Evaluation of cavitation erosion resistance of Al-Si casting alloys: effect of eutectic and intermetallic phases

In the present paper, the influence of eutectic and intermetallic phases on cavitation resistance of Al-Si alloys was studied. In fact, Al-Si alloys are commonly used for the production of components, such as cylinders, pistons, pumps, valves and combustion chambers, which in service may incur in cavitation phenomenon. Samples of AlSi3, AlSi9 and AlSi9CuFe were characterized from the microstructural point of view. Hardness measurements were also performed. Subsequently, cavitation tests were carried out according to ASTM G32 standard and the erosion mechanism was examined by scanning electron microscope. It was found the both eutectic and intermetallic phases enhance cavitation resistance, expressed in terms of mass loss. Particularly, intermetallic particles with complex morphologies provide a positive contribution, exceeding that of other microstructural features, as grain size. The effect of T6 heat treatment was also evaluated. It was confirmed that the precipitation of fine strengthening particles in the Al matrix successfully hinders the movement of dislocations, resulting in a longer incubation stage and a lower mass loss for heat-treated samples in comparison with as-cast ones. Finally, the relationship between cavitation resistance and material hardness was investigated

Wear Behavior of AlSi10Mg Alloy Produced by Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion and Gravity Casting

Herein, the sliding wear behavior of AlSi10Mg samples realized using laser‐based powder bed fusion (LPBF) is investigated via pin‐on‐disc (PoD) tests, before and after T6 heat treatment. The changes in the microstructure, density, and hardness induced by heat treatment are correlated with the tribological behavior of the alloy. Furthermore, short wear tests are conducted and the resulting wear tracks are investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), equipped with an energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) microprobe to elucidate how the wear mechanisms evolve with sliding distance. For comparison, gravity cast (GC) AlSi10Mg samples are also characterized and tested. The as‐built additive manufacturing (AM) sample exhibits the lowest wear rate and coefficient of friction because of its high hardness and relative density, whereas the heat‐treated sample shows the worst behavior in comparison with the GC samples. The results suggest a significant influence of porosity on the wear behavior of AM alloys

Compressive behavior of Co-Cr-Mo radially graded porous structures under as-built and heat-treated conditions

Additive manufacturing research is continuously growing, and this field requires a full improvement of the capability and reliability of the processes involved. Of particular interest is the study of complex geometries production, such as lattice structures, which may have a potentially huge field of application, especially for biomedical products.In this work, the powder bed fusion technique was utilized to manufacture lattice structures with defined building angles concerning the build platform. A biocompatible Co-Cr-Mo alloy was used. Three different types of elementary cell geometry were selected: Face Centered Cubic, Diagonal, and Diamond. These cells were applied to the radially oriented lattice structures to evaluate the influence of their orientation in relation to the sample and the build platform. Moreover, heat treatment was carried out to study its influence on microstructural properties and mechanical behavior. Microhardness was measured, and compressive tests were performed to detect load response and to analyse the fracture mechanisms of these structures.The results show that the mechanical properties are highly influenced by the cell orientation in relation to the building direction and that the properties can be further tuned via HT. The favorable combination of mechanical properties and biocompatibility suggests that Co-Cr-Mo lattices may represent an optimal solution to produce customized metal implants

investigation on fatigue strength of sand blasted dmls alsi10mg alloy

Abstract Fatigue resistance of Direct Metal Laser Sintered (DMLS) AlSi10Mg alloy after sand-blasting was investigated in the present study. A preliminary characterization of the samples was carried out in order to identify material microstructure, surface roughness and superficial residual stresses. It was found that the applied post-processing treatment was responsible for a strong decrease in average surface roughness as compared to the as-built condition and induced compressive residual stresses on the samples surface. Axial fatigue tests were performed in both finite and infinite (i.e. 2x106 cycles) life regimes and the obtained results were compared with literature values for the same alloy after various post-treatments, including heat treatment, machining, polishing and shot peening. A general positive effect of the applied sand-blasting on fatigue resistance was observed. This, coupled with the improvements of surface finishing, encourages the use of sand-blasting as a simple and effective post-treatment. Finally, observations of the fractured surfaces allowed also the identification of porosities located on the surface as the main crack initiation sites. Once the crack has started, it moves along a large flat area, as typical of fatigue propagation, with a small final overload region

