Correlation between microstructure and properties of semi-solid products

Since the very first production trials, it was evident that semi-solid components exhibit excellent mechanical properties, comparable to those of forged material and, in any case, better than permanent mold castings. Over the years, these findings have been confirmed by many authors. Most of the papers available in scientific literature deals with the demonstration of this improvement, especially in order to show the reliability of new and alternative production routes. On the contrary, only some studies focus their attention on the relationship between enhanced mechanical properties and the microstructure. However, it is demonstrated that the increased performance of semi-solid components is not only due to the absence of porosity, but there is a clear relationship between microstructure and properties. This paper reports about the state of knowledge in this subject, in particular for what concerns tensile, fatigue, wear and corrosion resistance.