Abstract
This study investigates the use of ultrasound to refine the microstructure of cast aluminum alloys during solidification and thus improve their mechanical properties. An A356 aluminum alloy (Al–Si–Mg) with added Fe (to mimic a recycle-grade alloy) was cast in a graphite mold with the simultaneous application of ultrasound via an ultrasound probe inserted in the mold. Tensile specimens were extracted from the castings and heat treated to a T6 temper. Ultrasonication during casting transformed the morphology of primary aluminum grains from dendritic (~140 microns in size) to globular (~36 microns in size). The ultrasonically refined microstructure had 88% greater ductility, on average, and up to 10% greater tensile strength than the dendritic microstructure. This improvement in strength and ductility demonstrates the potential for ultrasonic processing to improve the performance of cast aluminum alloys without altering their chemistry or additional post-processing.
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Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office as part of the Lightweight Metals Core Program. The authors thank Mr. David Weiss at Eck Industries for providing the Al alloy for this work and technical discussions. The authors also thank Anthony Guzman and Michael Blazon of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for their technical assistance.
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Rader, K. et al. (2023). Improving the Mechanical Properties of Cast Aluminum via Ultrasonication-Induced Microstructural Refinement. In: Broek, S. (eds) Light Metals 2023. TMS 2023. The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22532-1_57
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22532-1_57
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