Mechanism of die soldering during aluminum die casting

Soldering is a unique casting defect associated with die casting or metal mold casting of aluminum alloys. It occurs when molten aluminum sticks or solders the surface of the die steel and remains there after the ejection of the casting, causing a surface defect and dimensional inaccuracy of the castings and increased machine downtime. Soldering occurs easily when a bare die steel mold is used for die casting of aluminum alloys. When molten aluminum comes in contact with the die steel at a temperature higher than a critical temperature, the iron and aluminum atoms diffuse into each other, forming a series of intermetallic phases and a liquid aluminum-rich fcc phase. This liquid phase exists between intermetallic phases. On cooling, the liquid fcc phase solidifi es on the intermetallic phases and grows into the casting, resulting in soldering. The critical temperature is the eutectic temperature near the aluminum corner of the phase diagram. If the die is protected using a nonreactive ceramic coating, soldering starts at locations where local coating failure occurs. Molten aluminum comes into contact with die steel through the coating failure locations and eats into the steel matrix, forming small pits. As these small pits grow, the coating is gradually removed and soldering becomes more severe. Details of die soldering step on a bare steel die and on a coated die material are discussed.

Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Pressure on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Die Cast Aluminum Alloys

A study of the effects of pressure on the microstructure and mechanical properties of two aluminum alloys (A1350 and A380) was carried out and subsequent analysis made. Pressure was regulated at various levels in the die cast machine. Samples of both alloys were cast under varying regulated applied pressure. The mechanical properties of both alloy casts were tested and microstructure analysis done and the results compared for both alloys. The results obtained show that hardness, tensile strength, yield strength and impact strengths for both alloy cast samples followed similar pattern in the casting process. The hardness values increased with applied pressure but not too significantly in both alloy casts as pressure rose in the casting process. The yield strength of both alloy casts also increased with applied pressure. The impact strength and elongations also increased with applied pressure in both alloy casts. Also the microstructure analysis carried out on both alloy casts showed similar pattern of structural changes in the morphologies of both alloy casts as grains became fine as pressure rose from 350 to 1400 kg/cm2. Models were developed for the results and for all the models developed, a close relationship with the experimental results were underlying in view of the small errors generated by them and can be used to predict the experimental values.

Die Casting Mold Design of the Thin-walled Aluminum Case by Computational Solidification Simulation

Recently, demand for the lightweight alloy in electric/electronic housings has been greatly increased. However, among the lightweight alloys, aluminum alloy thin-walled die casting is problematic because it is quite difficult to achieve sufficient fluidity and feedability to fill the thin cavity as the wall thickness becomes less than 1mm. Therefore, in this study, thin-walled die casting of aluminum （Al-Si-Cu alloy： ALDC 12） in size of notebook computer housing and thickness of 0.8 mm was investigated by solidification simulation （MAGMA soft） and actual casting experiment （Buhler Evolution B 53D）. Three different types of gating design, finger, tangential and split type with 6 vertical runners, were simulated and the results showed that sound thin-walled die casting was possible with tangential and split type gating design because those gates allowed aluminum melt to flow into the thin cavity uniformly and split type gating system was preferable gating design comparing to tangential type gating system at the point of view of soundness of casting and distortion generated after solidification. Also, the solidification simulation agreed well with the actual die-casting and the casting showed no casting defects and distortion.

Mould filling ability and microstructure of aluminum alloy under electromagnetic die casting

In order to solve the mould filling problem of large thin walled aluminum alloy castings effectively, a new casting technology called electromagnetic die casting has been developed. Emphasis has laid on studying the mould filling ability and microstructure under the mentioned method. The results show that the mould filling ability of A357 is increasing continually with the increasing of the input voltage, that is, the magnetic induction intensity. The pressure head of the molten metal increases from the lowest one at the input of the mould to the highest one at the end of the mould while in a conventional mould the pressure head depends invariably on the sprue height. Under electromagnetic die casting, the grains of A357 alloy are refined, and the pattern of eutectic silicon of alloy changes from rough plate to smooth strip.

Influence of samarium content on microstructure and mechanical properties of recycled die-cast YL112 aluminum alloys

The influence of Sm(Samarium) content on microstructure and mechanical properties of recycled die-cast YL112 aluminum alloys was investigated.The results show that many small Sm-rich particles form in the recycled die-cast YL112 alloys with Sm addition.At the same time,the secondary dendrite arm spacing in the YL112 alloys modified with Sm is smaller than that of the unmodified alloy.The eutectic Si of recycled diecast YL112-xSm alloys transforms from coarse acicular morphology to fine fibres,Mechanical properties of the investigated recycled die-cast YL112 aluminum alloys are enhanced with Sm addition,and a maximal ultimate tensile strength value(276 MPa) and elongation(3.76%) are achieved at a Sm content of 0.6wt.%.Due to the modification of eutectic Si by Sm,numerous tearing ridges and tiny dimples on the fractures of tensile samples are observed.

