Abstract: The energy dissipation caused by the viscous force has great effects on the flow property of semi-solid metal during rheological processes such as slurry preparing, delivering and cavity filling. Experimental results in this paper indicate that the viscous friction between semi-solid metal and pipe wall, the collisions among the solid particles, and the liquid flow around particles are the three main types of energy dissipation. On the basis of the hydromechanics, the energy dissipation calculation model is built. It is demonstrated that the micro-structural parameters such as effective solid fraction, particle size and shape, and flow parameters such as the mean velocity, the fluctuant velocity of particles and the relative velocity between the fluid and solid phase, affect the energy dissipation of semi-solid metal.PartⅡ：This study investigates the rheological behavior of semi-solid metal. An analytical model of apparent viscosity was built up based on analysis of energy dissipation during rheological processes such as slurry preparing, delivering and model filling. The rheological behavior of SSM slurries was described by an analytical model in terms of micro structural parameters, which consist of effective solid fraction, particle size and shape, and flow parameters such as mean velocity, fluctuation velocity and relative velocity between liquid and solid phase. The model was verified in the experiment of A356 alloys with a coaxial double-bucket rheometer. And the maximum relative error between the theoretical value and measured value is less than 10%. The results of experiment and theoretical calculation also indicate that the micro structural parameters and flow parameters are two major factors that affect the apparent viscosity of semi-solid alloys, and fluctuation velocity and relative velocity between liquid and solid phase are the key factors to distinguish between steady and transient rheological behaviors.

Key words: Semi-solid metal, Energy dissipation, Rheology, Apparent viscosity, Model