Comparison of mechanical properties of die cast aluminium alloys: cold v. hot chamber die casting and high v. low speed filling die casting

Abstract

In this paper, the mechanical properties of die cast aluminium alloys made by various die casting technologies were examined. To create high quality aluminium alloy die castings, two die casting processing technologies were employed. These were (a) ultra slow speed filling cold chamber die casting and (b) high speed hot chamber die casting. Significant improvements of the fatigue and mechanical properties were obtained for both die casting systems compared to the normal high speed cold chamber die casting technique. By comparing ultra slow die casting with hot chamber die casting, it was found that the fatigue and mechanical strengths from hot chamber die casting were higher than those for ultra slow filling die casting. The differences in material strength were attributed directly to the material properties, e.g. microstructural morphology and internal defects. Spherical fine dendritic cells in the hot chamber die casting sample gave rise to high fatigue crack growth resistance; the low crack growth resistance for cold chamber die cast aluminium is mostly due to the growth of aluminium rich α phase and the presence of eutectic silicon fibres. The fatigue strength was also related to the number of internal defects, e.g. the lower the defect rate on the fracture surface, the higher the fatigue resistance and mechanical strength. The characteristics of the principal internal defect were different depending on the die casting technology: this showed fine porosity for hot chamber die casting but solidification shrinkage and the scattered chill structure for slow and high speed cold chamber die castings. The reasons for the change of material strength were therefore influenced by the die casting process.     

Effect of casting practice on the reliability of Al cast alloys

Abstract:

The properties of aluminium castings are strongly affected by their inclusion content, particularly entrained surface alumina films. These form due to the surface turbulence associated with mould filling, which causes the oxidised surface of a liquid metal to fold-over onto itself and be submerged into the bulk liquid with a thin layer of air entrapped within it. This is known as entrainment action. These flaws have been reported to increase the variability of the fracture strengths of Al alloy castings. This means that shape castings in light alloys can have inconsistent properties, which makes designing structures employing shape castings more difficult. Entrained surface layers can cause premature failure, but also have been associated with other defects, such as hydrogen porosity, shrinkage porosity, intermetallic compounds and hot tearing. Recent research has suggested that the air inside the defect would react with the surrounding melt leading to its consumption, which may enhance the mechanical properties of the casting. In this work, liquid aluminium was poured into three identical ceramic moulds which were immediately placed in a furnace to preserve the molten metal at 800 °C, for different periods of time prior to freezing. The Weibull moduli of the plate castings were determined under tensile conditions, and their fracture surfaces examined using SEM. Investigation of the fracture surfaces of the specimens detected many alumina layers at different locations. Many of which were found inside pores, reflecting the role of entrained defects in the formation of porosity. The results also suggested that opposite phenomena may take place during the holding treatment. The consumption of air inside the entrained defects due to reaction with the surrounding molten metal may lead to improvements in mechanical properties, but this may be accompanied by hydrogen passing into the defects, which has a deleterious effect on properties.     

Valid mould and process design to cast tensile and fatigue test bars in tilt pour casting process

Abstract

Tilt pour gravity casting technology is increasingly being used for shape casting various components with aluminium alloys. The ASTM B108/B108M-08 standard exists for a metal mould to evaluate the mechanical properties of castings made by gravity permanent mould process, yet there is no standard mould for the tilt pour process. We have designed, developed, tested and validated a standard mould to cast tensile and fatigue test bars in a tilt pour casting process. The new mould has demonstrated abilities to cast sound castings of A356·2 aluminium alloy, and the uniaxial tensile properties were superior to those obtained from conventional direct pour gravity casting process.     

Fatigue behaviour of A356 aluminium alloy for automotive wheels

Abstract

The low cycle fatigue (LCF), high cycle fatigue (HCF), microstructure and tensile properties of a low pressure cast A356 aluminium alloy wheel were investigated with T6 heat treatment. The cast microstructure of the alloy significantly influenced the low and high cycle fatigue behaviours. The rim region of the cast aluminium alloy wheel showed higher low and high cycle fatigue strength compared with the spoke region; this difference is thought to be caused by the higher cooling rate of the rim region during casting. The microstructure of the spoke region of the alloy wheel consisted of a dendrite structure with primary α-phase and frequently dispersed large eutectic phases, which led to partial brittle fracture and lower fatigue life with less fatigue plastic strain.     

