Correlation between process, microstructure and properties in high pressure die casting aluminium-silicon alloys

Abstract

Nowadays automotive industry and, in general, transportation one increasingly needs light components in order to reduce total weights and therefore limit harmful emissions and fuel consumption. The die casting process, on one hand, is a versatile and highly productive process but, on the other, the elevated amount of defects found in the castings sometimes compromises the characteristics of the final product. This paper presents the results of the analyses carried out using a Reference Die, referred to as horse shoe-shaped die, specifically designed to generate as many kinds of defects as possible, at different levels of severity. A Design of Experiments method has been applied for analysing the influence of the main process parameters on the casting quality and an innovative sensor network installed on the machine allowed a continuous control of the process itself. Visual inspection, X-ray investigations and micrograph analyses have been carried out in order to assess the casting quality. Correlations between process parameters and casting quality have been deduced analysing the data collected through the equipment installed on the die casting machine: in-cavity sensor network, plunger speed and displacement sensors. Results show the effectiveness of the horse shoe-shaped casting in highlighting the correlations between process and quality and the strong influence of second phase plunger velocity, temperature and pressure on defect formation

Correlations between Defect Content, Mechanical Properties and Fractographic Investigation of AlSi9Cu3(Fe) Alloy Reference Castings

“…According to the elaborated DOE, the second phase plunger velocity could vary between 1,5 and 4 m/s and the intensification pressure could fluctuate between 500 and 1000 bar. The appraisal of best and worst configurations is widely explained in [8]. In Fig.…”

“…Within the European MUSIC project [10], a secondary AlSi9Cu3(Fe) cast alloy (EN AB-46000 according to UNI EN 1706) was used to manufacture the horse-shoe Reference Casting, already described in previous works [8,9]. Based on a Design of Experiment (DOE) consisting of 32 arrays, i.e.…”

“…The main contribution of this work is to propose the use of the Horse-shoe Reference Casting and the employment of innovative devices installed on the machine to monitor the HPDC process, in terms of piston velocity and displacement, in-cavity temperature and pressure distributions [8,9]. Correlations between data acquired during the process, i.e.…”

Effect of Material Segregations Due to Squeeze Parameters on Mechanical Properties of High Pressure Diecast Parts

“…In manufacturing processes of raw, semi-finished or finished parts the production of components with high pressure die-casting technology is widespread mainly for precise parts with high complexity and functionality. A persistent challenge of this technology quite frequently are the solutions applied to improve and keep under control the internal material health of castings material, the homogeneity, that depends on variables like speeds, changeover points, temperatures, pressures, die, venting system and gating configuration [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

The Effect of Squeeze Pin Dimension and Operational Parameters on Material Homogenity of Aluminium High Pressure Die Cast Parts

“…High pressure die-casting process is one of the most common manufacturing processes of high complexity and precise parts. The challenge of the process in most cases is the homogenity of the castings material, which is influenced by several controllable parameters, such as speeds, pressures, temperatures, and changeover points between phases [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”