Effect of Casting Parameters and Chills on Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Silicon Alloy (LM6) Castings

摘要

The casting process is desired because it is very versatile, flexible, and economical and happens to be the shortest and fastest way to transform raw material into finished product. Aluminum is remarkable for its low density and ability to resist corrosion. It is one of the most versatileof the common foundry metals and the ratio of the cast to wrought aluminum alloy products is increasing primarily because of the larger amounts of castings being used for automotive applications. The mechanical properties of aluminum-silicon (LM6) alloy are strongly dependent on solidificationparameters of castings. The pouring temperature plays an important role in obtaining the better mechanical properties of castings. The use of end chills during casting not only favors directional solidification but also accelerates solidification. Faster cooling rates give rise to finer structuresand improved mechanical properties. In this work, an attempt has been made to obtain the faster cooling rate during solidification of Al–Si alloy cast using copper chills. It has been observed that the chill has a significant impact on the microstructure and properties of the cast specimens.The effect of pouring temperature and application of chills on ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and hardness has been observed through experimentation.