Semi-solid near-net shape rheocasting of heat treatable wrought aluminum alloys

Flexibility of the CSIR-RCS, induction stirring with simultaneous air cooling process, in combination with high pressure die casting is successfully demonstrated by semi-solid rheocasting of plates performed on commercial 2024, 6082 and 7075 wrought aluminum alloys.Tensile properties were measured for the above mentioned rheocast wrought aluminum alloys in the T6 condition.The results showed that tensile properties were close to or even in some cases exceeded the minimum specifications.The yield strength and elongation of rheocast 2024-T6 exceeded the minimum requirements of the wrought alloy in the T6 condition but the ultimate tensile strength achieved only 90% of the specification because the Mg content of the starting alloy was below the commercial alloy specification.The strengths of rheocast 6082-T6 exceeded all of the wrought alloy T6 strength targets but the elongation only managed 36% of the required minimum due to porosity, caused by incipient melting during solution heat treatment, and the presence of fine intermetallic needles in the eutectic.The yield strength of rheocast 7075 exceeded the required one and the ultimate tensile strength also managed 97% of the specification; while the elongation only reached 46% of the minimum requirement also due to incipient melting porosity caused during the solution heat treatment process.

Feasibility of semi-solid die casting of ADC12 aluminum alloy

The feasibility of semi-solid die casting of ADC12 aluminum alloy was studied.The effects of plunger speed, gate thickness, and solid fraction of the slurry on the defects were determined.The defects investigated are gas and shrinkage porosity.In the experiments, semi-solid slurry was prepared by the gas-induced semi-solid (GISS) technique.Then, the slurry was transferred to the shot sleeve and injected into the die.The die and shot sleeve temperatures were kept at 180 °C and 250 °C, respectively.The results show that the samples produced by the GISS die casting give little porosity, no blister and uniform microstructure.From all the results, it can be concluded that the GISS process is feasible to apply in the ADC12 aluminum die casting process.In addition, the GISS process can give improved properties such as decreased porosity and increased microstructure uniformity.

Strengthening technology and mechanism for semi-solid die casting of aluminum alloy

Combined with theoretical evaluation, an optimized strengthening process for the semi-solid die castings of A356 aluminum alloy was obtained by studying the mechanical properties of castings solution treated and aged under different conditions in detail, then, the semi-solid die castings and liquid die castings were heat treated with the optimized process. The results show that the mechanical properties of semi-solid die castings of aluminum alloy are superior to those of the liquid die castings, especially the strengthening degree of heat treated semi-solid die castings is much greater than that of liquid die castings with the tensile strength more than 330 MPa and the elongation more than 10%, and this is mainly contributed to the non-dendritic and more compact microstructure of semi-solid die castings. The strengthening mechanism of heat treatment for the semi-solid die castings of A356 aluminum alloy is due to the dispersive precipitation of the second phase（Mg2Si） and formation of GP Zone.

Microstructures of electromagnetic casting and direct chill casting LY12 aluminum alloys

LY12 aluminum alloys made by electromagnetic casting (EMC) and direct chill casting (DCC), were analyzed by optical microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscope and X ray diffraction. It is found that the surface and subsurface quality of the ingot is improved largely due to the absence of an ingot mold, which is impossible to achieve with conventional DCC. It is also found that the intense forced convection can promote the fast superheat evacuation and break the dendrite arms, leading to the grain multiplication and the appearance of a fine equiaxed grains over the whole cross section. As a result, the hardness of EMC specimens increases one time than that from DCC in the as cast state. Even though after the solid solution treatment and the artificial aging, the DCC ingot still can not get the same hardness as EMC ones.

Finite element analysis for die casting parameters in high-pressure die casting process

The gating system and the overflow system were designed according to the casting structure during high pressure die casting(HPDC) process. The simulation was carried out by ProCAST software to visualize the injection chamber pre-crystallization and the flow of molten metal. The main work is to research four die casting process parameters, i.e. injection temperature, low-pressure velocity, high-and low-pressure velocity’s switching position, and high-pressure velocity. Experimental results show that the higher injection temperature and lowpressure velocity can mitigate the pre-crystallization of the injection chamber. However, when the low-pressure velocity exceeds 0.2 m·s-1, the air entrapment in the chamber occurs. Besides, when the high-pressure velocity is greater than 2.5 m·s-1, the overflow channel at the final filling position is covered by the liquid metal too early. Finally, the injection temperature of 650 °C, the low-pressure velocity of 0.2 m·s-1, the high-and low-pressure velocity’s switching position of 320 mm and the high-pressure velocity of 2 m·s-1 are obtained as the optimal parameters by the software simulation, which has been verified by actual production.