搅拌摩擦焊AA7075-T651铝合金接头的疲劳裂纹扩展(英文)

研究12 mm厚AA7075-T651铝合金板搅拌摩擦焊接头的疲劳裂纹扩展行为。从搅拌摩擦焊接头以及母材中截取试样,对试样进行疲劳裂纹扩展实验。对搅拌摩擦焊接头以及母材的横向拉伸性能进行评估。用光学显微镜和透射电镜分析焊接接头的显微组织。用扫描电镜观察试样的断裂表面。与母材相比,焊接接头的ΔKcr降低了10×10-3 MPa·m1/2。搅拌摩擦焊AA7075-T651接头的疲劳寿命明显低于母材的,其原因可归结于焊缝区的析出相在搅拌摩擦焊接过程中的溶解。     

Defects caused by precipitation of in liquid copper–nickel–aluminium–bronze alloys dissolved carbon and removal by treatment of melt

Castings made of copper–nickel–aluminium bronze (CuAl₁₀Fe₅Ni₅) alloys regularly show defects in the thick, slowly solidifying parts of the castings, which give rise to rejections. Metallographic examination has been made on material of scrap castings showing porosity accompanied with film-like inclusions located beside the iron rich κ_II phases. Investigations of large failed cast structures of copper–nickel–aluminium bronze show the same characteristic defects on which fatigue cracks initiate and grow. Investigation has been made to the nature and the cause of appearance of the film-like inclusions. Microanalysis indicates a high intensity of carbon at the place of the film-like inclusions. Hereafter, an investigation has been made into the solubility of carbon in liquid copper–nickel–aluminium bronze, and it is found that besides hydrogen, also carbon is soluble in copper–nickel–aluminium bronze alloys. The appearance of the carbon as flakes in the fracture surface of materials with defects does suspect there is a nucleating effect on the formation of microporosity causing the defects. To prevent the formation of the casting defects by the interaction between solved hydrogen and carbon, it is necessary to remove the carbon as far as possible by treatment of the melt.     

Effect of particle size variations of gypsum bonded investment powders on metallurgical quality of investment castings

Abstract

In the present work, the effect of particle size distribution parameters of investment powder on the metallurgical characteristics of castings produced by flask mould investment casting process was investigated. The main aim of this study is to establish the relationships between the casting quality and investment powder characteristics. For this purpose, models for tensile, density and surface roughness specimens were prepared in accordance with the standards and these models were moulded by gypsum bonded investment powders. Specimens of sterling silver (92·5Ag–7·5Cu alloy) were subsequently cast into these moulds by centrifugal casting process. After the completion of solidification process, the specimens were tested and results were analysed. The preliminary results illustrate that fineness of investment powders play an important role in determining the metallurgical quality of castings produced by investment casting process.     

Towards more reliable investment castings

Abstract

The need for more reliable investment castings to meet the expectations of end users is outlined and the research undertaken during the Fundamentals of Investment Casting (FOCAST) project to meet this requirement is summarised. The traditional gravity poured, top gated mould designs used widely by the investment casting industry are shown to produce the least reliable aluminium alloy and steel castings. Changing to a bottom gated design to minimise surface turbulence during mould filling leads to a significant improvement in reliability, although the mould designs may not be particularly easy to implement in practice. It has been shown that a correctly used tilt pouring technique can also reduce surface turbulence and thereby improve reliability, and it is considered that this process is worthy of further development and evaluation by the investment casting industry. Countergravity mould filling has also been shown to be capable of producing more reliable castings than conventional gravity casting. The three techniques are compared and their industrial implementation discussed.     