Evaluation on the fatigue behavior of sand-blasted AlSi10Mg obtained by DMLS

In the present paper, fatigue tests were performed on sand-blasted AlSi10Mg samples produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). The effect of sand-blasting on surface properties was evaluated by roughness and residual stresses measurements, together with morphological analysis, in comparison with as-built condition. An evident improvement of surface finishing was observed after sand-blasting, which also leaded to the presence of compressive residual stress on the external surface of samples, as revealed by XRD2 measurements. Furthermore, defects analysis allowed the identification of a uniform distribution of porosities in the cross section in terms of number of defects, while larger porosities seem more abundant close to the surface. It was found that the tested material exhibits good fatigue resistance, supporting the positive role of sand-blasting as a simple post-processing treatment. Superficial defects are the preferential crack initiation sites, as demonstrated by SEM analysis of fracture surfaces

Investigation of mechanical properties of AlSi3Cr alloy

In the present paper, microstructural and mechanical properties of an innovative AlSi3Mg alloy were studied. Particularly, the effect of the addition of Cr and Mn on tensile strength and impact toughness was evaluated. In fact, the presence of these elements leads to the formation of an intermetallic phase with a globular or polyhedral morphology. It was therefore investigated the role played by Cr-Mn containing particles in the failure mechanism and the influence of the heat treatment parameters. Moreover, tensile and impact tests were performed on A356 samples in T6 condition, whose results were compared with the performance of the innovative alloy. Considering the static properties, the innovative alloy showed remarkable values of tensile strength, while ductility was improved only after heat treatment optimization. Poor impact toughness values were measured and the microstructural analysis confirmed the presence of coarse intermetallics, acting as crack initiation and propagation particles, on the fracture surfaces

Evaluation of cavitation erosion resistance of Al-Si casting alloys: effect of eutectic and intermetallic phases

In the present paper, the influence of eutectic and intermetallic phases on cavitation resistance of Al-Si alloys was studied. In fact, Al-Si alloys are commonly used for the production of components, such as cylinders, pistons, pumps, valves and combustion chambers, which in service may incur in cavitation phenomenon. Samples of AlSi3, AlSi9 and AlSi9CuFe were characterized from the microstructural point of view. Hardness measurements were also performed. Subsequently, cavitation tests were carried out according to ASTM G32 standard and the erosion mechanism was examined by scanning electron microscope. It was found the both eutectic and intermetallic phases enhance cavitation resistance, expressed in terms of mass loss. Particularly, intermetallic particles with complex morphologies provide a positive contribution, exceeding that of other microstructural features, as grain size. The effect of T6 heat treatment was also evaluated. It was confirmed that the precipitation of fine strengthening particles in the Al matrix successfully hinders the movement of dislocations, resulting in a longer incubation stage and a lower mass loss for heat-treated samples in comparison with as-cast ones. Finally, the relationship between cavitation resistance and material hardness was investigated

tensile behavior and impact toughness of an alsi3mgcr alloy

Abstract: Recently, an innovative AlSi3Mg alloy with Cr and Mn additions was developed for the production of truck wheels by means of a non-conventional hybrid technique, which combines features of both low pressure die casting and forging processes. The presence of both Cr and Mn leads to the formation of an intermetallic phase rich in Cr, Mn and Fe with a globular or dendritic morphology. Furthermore, proper solution treatments cause the formation of dispersoids in the aluminium matrix. These dispersoids are responsible of enhancing the alloy performance due to dispersion hardening mechanism. In the present work, the tensile properties and the impact toughness of the alloy in as-cast and different heat-treated conditions were studied. Moreover, tensile and impact strength tests were performed on A356 samples in T6 condition machined from traditional LPDC wheels, whose results were compared with the performance of the innovative alloy. Fracture surfaces of tensile and Charpy specimens were observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to identify the role of the Cr-Mn containing intermetallic particles in the failure mechanism and the influence of the heat treatment parameters. Considering the static properties, the innovative alloy showed remarkable values of tensile strength, while ductility was improved only after heat treatment optimization. Poor impact toughness values were measured and the microstructural analysis confirmed the presence of coarse intermetallic secondary phases, acting as crack initiation and propagation particles, on the fracture surfaces

Impact behavior of gravity cast AlSi10Mg alloy: Effect of hot isostatic pressing and innovative high pressure T6 heat treatment

In the present study, the impact behavior of gravity casting AlSi10Mg alloy was evaluated with an instrumented Charpy pendulum. The effect of hot isostatic pressing, also followed by a T6 treatment, was analyzed in comparison with samples in the as-cast, annealed and T6 conditions. Furthermore, the effect of the innovative high-pressure T6 was investigated. It was found that the hot isostatic pressing is able to ensure densification of the alloy with an increase in both hardness and energy absorbed during impact. The T6 treatment performed at atmospheric pressure after the hot isostatic pressing is able to increase hardness and peak force. At the same time, the innovative high-pressure T6 is able to ensure similar results than those of hot isostatic pressing followed by T6, leading to a significant decrease in the treatment duration and costs and reducing the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process