Relation between residual stresses and microstructure evolution in Al–Si alloys based on different casting parameters

ABSTRACT

Most designers take into consideration the stresses that act on a material but despite safety considerations, failure may occur due to other factors that were neglected in their design. These factors can be a pre-existing flaw, microstructure deficiency or the presence of residual stresses. Depending on the stress type, residual stresses combined with applied stresses can aid or hinder failures. Consequently, reducing the amount of residual stress can have a promising effect on the life of the component. Different casting parameters can change the microstructure and residual stresses of castings. In this research, the relation between residual stresses and microstructure evolution under the influence of different casting parameters was investigated, using both Al–Si–Mg (Al-356) and Al–Si–Mg–Cu (Al-319) alloys. Solidification rate, quenching rate, aging temperature and aging time were the main parameters considered for this study. The results indicate that the magnitude of the residual stresses increases with increasing solidification rate and quenching rate. Also, the residual stress relieving is proportional to the aging temperature

KEYWORDS:

• Residual stresses
• quenching
• aging
• aluminium alloys
• heat treatment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.