Korrosionsermüdung von Aluminium- und Magnesium-Gußlegierungen

Corrosion fatigue of cast aluminium- and cast magnesium alloys The fatigue properties of the aluminium cast alloys AlSi7Mg and AlSi10Mg, magnesium high pressure die-cast AZ91 hp and AM60 hp, as well as low-pressure permanent mould casting AZ91 hp were determined at numbers of cycles to failure between 10⁵ and 10⁹ in ambient air and in saltwater spray. The investigations were performed at constant amplitudes and in addition at varying load amplitudes for aluminium cast alloy AlSi10Mg and low-pressure permanent mould casting AZ91 hp with a high-frequency testing facility (20 kHz ultrasound). The SN-curves of the aluminium cast alloys and of the magnesium low-pressure permanent mould casting are steeper in corrosive environment than in laboratory air. No endurance limit could be detected up to 10⁹ cycles in both environments. The magnesium high pressure die-cast alloys do not have an endurance limit in saltwater spray, whereas an endurance limit could be detected in laboratory air. The life time curves for in-service loading conditions are about parallel to the SN-curves for ambient air, but steeper for corrosive environment. The reason for the reduced fatigue properties in corrosive environment are accelerated crack initiation and higher crack propagation rates. Material defects may lead to a large scatter of the fatigue data for testing in air as well as in saltwater spray. Corrosion pits are formed on the surface of both light-weight alloys at higher number of cycles. They become crack initiation sites.     

An analysis of shrinkage defects in aluminium and aluminium-copper castings

The influence of casting parameters and alloy composition on the formation of shrinkage defects has been studied using a T-piece test casting. Macro shrinkage defects were found in pure aluminium and aluminium 0.4wt% copper castings, but not in aluminium 1, 2, and 4.5 wt.% copper alloys. The thermal data which were in general, reproducible to +/-5% showed that a negative temperature gradient prevailed in the pure and aluminium 0.4wt% aluminium alloy right up to the end of freezing. In the aluminium 1, 2 and 4.5 wt.% copper alloys the initial negative gradient changes to become positive after approximately one half of the total solidification time has elapsed. The gradient was only of the order of 2°C/mm. Variations in pouring temperature of about 50°C and filling times of a factor of three changed the solidification times by 10% only. Such variations did not change the relative freezing times at different locations in the uniform section castings. Solidification times for the 15 mm horizontal section of the castings (a/b = 0.6) were similar to those of the 25 mm sections (a/b = 1) showing that even in this simple case the modulus concept is invalid. The form of the cavities in the feeder heads is a function of the metal cast, the gas content and the grain structure. The results formed the basis of validation tests for a computer shrinkage model.**     

5A06铝合金焊接接头在超长寿命区间的疲劳性能

采用自行研制的TJU-HJ-I型超声疲劳试验系统对5A06铝合金TIG焊焊接接头在超长寿命区间的疲劳性能进行研究. 疲劳试验结果表明,圆柱状母材试件、圆柱状焊接接头试件和薄板状焊接接头试件,在经历107循环周次后,S-N曲线仍呈下降趋势,没有发现明显转折,传统意义上的疲劳极限并不存在. 焊接接头试件在107周次和109周次下的疲劳强度仅为母材的50%~70%. 通过扫描电子显微镜进行断口形貌观察发现:母材疲劳扩展区断口较焊接接头断口平整,瞬断区呈韧窝状,而无余高焊接接头试件存在气孔、夹杂等焊接缺陷,导致疲劳性能明显降低.     

Estimation of local fatigue behaviour in A356–T6 gravity die cast engine head based on solidification defects content

