PREMATURE CRACKING OF DIES FOR ALUMINIUM ALLOY DIE-CASTING

摘要

Two identical dies for aluminium alloy die-casting failed prematurely because of a number of parallel cracks on the working surface. These cracks were of a mechanical nature related to incorrect microstructural banding orientation of the die core and related to improper heat treatment. The microstructural banding orientation was determined by metallographic examination of the specimens, which were cut from the dies along the three axes of the coordinate system. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination of the fracture surfaces and along the crack path (including energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis) indicated that the root cause of the premature cracking of the dies was improper heat treatment (quenching and tempering conditions). Additionally, resistance to fracture of the investigated specimens, as measured by the Charpy V-notch test, was five times lower than that required for the desired hardness.