Gas Blowing Ultrasonic Aluminium Degassing Assessment with the Reduced Pressure Test (RPT) Method

Entrapped gases, solidification shrinkage and non-metallic compound formation are main sources of porosity in aluminium alloy castings. Porosity is detrimental to the mechanical properties of these castings; therefore, its reduction is pursued. Rotary degassing is the method mostly employed in industry to remove dissolved gases from aluminium melts, reducing porosity formation during solidification of the cast part. Recently, ultrasonic degassing has emerged as a promising alternative thanks to a lower dross formation and higher energy efficiency. This work aims to evaluate the efficiency of the ultrasonic degasser and compare it to a conventional rotary degassing technique applied to an AlSi10Mg alloy. Degassing efficiency was evaluated employing the reduced pressure test (RPT), where samples solidified under reduced pressure conditions are analysed. Factors affecting RPT were considered and temperature parameters for the test were established. The influence of ultrasonic degassing process parameters, such as degassing treatment duration and purging gas flow rate were studied, as well as treated aluminium volume and oxide content. Finally, ultrasonic degassing process was contrasted to a conventional rotary degassing technique, comparing their efficiency.This work has been done within the AL-STRUC project supported by the ELKARTEK program of the Basque Government under Grant KK-2017/00020