EFFECT OF CASTING MOULD ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF 6063 ALUMINUM ALLOY

摘要

Sand- mould, permanent-mould, die, and centrifugal casting are source of the modern processes employed for the production of castings. Sand-mould casting processes are known to induce peculiar microstructures depending on average size, distribution and shape of the sand grains and chemical composition of the alloy. These affect specific properties such as surface finish, permeability and refractoriness of all casting processes. In this study, the effect of CO_2 process, permanent mould, cement-bonded sand mould and naturally-bonded sand mould on the hardness, tensile strength, impact strength and microstructure of cast 6063 Aluminum alloy is examined. The results show that there is significant increase in hardness (33.7BH) and tensile strength (131.23MPa) of the alloy when naturally-bonded sand mould is used for its production. Superior impact strength is exhibited in the alloy when permanent mould is used.