This work correlates metallurgical characteristics (chemical composition, microstructure and morphology of second phase particles) of different extruded aluminum alloys with their machinability as determined by the measurement of axial forces and shear momentum involved in drilling operations. Three different aluminum alloys were evaluated. The alloy AA6061 with low and high P content was tested in the recrystallized condition while alloys AA6351 and AA2117 were tested in the cold-worked condition. Specimen characterization also included tensile and hardness tests, chemical and microstructural evaluation. The results have shown that Pb and Cu have a positive effect on the machinability of these alloys and that the microstructure control may decrease forces in machining, resulting in great improvement of production in cutting procedures.
The main aim of this work is to investigate the effects of combinative Ce and Zr additions (0.3 wt% Ce+0.16 wt% Zr; 0.3 wt% Ce+0.27 wt% Zr and 0.3 wt% Ce+0.36 wt% Zr) on the microstructure and mechanical properties in cast Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy. The microstructures features were investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and hardness measurements. The microstructural analysis has shown that the increase of Ce and Zr contents increases the volume fraction of intermetallics formed during the solidification leading to grain refinement and changes in silicon morphology of the as-cast microstructure. The intermetallics formed do not dissolve during the solution heating treatment (T6). The mechanical behavior at room and high temperatures (175, 210, 245 and 275°C) was determined from uniaxial tensile tests. The high thermal stability of Al-Si-Cu-La-Ce and Al-Si-Zr-Ti-Mg phases found in microstructure, in particular for the alloy containing 0.3 wt% Ce+0.27 wt% Zr, is responsible for the increase to 6.7% and 5.1% the ultimate strength at 210°C and 275°C respectively, compared with the standard alloy.
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