Tensile Properties and Deformation Behaviors of a New Aluminum Alloy for High Pressure Die Casting

Effects of natural aging and test temperature on the tensile behaviors have been studied for a highperformance cast aluminum alloy Al–10Si–1.2Cu–0.7Mn. Based on self-strengthening mechanism and spheroidization microstructures, the alloy tested at room temperature（RT） exhibits higher 0.2% proof stress（YS） of 206 MPa, ultimate tensile strength（UTS） of 331 MPa and elongation of 10%. Increasing aging time improves the YS and UTS and reduces the ductility of the alloy. Further increasing aging time beyond72 h does not signi？cantly increase the tensile strengths. Increasing test temperature significantly decreases the tensile strengths and increases the ductility of the alloy. The UTS of the alloy can be estimated by using the hardness. The Portevin–Le Chatelier effect occurs at RT due to the interactions between solid solution atoms and dislocations. Similar behaviors occurring at 250℃ are attributed to dynamic strain aging mechanism. Increasing aging time leads to decrease in the strain-hardening exponent（n） value and increase in the strain-hardening coeficient（k） value. Increasing test temperature apparently decreases the n and k values. Eutectic phase particles cracking and debonding determine the fracture mechanism of the alloy. Final failure of the alloy mainly depends on the global instability（high temperature, necking） and local instability（RT, shearing）. Different tensile behaviors of the alloy are mainly attributed to different matrix strengths, phase particle strengths and damage rate.

Forming conditions of blisters during solution heat treatment of Al–Si alloy semi-solid die castings

In the present study,numerical simulation method was used to analyze the conditions,resulting in the formation of blisters during solution heat treatment.Blister formation is considered to occur as the height of blister reaches 5μm.The effects of process parameters on the magnitude of the forming temperatures of blister(Tb)were discussed.Two kinds of Al-Si alloys were used to analyze the effect of mechanical properties of the alloys on blister forming conditions.Simulation results show that decreasing the initial pressure in gas hole,the long-short axial ratio of gas hole and the size of gas hole,as well as increasing the depth of gas hole and the strength of alloy are helpful to increase the critical temperature of forming blister.These conclusions are helpful for casters to understand the conditions controlling blister formation during solution heat treatment and take actions to avoid the blister defects.

Effects of Mg Enhancement and Heat Treatment on Microstructures and Tensile Properties of Al2Ca-Added ADC12 Die Casting Alloys

The effects of Mg enhancement and heat treatment on the microstructures and tensile properties of Al_2Ca-added ADC12 die casting alloys were investigated. 0.3% and 0.5% Mg in the form of a master alloy including a trace amount of Al_2Ca were added to conventional ADC12（383 and AlSi10Cu2Fe） alloy with an initial Mg-content of 0.3% to increase the Mg content to 0.6% and 0.8%, respectively. To avoid heat treatmentinduced surface blisters, shortened solution treatment for 15 min at 490 ℃ and artificial aging for 6 h at 150 ℃ was undertaken. The results show that a 10% improvement in the shape factor of eutectic Si particles was achieved for Al_2Ca-added ADC12 with 0.8% Mg compared to the conventional ADC12 in the as-aged condition. Al_2Ca-added ADC12 with 0.8% Mg exhibited a yield strength of 289 MPa, a tensile strength of 407 MPa, and an elongation of 4.22%.

Strength and ductility optimization of HPDC AlSi8MgCuZn2 alloys by modifying pre-aging treatment

Considering the components produced by high pressure die casting(HPDC)process usually with ultra-large sizes and complex morphologies,high temperature solid solution treatment is not a suitable method to further improve their mechanical properties.In this study,two-stage aging treatment with different pre-aging times was designed and employed to further improve the mechanical properties of HPDC Al8SiMgCuZn alloy.The characteristics of precipitates were evaluated by a transmission electron microscope(TEM),and the precipitation strengthening mechanism was discussed.The results reveal that the strengthening is mainly contributed by the precipitation ofβ″phase after two-stage aging,and the number density and size of the precipitates are significantly depended on the pre-aging time.The number density of precipitates is increased with the pre-aging time prolonged from 0 h to 4 h,and then decreases with the further increase of pre-aging time from 4 h to 6 h.The precipitates with the highest density and smallest size are observed after pre-aging for 4 h.After pre-aged at 100℃for 4 h and then artificial aged at 200℃for 30 min,the yield strength of 207 MPa,ultimate tensile strength of 325 MPa and elongation of 7.6%are achieved.

