the liquid state. This method offers similar benefits to existing UST approaches, including degassing, grain refineme...

Ultrasonic treatment is effective in deagglomerating and dispersing nanoparticles in various liquids. However, the exact deagglomeration mechanisms vary for different nanoparticle clusters, owing to different particle geometries and inter-particle adhesion forces. Here, the deagglomeration mechanisms and the influence of sonotrode amplitude during...

The interdependence between structural mechanics and microstructure solidification is an inherently three-dimensional phenomenon, where the complex physical processes and mechanical interactions can lead to dendrites growing at orientations influenced by twisting and out of plane bending. These effects can have a significant impact on the formation...

A promising strategy for upscaling ultrasonic melt treatment (UST) during direct-chill (DC) casting is through a strategically placed flow management system in the launder. This aims at improving the melt residence time and acoustic pressure distribution, which ultimately optimizes the treatment efficiency. This work focuses on observing the effect...

The need for lightweight and high-strength advance materials in the form of metal-matrix composites with micron-sized particulate reinforcements has received considerable attention within automotive and aerospace industry. Ultrasonic melt treatment of Al alloys offers a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to produce structural refinement through...

The interdependence between structural mechanics and microstructure solidification has been widely observed experimentally as a factor leading to undesirable macroscopic properties and casting defects. Despite this, numerical modelling of microstructure solidification often neglects this interaction and is therefore unable to predict key mechanisms...

Grain refinement in alloys is a well-known effect of ultrasonic melt processing. Fragmentation of primary crystals by cavitation-induced action in liquid metals is considered as one of the main driving mechanisms for producing finer and equiaxed grain structures. However, in-situ observations of the fragmentation process are generally complex and d...

Ultrasonic de-agglomeration and dispersion of oxides is important for a range of applications. In particular, in liquid metal, this is one of the ways to produce metal-matrix composites reinforced with micron and nano sized particles. The associated mechanism through which the de-agglomeration occurs has, however, only been conceptualized theoretic...

A new contactless ultrasonic sonotrode method was previously designed to provide cavitation conditions inside liquid metal. The oscillation of entrapped gas bubbles followed by their final collapse causes extreme pressure changes leading to de-agglomeration and the dispersion of oxide films. The forced wetting of particle surfaces and degassing are...

Scaling up ultrasonic cavitation melt treatment (UST) requires effective flow management with minimised energy requirements. To this end, container dimensions leading to the resonance play a crucial role in amplifying pressure amplitude for cavitation. To quantify the importance of resonance length during the treatment of liquid aluminium, we used...

The application of cavitation-induced shock waves generated at low driving frequencies, known as power ultrasound, is essential for a wide range of fields, such as sonochemistry, lithotripsy, nanomaterials, emulsions and casting, to name but a few. In this paper, we present measurements of the shock wave pressures emitted by cavitating bubbles in w...

This study concerns the numerical simulation of two competing ultrasonic treatment (UST) strategies for microstructure refinement in the direct-chill (DC) casting of aluminium alloys. In the first, more conventional, case, the sonotrode vibrating at 17.3 kHz is immersed in the hop-top to treat the sump melt pool, in the second case, the sonotrode i...

In this work, we study how ultrasonic cavitation melt treatment (UST) affects the temperature distribution, sump profile, and resulting microstructure in the direct-chill (DC) casting of an AA6008 aluminum alloy. Two 152 mm diameter billets were cast; one was treated with UST (UST-DC casting) in the hot top while the other was not (conventional DC...

This work focuses on the effects of ultrasonic melt treatmentUltrasonic melt Treatment (UST) (UST) during direct-chill (DC) casting on the temperature distribution across the billet, sump profile, and the resulting microstructure. Two AA6008 billets were cast; one was treated with UST in the hot top while the other was not. To determine the tempera...

Ultrasonic melt treatmentUltrasonic melt Treatment (UST) (UST) using a single sonotrode source in a launder is an efficient way to treat a large-volume melt. One key parameter is the melt processing temperature. Melt processing temperature affects the acoustic pressure generated by the sonotrode, which ultimately defines the cavitationCavitation de...

