Tensile and fatigue properties of gravity casting aluminum alloys for engine cylinder heads

Effects of Sr content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Al–12Si–4Cu–2Ni–0.8Mg alloys

“…Plate-like Si particles in unmodified alloy and plate-like intermetallic phases in modified alloy results in a stress concentration in the surrounding matrix and provides easy path for fracture. On the other hand, the higher stress concentration around plate-like particles mainly enhances further linkage to a macro crack in front of the main crack [38].…”

Influences of strain rate on the low cycle fatigue behavior of gravity casting Al alloys

“…A key issue regarding automotive cylinder heads, therefore, is the strain controlled low cycle fatigue (LCF) performance of the used material. A few experimental investigations and theoretical analyses have been conducted to promote the understanding of the strain controlled LCF mechanisms of Al-Si-Cu alloys, and some significant achievements have been made [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Some work has been completed on the effect of alloying elements on the cyclic deformation of Al-Si-Cu alloys during LCF.…”

“…They also found that the Zr-Ti-V-containing particles of the examined material characterized by fatigue striations at the low total strain amplitude of 0.002, whereas these particles were featured by multiple cracking along with some micro-cliffs at the high total strain amplitude of 0.006. Other studies have shown that the LCF behaviors of Al-Si-Cu alloys correlated closely with total strain amplitude [4], as well as temperature [5][6][7][8]. For instance, early work by the authors has demonstrated that the total strain amplitude could play a crucial role in the LCF of Al9Si3Cu alloys, which in turn affected the fracture modes and crack paths [4].…”

Influence of Gd content on microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Al–12Si–4Cu–2Ni–0.8Mg alloys

“…After adding Gd (P0.2%) to the Al-12Si-4Cu-2Ni-0.8Mg alloys, the gray cleavage planes (yellow arrows) appears. Plate-like Si particles and needle-like Gd-containing intermetallic phases in alloys result in a stress concentration in the surrounding matrix and provide easy path for fracture [30]. When the test temperature is beyond 200°C, the fracture surfaces of untreated and 0.1% Gd treated alloys indicate that brittle to ductile transition occurs due to the effect of temperature, as can be seen in Figs.…”