Crack Initiation Mechanism in Casting AC4B Aluminum Alloy Parts with Complex Structure
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experiments
3. Results
3.1. Optical Microstructure
3.2. Typical Casting Defects
3.3. Crack Surface
3.4. Typical Intermetallics
3.5. Secondary Dendrite Spacing
4. Discussion
4.1. Distribution of Temperature Field
4.2. Solidification Sequence
4.3. Crack Initiation Mechanisms
5. Summary and Conclusions
- Little oxygen was detected in the casting defects with the size of 300–500 μm that can only be found near the surface of the components. Shrinkage porosities was one of the main casting defects.
- Fe-bearing bulk was found in crack surface, the cracked big compound with many cleavage-liked features. The brittle Fe-bearing phase would promote crack initiation in service, and lead to deteriorative mechanical properties.
- The secondary dendrite arm spacing in five typical positions were significantly different. The secondary dendrite arm spacing in position 5 is smaller than that in position 1. The variation of secondary dendrite arm spacing is related to cooling rate during casting.
- Numerical simulation showed that during the casting process the cooling rate in position 5 in faster than position 1. Position 5 solidified before position 1. The solidification feeding of position 1 would be impeded, and it may lead to casting defects or even cast cracks.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Materials | Density kg/m3 | Specific Heat J/kg·k | Heat Conductivity W/m·k | Liquidus Temperature °C | Solidus Temperature °C | Shrinkage of Volume % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AC4B | 2770 | 963 | 96 | 590 | 520 | 7.14 |
Position | Statistical Magnitude | Secondary Arm Spacing | Solidification Sequence |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 322 | 42.9 | 4 5 2 1 3 |
2 | 461 | 41.2 | |
3 | 535 | 48.8 | |
4 | 618 | 18.7 | |
5 | 630 | 40.6 |
Position | Statistical Magnitude | Secondary Arm Spacing | Solidification Sequence |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 795 | 48.8 | 4 2 5 1 3 |
2 | 504 | 39.8 | |
3 | 413 | 52.2 | |
4 | 308 | 22.2 | |
5 | 830 | 42.2 |
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Yu, D.; Yang, W.; Deng, W.; Zhu, S.; Dai, Q.; Zhang, D. Crack Initiation Mechanism in Casting AC4B Aluminum Alloy Parts with Complex Structure. Metals 2021, 11, 97. https://doi.org/10.3390/met11010097
Yu D, Yang W, Deng W, Zhu S, Dai Q, Zhang D. Crack Initiation Mechanism in Casting AC4B Aluminum Alloy Parts with Complex Structure. Metals. 2021; 11(1):97. https://doi.org/10.3390/met11010097
Chicago/Turabian StyleYu, Daliang, Wen Yang, Wanqing Deng, Songzhu Zhu, Qingwei Dai, and Dingfei Zhang. 2021. "Crack Initiation Mechanism in Casting AC4B Aluminum Alloy Parts with Complex Structure" Metals 11, no. 1: 97. https://doi.org/10.3390/met11010097