Effect of pores and acicular eutectic silicon particles on the performance of Al–Si–Mg (AS7G03) casting

Excellent castability, corrosion resistance and high specific strength has made cast Al–Si–Mg alloys a suitable candidate material for various aerospace application. Aluminium alloy casting AS7G03, belonging to Al–Si–Mg series of cast alloy in Y23 condition, is being used as outlet adaptor of liquid propellant tank for Indian space programme. During developmental stage, one of the castings namely oxidizer tank outlet adaptor failed and parted in to two pieces during the proof pressure test (PPT) at 22 bar.This paper brings out the details of investigation and correlates the effect of pores and acicular unmodified silicon particle on the performance of the material.