Main objective The main objective is the development of an industrial-applicable process for the thixoforming of steel alloys. This means solving technical obstacles (the engineering aspect) as well as gathering knowledge concerning metallurgy, material science and physics (the basic research aspect). Knowledge obtained from the basic research aspect is an essential requirement for the technical implementation of all kinds of devices in the engineering aspect. Secondary objectives 1. Investigation of material properties with respect to the inductive heating (thermo-physical properties, interaction of steel under the influence of magnetic fields) and the die-filling behaviour of steel in semi-solid state. 2. Development of algorithms based on finite element analysis for the simulation of the thixoforming process and the inductive heating. 3. Optimisation of the control of the process chain including handling of the billets, parts, etc. 4. Performance testing to demonstrate that thixoformed steel parts can compete with die-forged and cast products as expected. This is to be done by standard mechanical tests (fatigue tests, tensile tests, etc.) and by further destructive and non-destructive material tests.