Ultrasonic cavitation melt treatment (UST) of aluminium alloys has received considerable attention in the metal industry due to its simple and effective processing response. The refined primary intermetallic phases formed in the treated alloys during controlled solidification, govern alloy structural and mechanical properties for applications in th...

Uniformity of composition and grain refinement are desirable traits in the direct chill (DC) casting of non-ferrous alloy ingots. Ultrasonic treatment is a proven method for achieving grain refinement, with uniformity of composition achieved by additional melt stirring. The immersed sonotrode technique has been employed for this purpose to treat al...

The effects of applying a 0.2-T transverse magnetic field on a solidifying Ga-25 wt%In alloy have been investigated through a joint experimental and numerical study. The magnetic field introduced significant changes to both the microstructure and the dynamics of escaping high-concentration Ga plumes. Plume migration across the interface was quantif...

This work focuses on ultrasonic melt treatment (UST) in a launder upon pilot-scale direct chill (DC) casting of 152-mm-diameter billets from an AA6XXX alloy with Zr addition. Two casting temperatures (650°C and 665°C) were used to assess their effect on the resulting microstructure (grain size, particle size, and number density). Structure refineme...

PowerPoint presentation given at the MCWASP 2020 online conference, accompanying the IOP paper: "Progress in the development of a contactless ultrasonic processing route for alloy grain refinement"

One of the main applications of ultrasonic melt treatment is the grain refinement of aluminium alloys. Among several suggested mechanisms, the fragmentation of primary intermetallics by acoustic cavitation is regarded as very efficient. However, the physical process causing this fragmentation has received little attention and is not yet well unders...

A high frequency tuned electromagnetic (EM) induction coil can be used to induce ultrasonic pressure waves leading to gas cavitation in alloy melts. This is a useful ‘contactless’ approach compared to the usual immersed sonotrode technique. One then expects the same benefits obtained in the traditional ultrasonic treatment (UST) of melts, such as d...

In situ structural mechanics are an often neglected area when modelling alloymicrostructure during solidification, despite the existence of practical examples and studies which seem to indicate that the interaction between thermal or mechanical stresses and microstructure can have a significant impact on its evolution and hence the final properties...

Melt pools formed in laser additive manufacturing (AM) are subject to large thermal gradients, resulting in the formation of thermoelectric currents due to the Seebeck effect. When in the presence of an external magnetic field, a Lorentz force is formed which drives fluid flow in the melt pool. This Thermoelectric Magnetohydrodynamics (TEMHD) pheno...

A key technique for controlling solidification microstructures is magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD), resulting from imposing a magnetic field to solidifying metals and alloys. Applications range from bulk stirring to flow control and turbulence damping via the induced Lorentz force. Over the past two decades the Lorentz force caused by the interaction of...

In this paper, moment‐based boundary conditions for the lattice Boltzmann method are extended to three dimensions. Boundary conditions for velocity and pressure are explicitly derived for straight on‐grid boundaries for the D3Q19 lattice. The method is compared against the bounce‐back scheme using both single and two relaxation time collision schem...

Large thermal gradients in the melt pool from rapid heating followed by rapid cooling in metal additive manufacturing generate large thermoelectric currents. Applying an external magnetic field to the process introduces fluid flow through thermoelectric magnetohydrodynamics. Convective transport of heat and mass can then modify the melt pool dynami...

Contactless ultrasound is a novel, easily implemented, technique for the Ultrasonic Treatment (UST) of liquid metals. Instead of using a vibrating sonotrode probe inside the melt, which leads to contamination, we consider a high AC frequency electromagnetic coil placed close to the metal free surface. The coil induces a rapidly changing Lorentz for...

The current challenge for upscaling the ultrasonic melt processing (USP) technology to industrial scale is in improving the treatment efficiency using a single-sonotrode setup. To achieve this, we suggest two innovative approaches: increasing the melt residence time and exploiting acoustic resonance. This can be achieved through flow management in...

Mechanical properties of primary Al3Zr crystals and their in situ fragmentation behaviour under the influence of a single laser induced cavitation bubble have been investigated using nanoindentation and high-speed imaging techniques, respectively. Linear loading of 10 mN was applied to the intermetallics embedded in the Al matrix using a geometrica...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate a new type of nozzle which is free from erosion and non-contaminating the outflow metal. Cold crucible melting technique with electromagnetic induction is used to obtain reactive metal castings and produce high-quality metal powders for aerospace, automotive and medical applications. An important...

