The primary purpose of this article is to describe general root causes of failure that are associated with wrought metals and metalworking. This includes a brief review of the discontinuities or imperfections that may be common sources of failure-inducing defects in the bulk working of wrought products. The article addresses the types of flaws or defects that can be introduced during the steel forging process itself, including defects originating in the ingot-casting process. Defects found in nonferrous forgings—titanium, aluminum, and copper and copper alloys—also are covered.

Ingot casting is the vital conduit between molten metal provided by primary production and recycling, and the manufacture of aluminum and aluminum alloy products. This article discusses various ingot forms, such as remelt ingot, billets, ingots for rolling, fabricating ingot, and particle ingot and powder. It describes the molten metal processing and ingot casting process in terms of open-mold casting and direct chill process. The article examines the continuous processes that provide commercial alternatives to conventional ingot casting. It reviews the postsolidification processes in terms of stress relief, homogenization, and scalping. The article concludes with a discussion on safety limited to ingot casting.

When a heat of steel is melted and refined, it is necessary to solidify it into useful forms for further processing or final use. Ingot casting remains the preferred method for certain specialty, tool, forging, and remelted steels. This article discusses the methods, equipment, and theory for pouring, solidifying, and stripping steel ingots. It describes two basic types of pouring methods, top pouring and bottom pouring, and provides information on equipment such as hot tops, ingot molds, and stools. The design of the ingot is dictated by the application and type of steel involved. The article concludes with information on the applications of solidification simulation.

Ingot casting is the vital conduit between molten metal provided by primary production and recycling and the manufacture of aluminum and aluminum alloy products. A number of ingot casting processes have been developed to ensure the soundness, integrity, and homogeneity required by downstream manufacturing processes. This article starts with a review of the different forms of ingot and the molten-metal processing techniques involved in ingot casting. It then describes the open-mold casting and direct chill (DC) ingot casting processes. The process variations and solidification in the DC process are summarized. The article explains continuous processes, namely, twin-roll strip casting, slab casting, and wheel-belt processes. It concludes with information on postsolidification processes, including stress relief and scalping, and a discussion of safety practices for ingot casting.

This article presents a detailed account on the process flow, composition, alternative sources, and the advancement of ironmaking, steelmaking and secondary steelmaking practices. Some steels, such as bearing steels, heat-resistant steels, ultrahigh strength missile and aircraft steels, and rotor steels have higher quality requirements and tighter composition control than plain carbon or ordinary low-alloy steels. The production of special-quality steels requires vacuum-based induction or electric remelting and refining capabilities. The article explores the types and characteristics of various steel manufacturing processes, such as ingot casting, continuous casting, and hot rolling. It provides an outline of specialized processing routes of producing ultralow plain carbon steels, interstitial-free steels, high strength low-alloy steels, ultrahigh strength steels, stainless steels, and cold-rolled products, and briefly explains the analytical techniques for liquid steels.