Fracture toughness of cast aluminium alloys

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to evaluate the fracture toughness of cast aluminium alloys of different microstructural complexity, brought about by alloy constitution and cooling rate of castings. In all cases the three-point bend specimens, which had a thickness of 15 mm, did not provide valid plane — strain stress intensity factor values. The fracture susceptibility at a given stress level reckoned in terms of the conditional plane strain stress intensity factor (K _Q) was found to be lowest in aluminium-4.5% copper alloy castings and the susceptibility increased with increase in microstructural complexity. Casting cooling rate in these castings is likely to affect the damage potential of a given defect at yield stress to a greater extent than the fracture susceptibility at a given stress.