Machining studies of die cast aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites

Metal matrix composites （MMCs） with high specific stiffness, high strength, improved wear resistance, and thermal properties are being increasingly used in advanced structural, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and wear applications. Aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites were developed using a new combination of the vortex method and the pressure die-casting technique in the present work. Machining studies were conducted on the aluminum alloy-silicon carbide （SiC） composite work pieces using high speed steel （HSS） end-mill tools in a milling machine at different speeds and feeds. The quantitative studies on the machined work piece show that the surface finish is better for higher speeds and lower feeds. The surface roughness of the plain aluminum alloy is better than that of the aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites. The studies on tool wear show that flank wear increases with speed and feed. The end-mill tool wear is higher on machining the aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites than on machining the plain aluminum alloy.

Effect of homogenization process on the hardness of Zn-Al-Cu alloys

The effect of a homogenizing treatment on the hardness of as-cast Zn–Al–Cu alloys was investigated. Eight alloy compositions were prepared and homogenized at 350 °C for 180 h, and their Rockwell 'B' hardness was subsequently measured. All the specimens were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and metallographically prepared for observation by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results of the present work indicated that the hardness of both alloys(as-cast and homogenized) increased with increasing Al and Cu contents; this increased hardness is likely related to the presence of the θ and τ′ phases. A regression equation was obtained to determine the hardness of the homogenized alloys as a function of their chemical composition and processing parameters, such as homogenization time and temperature, used in their preparation.

Low-cycle fatigue behavior of permanent mold cast and die-cast Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys

Fatigue failure is one of the main failure forms of Al-Si-Cu-Mg aluminum alloys.To feature their mechanical aspect of fatigue behavior,the low-cycle fatigue behavior of permanent mold cast and die-cast Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys at room temperature was investigated.The experimental results show that both permanent mold cast and die-cast Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys mainly exhibit cyclic strain hardening.At the same total strain amplitude,the die-cast Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy shows higher cyclic deformation resistance and longer fatigue life than does the permanent mold cast Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy.The relationship between both elastic and plastic strain amplitudes with reversals to failure shows a monotonic linear behavior,and can be described by the Basquin and Coffin-Manson equations,respectively.

Application of Photon-Counting X-ray Computed Tomography to Aluminum-Casting Inspection

One of the issues in the aluminum-alloy die casting industry is the space occurring inside the casting, and the improvement of the verification technology is expected. The purpose of this research is to seal holes inside the aluminum metal by resin and verify them by photon-counting X-ray computed tomography (CT) using an energy-discrimination 64-channel cadmium-telluride (CdTe) line detector. Moreover, it is important to estimate the image of the effective atomic number and the electronic density by the energy mapping of the attenuation coefficient utilizing photon-counting X-ray CTto distinguish both the aluminum metal and the resin filler in the aluminum hole. As a result, the energy discrimination of the resin filler in the space of aluminum casting has been attained. We could observe the atomic number image utilizing dual-energyX-ray CTmethod with the 64-channel CdTe photon-counting detector.

铸造增压压力对汽车用AlSi9Mg铝合金组织和力学性能的影响

通过改变低压铸造过程中不同增压压力来研究其对AlSi9Mg合金显微组织与力学性能的影响。结果表明,在高增压压力制备的AlSi9Mg合金样品具有更加致密的显微组织及更接近球形的共晶Si颗粒。同时,由于具有更好的填充能力,高增压压力下合金的气孔缺陷大大减少,合金具有更优异的力学性能。在90、150、210 kPa3种不同级别的增压压力下,晶粒尺寸呈逐渐减小的趋势,对应的合金晶粒尺寸和二次枝晶臂间距分别为246、197、149μm,44.9、37.3、31.1μm;3种增压压力对应的密度和孔隙率分别为2.656、2.659、2.674 g/cm^(3),0.96%、0.79%、0.38%;AlSi9Mg合金的抗拉强度、屈服强度和伸长率分别为238.76、174.68 MPa和3.14%;252.43、177.47 MPa和4.61%;256.10、178.81 MPa和6.85%,分别提高了7.26%、2.36%、118.15%。

基于ProCAST的一模多腔YL112铝合金压铸件数值模拟及工艺优化

针对YL112压铸铝合金一模多铸产品的组织性能均一性需求,采用ProCAST软件对典型一模多铸工艺进行模拟,比较了两种不同充型顺序的压铸方案。结果表明:基于顺序凝固一模多腔压铸件由于充型与凝固过程的温度场分布不均,导致近浇口端铸件出现明显缩松缩孔缺陷,造成铸件性能均一性差。后续采用等流程浇注系统,实现一模多腔铸件同时充型凝固过程,改善了铸件温度场分布,减少了工艺缺陷。经过实际生产验证,获得了组织性能均一性好的压铸件。