A high frequency tuned electromagnetic induction coil is used to induce ultrasonic pressure waves leading to cavitation in alloy melts. This presents an alternative 'contactless' approach to conventional immersed probe techniques. The method can potentially offer the same benefits of traditional ultrasonic treatment (UST) such as degassing, microst...

The prediction of the acoustic pressure field and associated streaming is of paramount importance to ultrasonic melt processing. Hence, the last decade has witnessed the emergence of various numerical models for predicting acoustic pressures and velocity fields in liquid metals subject to ultrasonic excitation at large amplitudes. This paper summar...

The acoustic streaming behaviour below an ultrasonic sonotrode in water was predicted by numerical simulation and validated by experimental studies. The flow was calculated by solving the transient Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a source term representing ultrasonic excitation implemented from the predictions of a nonlinear acoustic...

Ultrasonic processing (USP) during direct-chill (DC) casting of light metal alloys is typically applied in the sump of a billet. This approach, though successful for structure refinement and modification, has two main drawbacks: (a) mixture of mechanisms that rely heavily on dendrite fragmentation and (b) a limited volume that can be processed by a...

Presentation made at the TMS conference, San Antonio TX, March 2019

Magnetohydrodynamic flows can be driven by Lorentz forces acting on thermoelectric currents. Their effects on tip velocities of Pd dendrites solidifying from an undercooled melt under magnetic field intensities of up to 6 T were investigated by in-situ observations using a high-speed camera. At low undercoolings, the tip velocities are depressed by...

The fundamental mechanisms governing macroscopic freckle defect formation during directional solidification are studied experimentally in a Hele–Shaw cell for a low-melting point Ga-25 wt.% In alloy and modelled numerically in three dimensions using a microscopic parallelized Cellular Automata Lattice Boltzmann Method. The size and distribution of...

Fe contamination is a serious composition barrier for Al recycling. In Fe-containing Al-Si-Cu alloy, a brittle and plate-shaped β phase forms, degrading the mechanical properties. Here, 4D (3D plus time) synchrotron X-ray tomography was used to observe the directional solidification of Fe-containing Al-Si-Cu alloy. The quantification of the coupled...

A numerical framework is presented for the solution of 2D and 3D internal acoustics problems using a high-order accurate fully staggered formulation on curvilinear domains. Optimised compact finite difference schemes previously obtained in our previous paper are used for spatial discretisation, while a free parameter linear multistep method is used...

Ultrasonic pressure waves generated using a tuned electromagnetic induction coil promote cavitation in alloy melts as an alternative to the immersed sonotrode technique. The method targets the same benefits offered by traditional UST (degassing, microstructure refinement, dispersion of particles), but without some of its drawbacks. The method is co...

Acoustic streaming and its attendant effects in the sump of a direct-chill (DC) casting process are successfully predicted under ultrasonic treatment for the first time. The proposed numerical model couples acoustic cavitation, fluid flow, heat and species transfer, and solidification to predict the flow pattern, acoustic pressure, and temperature...

Contactless ultrasound uses Lorentz forces from a secondary coil to induce ultrasonic vibrations in alloy melts. To achieve pressures high enough for cavitation, resonance is required. However, the prediction of the resonant modes for a melt in a crucible is complex, due to the transmission and reflection of sound within the crucible walls. Two aco...

The quantification of acoustic pressures in liquid metals is of paramount interest for the optimization of ultrasonic melt treatment (UST) of large volumes. Until recently, the measurements of acoustic pressure and cavitation intensity in a melt were cumbersome and unreliable due to the high temperatures and the lack of suitable instruments for mea...

Ultrasonic (cavitation) melt processing attracts considerable interest from both academic and industrial communities as a promising route to provide clean, environment friendly and energy efficient solutions for some of the core issues of the metal casting industry, such as improving melt quality and providing structure refinement. In the last 5 ye...

All liquid three-layer batteries are intended as large-scale electrical energy storage. The paper investigates long-wave interfacial instabilities driven by the electromagnetic forces during dynamic phases of the battery charging/discharging. The liquid metal battery of 20 cm size with sodium metal anode, which is a candidate for experimental and c...