Applications of thermal analysis in quality control of solidification processes

Thermal analysis is widely used to determine solidification characteristics of metals and alloys in various metallurgical processes. Computer-Aided Cooling Curve Analysis (CA-CCA) is the most popular thermal analysis technique because of its ease of use and low cost. This paper discusses the principles of CA-CCA and zero curve calculations. The methods for calculating key solidification characteristics of metals from cooling curves are presented, and their importance in the quality control of manufacturing processes are demonstrated. Examples are presented for cast iron, copper and aluminum alloys.