Machinability aspects of new Al–Cu alloys intended for automotive castings

This study was undertaken to investigate the machinability aspects of four new Al–Cu casting alloys with regard to the drilling and tapping processes; the base alloy is the 220 Al–2%Cu–1.3%Si–0.4%Mg alloy from which the other three alloys were prepared through the addition of TiB₂ and Zr, Sn, and Bi. The machining performance was evaluated based on the calculation of the total cutting force and moment together with that of the tool life expressed as the number of holes drilled/tapped up to the point of tool breakage. The evaluation range was limited by a predefined targeted tool life of 2520 holes corresponding to 14 machinability test blocks. The results show that more than 2520 holes can be drilled for all the alloys studied without drill breakage. The addition of Sn and Bi decreases the total drilling force over the evaluation range by 14% and 25%, respectively, compared to the base alloy. The total drilling moment was reduced by almost the same ratios. All the alloys studied produce a fan-shaped chip which is considered to be the ideal chip for most drilling applications. The addition of Bi increases chip fragility considerably whereas no distinct change in chip characteristics was caused by the addition of Sn. No significant drill wear or any outstanding change in the built-up edge (BUE) to be observed with the progress of the drilling process. A comparative study was also carried out on the machining behavior of these new alloys, represented by their base 220 alloy, with that of the A206, 356, B319, and A319 alloys. Results revealed that the 220 alloy may be proposed as a promising cheaper and lighter alternative for the machining application of the A206 alloy. Furthermore, the machinability of the 220 alloy may be deemed an acceptable compromise between that of the 356 and B319 alloys, on the one hand, and that of the A319 alloy on the other.