Al–Si–Mg cast alloys have widespread applications, especially in the aerospace and automotive industries, due to their excellent combination of castability and high specific strength. Among Al–Si alloys, hypoeutectic A356 (Al–7Si–0·3Mg) ranks as one of the most widely used for the production of a variety of components, including engine blocks and engine heads, due to its excellent castability and good mechanical properties. The microstructure of this alloy greatly depends on chemical composition, solidification conditions, metal soundness and heat treatment. Furthermore, its mechanical properties are strongly affected by solidification microstructure and defects, which can vary greatly in complex shaped castings. Among the different microstructural features, only secondary dendrite arm spacing and percentage defect content can currently be predicted with sufficient accuracy by casting simulation software. This makes the prediction of the fatigue life of complex shaped Al–Si castings very difficult, since it is widely accepted that fatigue behaviour mainly depends on the size of solidification defects (gas pores and cavity shrinkages). In this study, the experimental work was carried out on an industrial A356–T6 gravity die cast engine head, with the aim of finding relationships among the main microstructural features and solidification defect parameters. The goal of this analysis was to correlate the defect size, which is the most important variable affecting the fatigue behaviour, to the other microstructural parameters that can be predicted by casting simulation software. Moreover, by applying literature models for fatigue behaviour prediction, based on maximum defect size, the local expected fatigue life/fatigue limit on a section of the casting will be evaluated and compared with those obtained by rotating bending fatigue tests. This study would demonstrate the effectiveness of a new approach of coengineering design, with a strong synergy between the structural finite element method and the casting simulation process, able to estimate the local fatigue strength in complex shaped A356 castings.     

Experimental and numerical study of the effects of porosity on fatigue crack initiation of HPDC magnesium AM60B alloy

In this study, high-cycle fatigue tests were conducted on specimens machined from 50 sequentially cast instrument panels made from high-pressure die-cast (HPDC) AM60B magnesium alloy. The fatigue life data were described by a two-parameter Weibull model. SEM analyses on the fracture surfaces showed the initiation of the fatigue cracks occurred exclusively at casting pores close to the machined surfaces. The dependence of local maximum plastic shear strain range on casting pore features and loading conditions was studied quantitatively by finite element simulation including varying the pore size, geometry and spacing, proximity to the free surface, as well as loading ratios. A constitutive plasticity model, the classic Ohno–Wang's kinematic hardening rule, was employed to simulate the isothermal monotonic and cyclic behaviour of magnesium AM60B alloy under uniaxial loading. The simulation results illuminated the microstructure–property relations for fatigue crack incubation and the resultant scatter in fatigue life.     

Effects of Casting Geometry on the Feeding Behaviour of an A206 Aluminium Alloy Plate Casting

Abstract

The effect of casting geometry, together with the influence of variation of feeder-head (riser) size, on the feeding behaviour of an A206 alloy was examined by density measurement, X-ray radiography and thermal analysis. The porosity content of an end-chilled plate casting was found to increase from the chilled end to the feeder end. For thin castings, feeder-head size exerts little influence on the porosity content of a plate casting whereas the porosity content of thick plates, particularly at the feeder end, is markedly reduced by increasing feeder size. A plot of porosity content as a function of thermal gradient/solidification time (G/t) was found to be made up of two individual bands. For the same value of G/t, thin castings showed a higher porosity content. The split of the curve can be explained by the solidus velocity and the slope of the porosity content—solidification time plot.     

Rotary bending fatigue behavior of A356 –T6 aluminum alloys by vacuum pressurizing casting

Vacuum pressurizing casting technique, providing better mould filling and inter-dendritic feeding, can reduce the porosity greatly in cast aluminum alloys, and improve the fatigue properties. The rotary bending fatigue properties of A356-T6 alloys prepared by vacuum pressurizing casting were investigated. The S-N curve and limit strength 90 MPa under fatigue life of 107 cycles were obtained. The analyses on the fatigue fractography and microstructure of specimens showed that the fatigue fracture mainly occurs at the positions with casting defects in the subsurface, especially at porosities regions, which attributed to the crack propagation during the fatigue fracture process. Using the empirical crack propagation law of Pairs-Erdogon, the quantitative relationship among the initial crack size, fatigue life and applied stress was established. The fatigue life decreases with an increase in initial crack size. Two constants in the Pairs-Erdogon equation of aluminum alloy A356-T6 were calculated using the experimental data.     

Fluidity of Al based metal matrix composites containing Al2O3 and SiC particles

Abstract

The flow behaviour of aluminium alloy matrix composites containing Al₂O₃ and SiC particles is studied. A357 aluminium alloy was the matrix alloy common to both metal matrix composites (MMCs). Reinforcing particles were similar in shape and size (40 μm). Both MMCs were made by the stir casting process using parameters optimised so far as possible. The flowability of the MMCs was studied by measuring the fluidity of strips cast in a permanent mould. The results showed that the fluidity of both MMCs appeared to be reduced by increasing percentage addition of particles and further reduced by increasing times and temperature. It is proposed that much of this behaviour is not the result of the added reinforcing particles but the result of oxide films necessarily entrained by the stir casting process. The agglomeration of additions commonly seen in particulate MMCs is also attributed to the entrainment of clusters of additions as they enter the liquid through the surface oxide film.     

薄壁铝合金铸件铸造用的移动磁场感应器

阐述了移动磁场发生器在薄壁铝合金铸件充型的原理、所用设备及其基本结构、绕组形式和制造关键；研究了移动磁场发生器的电磁特征及磁场空间分布规律；总结了移动磁场铸造的技术特点，在与金属型铸造、压铸比较的基础上，讨论了移动磁场铸造的主要优点及其适用范围。     

Metal-Mould Reactions in casting Aluminium-Lithium Alloys in Sodium-silicate-bonded Sand Moulds

Abstract

Metal-mould reactions in casting Al-Li alloys in sodium-silicate-bonded sand moulds have been studied by the modified Gertsman technique. Molten Al-2.7% Li alloy was poured into a bottom-gated vertical cylindrical mould cavity (150 mm x 50 mm dia) made from no-bake organic-binder-based sands. At the bottom of the mould cavity, a standard AFS three-ram sodium-silicate-bonded sand sample (the test sample) was placed vertically to provide the necessary interface for investigation. After cooling, the reaction products formed at the interface and samples from the bottom portion of the castings were collected for investigation. These were analysed to find Li loss from the casting as a result of metal-mould reactions. The casting was vertically sectioned and visually observed for appearance of blow holes, if any, while the sub-surface was studied for microhardness variation. The as-cast surface and the reaction products were also studied by SEM and X-ray diffraction analysis.

The study reveals that the Li in the molten alloy enters into vigorous chemical reaction with the sodium silicate resulting in the release of metallic sodium and formation of reaction products containing αLithium aluminium meta silicate. Li is thus lost from near the surface of the casting. Probably, the sodium released causes the gas blow holes in the sub-surface of castings due to its high vapour pressure at the working temperature.     

Influence of hydrogen levels on porosity and mechanical properties of Mg alloy castings

Abstract

The effects of hydrogen levels on microstructure of porosity and mechanical properties of magnesium alloy castings were investigated. The hydrogen content of AZ91 alloy melt under Ar+HFC-134a mixed gas protection was 103 cm³ kg^?1, which was less than that of 139 cm³ kg^?1 under flux protection, therefore the effect of gas protection was better. The porosity ratio in microstructure of castings melted under gas protection was 1˙8%, which was also less than that of 2˙6% under flux protection. The hydrogen content of melt under flux protection and degassed with Ar gas was 70 cm³ kg^?1, and the corresponding porosity ratio in microstructure of castings was only 0˙6%. The density of the samples was increased with decreasing hydrogen content. The tensile strength of AZ91 alloy casting sample under flux protection and degassed with Ar gas was 21% higher than that of undegassed one, and the elongation was also 50% higher.     

ZTC4钛合金精铸件电子束焊接接头组织与疲劳行为研究

在四种不同应力水平下对ZTC4钛合金精铸件进行了疲劳试验,研究了ZTC4钛合金精铸件电子束焊接接头组织、疲劳性能与疲劳断裂特征。结果表明,ZTC4钛合金精铸件基体显微组织为片层组织,电子束焊缝为晶粒内析出大量的细针状a’相的针状马氏体组织特征;焊缝硬度略高于基体;疲劳裂纹一般起源于焊缝熔合区表面或次表面微气孔,疲劳扩展初期断口表面存在类解理光滑刻面,并且疲劳条带呈脆性条带特征,而在疲劳扩展的中后期,转变为韧性疲劳条带特征;尺寸较大的表面、次表面焊接或冶金缺陷对焊接接头的疲劳性能有较大的影响。